A Christmas card from the dog works best when the dog is actually in it. On Tangy Limes, you upload a photo, the dog's face is found and cut out, and it goes on a dancing dog in a little Santa suit, in a short video card with an original Christmas song. Then you sign it from the dog, and everyone pretends the dog did it.
Cats can do this too. They will be less gracious about it.
The card: Meowy Christmas
Meowy Christmas fits two people and two pets. It opens in a living room with a giant glowing tree and piles of presents, where a corgi in a little Santa suit dances on its hind legs, paws waving. Then a cozy fireplace with stockings, where two people in matching plaid pajamas throw tinsel around. Then a pile of wrapping paper and a pet in tiny reindeer antlers and a bell collar. It ends at the mantel with snow falling outside the window, a husky and a gray tabby dancing together beside presents shaped like a bone and a fish.
There's an intro with the names, then four dance scenes, about 40 seconds total. The song is original, and the mouths open and close to the words, which means your dog sings. Your dog has opinions about Christmas now. They're in the lyrics.
You don't need a pet card for this, either. A pet's face can go on any dancer, so the dog can also show up in Holly Jolly Family, in plaid pajamas by the tree, or in the kitchen tossing gingerbread cookies. Put the dog on the dancer next to Grandpa and see who notices first.
How to sign a card from the dog
The big headline says MERRY CHRISTMAS, and you can type over it. This is where the dog speaks. Some lines the dog would say:
- MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BISCUIT. I ATE A RIBBON.
- I WAS GOOD. MOSTLY. CHECK THE COUCH.
- MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE REAL HEAD OF THE FAMILY
- SANTA, I DID NOT EAT THE COOKIES. LOOK AT MY FACE.
- HAPPY HOLIDAYS. THE CAT DID IT.
And for the cat, who is sending this under protest:
- MERRY CHRISTMAS. I KNOCKED OVER THE TREE ON PURPOSE.
- I'M IN THIS CARD AGAINST MY WILL
- SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM THE BOX THE PRESENT CAME IN
Then the message you send with it can be in the pet's voice too. "Dear Grandma, it's me, Biscuit. Mom made me do a dance. Please send more of the cheese you gave me at Thanksgiving. Love, Biscuit."
Getting a good dog face
The photo matters more than you'd think. A few tips:
- Face the camera. A dog looking straight at you works best. The side-eye your cat does all day is less useful here.
- Get them awake. Treat in hand, above the phone. Eyes open, ears up.
- Two photos are fine. If the dog and the family won't sit for the same shot, use one photo for the people and another for the dog.
- Fix it after. You can paint the cutout to add an ear back or erase a bit of couch, and shrink a head that came out too big. The face itself isn't changed.
Then tap to choose who dances where. The corgi in the Santa suit is the obvious spot for a dog. The gray tabby by the mantel suits any cat with a grudge.
Sending it
Make a share link on the card page and paste it in the family chat. It opens a plain web page that plays the video, so nobody installs anything. You can download the MP4 instead, or email it to up to five people straight from the card page. For a phone-sized version, save it tall at 9:16.
Christmas is Friday, December 25. The preview is free, so you can make it now and fiddle with the headline for weeks. Keeping it is $1.99 a card, with nothing to subscribe to.
The dog won't thank you. The dog will, however, get more replies than you.