Why You Can Trust CNET Your Amazon Echo can send holiday cards for you. Here's how
Send your friends and loved ones a (virtual) holiday greeting card.
All you need to do is create a skill, which is much easier than it sounds -- the whole process took me less than 5 minutes.
Haven't sent out your holiday cards yet? No need to fret. Instead of running to the post office and worrying about stamps, addresses and shipping delays, you can send a personalized holiday greeting to your friends and family using your Alexa devices.
All you need to do is create a skill, which is much easier than it sounds -- the whole process took me less than 5 minutes. So, whether you have an Amazon Echo Dot, Echo Dot with Clock, the chunky Echo Studio and smart displays such as the Echo Show 10, Show 8, Show 5 and most recently, the Show 15, you can send a touching message in no time.
Setting up your Alexa greeting card
To create your greeting, go to Skill Blueprints and click on the Hallmark Holiday Greeting option under the Greetings & Occasions section. Follow the onscreen directions to pick a theme of your choosing and record your message. You can use the preset Hallmark images and Alexa-narrated greetings or you can personalize your card with your own photos and a custom voice recording.
You can also add multiple pages to your virtual card if you want to send multiple greetings or images.
Next, you will be prompted to name your skill, so when you command Alexa to send the card, she sends the right card. For example, you can name your card, "Christmas Eve card."
Finally, save your skill. It could take a couple minutes.
You can choose from several themes for your personalized greeting card.
Sharing your Alexa greeting card
Once Amazon processes your skill, click on the Share With Others option on the right side of the screen. Here you can choose how you want to share your holiday card, including over email, with Facebook or using a link you can copy and paste anywhere, including a text message.
Or you can send the card by voice command. Just say, "Alexa, send Christmas Eve card to Mom and Dad."
Message to enable the skill.
Now, the recipient of your card needs to enable the skill for their Alexa device, too. They can do that by clicking on the option provided with your message that you just sent with the Share With Others Option.
Once the skill is set up on their end, they can say, "Alexa, open Holiday Greeting" to hear (and see if they have an Echo show) your holiday message. It's that easy to spread some Christmas cheer.
Do you have any suggestions for holiday features you like using on your Amazon Echo? Let us know in the comments.