Extra, extra! Read all about Leah!

One of our very favorite parts of doing these contests is hearing your stories. The stories from your cards have made us tear up, laugh our heads off, say, "awww" and feel all sorts of great vibes through this process. We are so lucky (and grateful). Thanks!

We don't want to keep all these stories to ourselves. We want to share them with you, starting with this one about Leah Seydel, the yourHoliday Grand Prize Winner. It's quite the tale of triumph. Here's to Leah and all our card-creating friends. Keep the stories coming.

And the yourHoliday Grand Prize Winner is

. . . Leah Seydel!  No need to adjust your monitors, folks.  Leah did, indeed, win both the Fan Favorite contest and the Grand Prize contest.  That's a first in Hallmark greeting card competition history!  Way to go, Leah, you history-maker, you!

Here's the card that had people at "hello, tacky sweater."  They just couldn't get enough of its whimsy and warmth.   

Be sure to send congrats and warm wishes Leah's way for a job well done (twice)! 

yourHoliday Grand Prize voting is closed

We've closed up shop on yourHoliday voting. Time to tally up those votes so we can announce the Grand Prize Winner when the new year comes 'round. What a way to kick off 2009! The yourHoliday cards will be for sale for a while yet (for those of you who haven't gotten around to sending your holiday cards yet--you know who you are). They won't count as votes but they'll still help people living with AIDS in Africa.

Just in case you need a break from the hustle and bustle (and relatives) over the next week or two, why not check out our newest contest . . . yourBloopers! Now is the perfect time to start gathering those goofy photos you've got tucked away for the right moment. Opportunity's knocking!

In All the Hustle and Bustle

While you're counting down to holiday vacation, daydreaming of all those mugs of hot chocolate, hours of movies, days of pajama-wearing, don't let yourHoliday voting slip your mind. You've got until 8 a.m. on Monday, December 22 to vote for the very best holiday card.

Got that? Before the vacay, vote!

More glorious, glorious trees

Last week we shared a peek at one of the hoops & yoyo trees that's cheering Hallmarkers here at the card factory this season. Impressive, no? But it's not just hoops & yoyo who are decking the halls around here (though they're doing a very merry job). We've got lots of different trees just dripping with ornaments and other festive accessories. Check out this baby. I fondly refer to it as "metallic majesty."

*Gleam*

Do you have all of your holiday decorations up yet? If not, you'd better get on it. Stat!

World AIDS Day

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, a day when individuals, groups and organizations all around the globe join together to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic. It's a day when every person can do their small part to make big strides in the fight against AIDS.

We're so honored to be partnering with (RED) for the yourHoliday contest. We know people will love sending holiday cards that not only help them connect with friends and family but also empower them to help people living with AIDS in Africa.

Want to shop for gifts that do good?

Go to www.hallmark.com/red and www.joinred.com


Want to know more about where (RED) contributions go?

Visit www.theglobalfund.org


Want to get involved?

Check out www.one.org

Share YOUR Cards

Check it out! The team has made our own yourHoliday card. Have you?

We want to see your bright, smiling faces on these impressive cards.
Go ahead and upload the image of the yourHoliday cards you're sending
to the Fan Photos section of the yourGreeting Card Competition Facebook page.
It'll be like sending holiday cards
to the whole group. How festive.

Holiday Spirit Delivered!

Lookie lookie what Fan Favorite Leah Seydel will have
waiting on her doorstep very soon.



Possibly the season's earliest holiday gift.
Might we also suggest one of the most festive?

Let the yourHoliday Grand Prize Voting Begin!

From now until Dec. 22, vote TWO ways!

1. Vote online once a day for free.
2. Plus every yourHoliday card you buy online counts as a vote and helps people living with AIDS in Africa--talk about a good thing!

Click on the image above to vote, buy and see how much good your purchase can do.

Congratulations to Leah Seydel, the yourHoliday Fan Favorite!

Warmest wishes and a big woo hoo for Leah Seydel, the yourHoliday Fan Favorite! Her card, "a holiday sweater for the whole world," earned the most votes, proving that voters were feeling the tacky sweater love.



Join us in giving her some Fan Favorite warm fuzzies.

yourHoliday Grand Prize voting starts next week. And you've got TWO ways to do it!

The final countdown begins, folks. Next Monday, November 17 at 8 a.m. CT you'll have your chance to vote for the Grand-Prize-winning yourHoliday card.
And this time you've got twice the voting options you usually do.

Between 8 a.m. CT on November 17
and 8 a.m. on December 22, vote TWO ways:

Vote once per day online for free. (No change there.)

AND

Every card you purchase counts as a vote for that finalist. The proverbial sky's the limit on how many votes you can cast this way. Plus, every card you buy helps eliminate AIDS in Africa. That's one powerful vote.

Ready to exercise your right to vote how you wanna? Excellent. See you next Monday.

Announcing the yourHoliday Fan Favorite!

Nope, not yet. You'll have to hold those horses for one more week.
Monday, Nov. 10 is magic day we'll announce the Fan Favorite!
And you can join us in singing his or her praises.

Fan Favorite voting has come to an end. Don't be too sad. Grand Prize voting is on the way!

We're giving you a break from yourHoliday voting for a bit, just in case you have other voting to do this week. We'll announce the Fan Favorite right quick, though. Maybe not as right quick as the Presidential announcement, but still. Quick.

Then, you'll get to vote for the yourHoliday Grand Prize Winner,
starting at 8 a.m., CT on Nov. 17. Hope you're ready
for a new yourHoliday tradition because this time you've got TWO ways to vote:

1. You can still cast one free vote per day, from Nov. 17 through Dec. 22.

2. You can also cast as many votes as your heart desires by buying yourHoliday cards during the voting period. Each card purchased counts as a vote and also helps eliminate AIDS in Africa. Pretty cool, right?

So, ready to vote? We ho ho hope so. (Sorry. Sometimes the holiday excitement is just too much.)

One Week Left to Vote for Your Fan Favorite!

It's getting down to the wire, folks, and these votes aren't going to cast themselves. If you haven't already, add "vote for fan favorite" to your daily to-do list from now until November 3.
Want to vote now? Go for it.

We can hardly wait to see whose design is deemed the fave. We are also anxiously awaiting the look on the winner's face when he or she receives the festive prizes we've been cooking up.

*$250 bonus cash to buy an early holiday gift (Perhaps for themselves?)

*$250 match, in his or her name, contributed to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa (Because the winner is also the giving sort.)

*A 25" holiday tree, delivered to the winner's home, decked out in Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments (Because what's a mini contest without a mini tree?)

Make this last week count and vote on every day that ends in "y." It'll keep your clicking finger in shape for Grand Prize voting, which is just around the bend (more specifically, November 17).

Hark! Fan Favorite Voting is Here!

Today's the day to scoot on over to the finalists page and vote for your most beloved holiday design in the Fan Favorite mini-contest, sponsored by Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. In fact, every day between now and November 3 at 8 AM CDT is a good day to vote for your fave. Still undecided on which design catches your fancy? Keep these things in mind when deciding which is most worthy:

1. Does it feel like (RED) or have red in it?
2. Could it be sent by lots of different people this holiday season?
3. Is it unique?

Now, get to voting. Once today. Once tomorrow. Once the next day. (You get the idea.) Your daily vote is important. It will determine the winner of the following festive prizes:

*$250 for holiday shopping money, and the like
*$250 donated to the Global Fund, to help people living with AIDS in Africa
*A petite (25") holiday tree decked out in Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments

Introducing Allan Nacapuy, Your Winning Runner Up

The YourHoliday runners-up designs were too good not to share. So we shared. And you shared your two cents on which was your favorite in our blog poll. Thanks for that.



After all the votes were tallied, Allan Nacapuy came out victorious, and here's where the really big news comes in. Although Allan's design won't be in the running for the Grand Prize contest, his card will be for sale on Hallmark.com! This is the first time a runner up has been able to have his or her card printed. (You're a pioneer, Allan!) That means along with the finalists' cards, Allan's card will be generating hope for people living with AIDS in Africa with every sale, beginning Nov 17. He'll also be receiving $100 cash and $100 donated to the Global Fund in his name. Just look what good his design is doing the world. Nice work, Allan.

Time's Up

The clock has struck midnight, and you know what that means . . . the YourHoliday runners-up blog poll is o-fficially closed. Many thanks to you dutiful bloggers who cast your votes in the name of holiday fun and delightful design. Come back Monday, when we'll spill the beans about the winningest design.

And Now Featuring . . . Your Runners Up

Now that all the finalists have gotten their days in the sun, we thought it might be fun to shine the spotlight on our runners up. Their entries made us wish we could have more finalists, they're so good. Too good not to share.

Take a gander at the runners-up gallery, either the slideshow here or the standing-still version (by clicking here) and let us know which one's your favorite. Which one would you send, if you could, for the holidays? Cast your vote on our super-scientific blog poll between now and October 9th at 11:59 PM. Look on the blog sidebar and click on the button of the design that you wish you could send. Could it get any simpler? Nay.

Finalists Revealed . . . It's Almost Mini-Contest Time!

You've now had a chance to meet all twenty YourHoliday finalists and see their fantastic card designs. How, oh, how will you ever choose your favorite?  Well, you'd better think about that real quick because mini-contest voting is just around the bend!  In fact, it's October 13 through November 3.  Log in to hallmark.com/you site and vote once per day for the card that brings home the holiday spirit for you.

Are you ready?  Here's what you'll need to do to vote successfully come October 13:

1. Go to hallmark.com/you

2. Find your favorite YourHoliday design and click "vote."  

    *If you're already registered, your vote will be cast, just like that!

    *If you're not registered, a screen will pop up and ask you, ever so kindly, to do so.  Registration helps us       keep the voting process honest--very important.  After the first time you've registered, you won't have           to do it again.  You'll be able to log in with ease.

3. You can vote once per day during the voting period.  Once.

Well, that about does it.  Get excited.  And get ready to vote, vote, vote in the mini-contest.

Introducing Alice Ashe, Your Holiday Finalist

Meet our finalist of the day. Read on to learn a bit about her and her entry.

If you like what you see, comment right here--everybody likes props on their hard work! And check back weekdays through October 3 to meet the rest of the finalists.

Tell us one of your best (or most entertaining) holiday memories.

By far, all my best holiday memories involve the entire family gathered around the fireplace, playing a board game with our grandmother, who alwas seemed to make the most fun of it!

I got in the holiday mood for this contest by . . .

Browsing through some old holiday cards I've still got and looking at snowy, wintry pictures.

Why is your card the perfect choice for anyone sending holiday cards this season?

Despite the green and red color theme, my card is adaptable to many different holidays. It also leaves room for a short note and is a lively way to send your best holiday wishes!

Tell us (and the world) a little bit about yourself.

I am a graphic designer living and working in Washington, D.C. As the daughter of a professional photographer and a teacher, I grew up with an appreciation for art. I graduated college with a degree in Media Art and Design and a minor in Spanish from James Madison University.