We are fast approaching that time of year again, when we are truly afraid to open up our mail. With Christmas right around the corner, families from all over the world are currently thinking about what kind of Christmas card they are going to be sending out this year. Most of us wish those families would just find some other way to show their holiday spirit. That’s because, well let’s face it, a lot of the cards we will soon be receiving are just plain disturbing, and we just don’t want or need to see them.

It’s a fun thing to share the spirit of the holidays with your loved ones. One just has to know the limits of that sharing and when they should reel it in a bit. What you are about to see will shock you, make you laugh and completely freak you out. Some of the photos you are about to see will do all three of those at the very same time. You have been warned!

If you have never received a shocking Christmas card from a family member, consider yourself lucky. Looking through these Christmas cards here today will give you a good idea of what you have been missing. As the holiday season approaches, remember – you should open every piece of mail with extreme caution. Here’s why…

15. Matching Sweaters From Hell

For some reason, people like to try and make a statement on their Christmas cards. Usually, it’s those people who should just stop trying and retire from the practice. Here is a perfect example of that. Whoever made the decision on the clothing here should never be allowed to direct any type of family photo again. While the matching sweaters might be cute on eight-year-old twins, it doesn’t really look good on adults; not to mention the poor dog. But hey! He certainly looks like he is enjoying himself so who are we to judge? The only way the picture could get any worse, is if it was extended down just a bit. Hopefully, the humans aren’t bottomless as well.

14. Living The Dream

This photo is funny on so many different levels! There is obviously something that they are staring at just off camera. It doesn’t look like it is something very happy though. The woman looks like she is seeing E.T. for the very first time, while the man looks like he just witnessed a horrifying plane crash. Then, of course, you come to the cat.

There is no way that we will ever know what is grabbing their attention but whatever it is, the cat is obviously horrifically shocked. Naming the photo “Living the Dream! 2008”, only makes it funnier. It looks like a clear case of “Living the Nightmare!”

13. Photobombing Chimp

Here we have a photo that obviously was taken sometimes during the 80’s. It’s hard to figure out what the woman is trying to get across here in her Christmas card, but if she was striving for freakishly weird, she nailed it.

The mullet haircut is partially hidden by her Santa hat, and it’s hard to tell exactly what kind of jacket she is wearing. Oh yeah, then there is the chimp. The Chimp’s dress chosen for the picture was not a good decision, and the stuffed animal at their side is clearly more than a little freaked out by what he is witnessing. It looks like the woman was posing and at the last minute the chimp jumped up into her lap, giving her a hairy photobombing!

12. Twenty-Five Years Isn’t Long Enough To Forget This Pic!

Some people do things with the best of intentions. That doesn’t mean though that they always come off without a hitch. As you can see here, there are plenty of hitches to be seen. A twenty-five-year reunion, recreating a Christmas photo from when you were kids, well, that sounds like an awesome idea. That is until you see it. A close look at the tree shows that it looks like it’s the exact same one from the original picture. I guess the beanbag chair did not survive the decades, so oh well! Even the adults lying on top of one another isn’t really all that bad here. The youngest kid, however, well, that’s a completely different story. He clearly should have improvised on his pose. A kid sucking his thumb is cute and funny. A grown man doing it is just disturbing.

11. Dick Clark’s Nightmare Christmas

Where do we start on this one? First of all the background lighting looks like it was taken from Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Party. You can only see circles of blurry colors like that after a few drinks.

The people, especially the man, look scared to death to be having their photo taken. It is quite possible that there is a mirror next to the camera and he just got a dose of reality when he saw a glimpse of what they are wearing from a different angle. Of course, that doesn’t even mention the fact that the woman has a goat on her lap. Yes, a goat. You certainly don’t see that every year!

10. “This Was NOT My Idea”

Here you have a family of four who clearly could have been happier to take a photograph at any point in life. It’s quite obvious that there was plenty of discussion leading up to the photo being taken, and while it’s hard to tell who actually made the decision on the clothing, none of them were happy about it.

The decision maker might very well be behind the camera, and that’s why all of them are giving dirty looks. Although, it could very well be that they know how ridiculous they look and they didn’t want anything to remember the day by, yet here we have it, forever!

9. We Can’t Choose Our Parents

Sometimes things are very obvious to some people, while others are completely oblivious as to what’s going on. Here you have a couple who think that this just might be the best Christmas photo ever. While her smile might be fake, his joy is most certainly not. He couldn’t be happier sporting his “World’s Best Dad” dog sweater which clearly defines him as someone who should not be allowed to dress himself. That smile alone is pretty creepy but don’t let it distract you from the fact that both of them are also wearing reindeer ears. The dog is obviously the only one here who really knows what’s going on and how stupid they look.

8. A Nativity Scene From Beyond

This photo could be offending to anyone who attends church on a regular basis. It’s obvious that they were going for your typical nativity scene here, but what’s up with the Star Wars background? It could actually be just a black wall that reflected the light of the camera when the flash went off, but it couldn’t have been more perfectly done either way. If it was done purposely it’s certainly an odd touch.

The most disturbing part of the photo, however, is the ‘baby’ with the fully grown beard. Brings a whole new meaning to the term, “Sweet Baby Jesus”. My, how times have changed!

7. Killer Photo

You’ve no doubt heard the cliché saying “Just kill me now!”. Here you have a perfect example of it being used at the exact right moment. Being a kid in this family had to be a hard thing to go through. By the looks of things, Ward and June Cleaver could learn a few things from this couple. The son on the left obviously knows how bad the picture is going to turn out, and he wants nothing to do with it. There is no telling how long he had to look at his parents dressed in that manner but it was obviously very traumatic for him!

6. There Are Simply NO Words

Warning… Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. There are plenty of animal lovers in the world. Some like dogs, some like cats and some like more exotic animals. There is nothing wrong with liking animals, but you can absolutely take things just a bit too far at times. This is more than a perfect example of that.

There are just no words to explain how creepy this photograph is. A man can have a cat and even have it be a major part of his life. However, taking things to this extreme is a bit disturbing. Hopefully, some family members saw this as a cry for help!

5. Naked And Afraid – Wow!

You have to pray that this man was strategically lying behind his wife and kids. A well-placed pair of shorts coupled with a few well-placed people can give off the illusion of a naked man behind his fully dressed family. That’s what we are hoping is the case here anyway.

This isn’t the Christmas card that you want to get in the mail any year. The husband and wife look very proud of their idea, but I’m betting the card is only displayed proudly in their own house. You can see why other family members might not be so quick to put this up on their mantle.

4. “I Share My Clothes With Dad”

Well, isn’t this a bit off. When you come across a baby wearing a onesie (full-length pajama) it isn’t a big deal at all. One might even say that it’s a bit cute as he is dressed in Christmas colors. Even for a Christmas card, it can be forgiven because you know the kid didn’t dress himself. Dad sadly, cannot say the same thing. Being triplets with your infant and wife is normally not a good look. It’s even more disturbing when you capture it on a Christmas card, to be remembered forever. Mom onesie at least has some colors to it, but it’s still just as bizarre as hubby’s is. Onesie, twosie, threesie, wierdsie!

3. Traumatic Times Ahead!

Every year families discuss what to do for this year’s Christmas card. They will be sent out to friends and family all over the country; and in some case all over the world. The family wants to make a lasting impression, and every family that does this is on a never-ending chase to create the perfect Christmas card that will be forever memorialized. Some hit that level and some fall far short.

This shot can be nothing other than flat-out terrifying for a child to see. If the wrong kid were to open this card, and see it without warning, they might be scarred for life and not ever want to open a present again!

2. WTF?

Only the people in this photograph really know what they were trying to accomplish here. Each of them certainly looks proud of what they have put together, and maybe they just don’t understand the amount of trauma they are going to inflict on family and friends once they open the card up and see this image.

You really have to feel for the dog here. He obviously had no choice but to be a part of the picture, and the look on his face tells you that he just might have a good idea of what the card was going to look like. Pray that you never receive a card like this one. Freaky!

1. Rudolph The Red Nose Frenchbull? OMG!

Do you think that this family consists of a bunch of cat and dog lovers? Yes, it’s quite obvious that they love them. This is a perfect example of overthinking, and taking things a bit too far. The cat driving the sleigh with the french bulldogs (one of them is Rudolph), instead of reindeers is kind of a funny touch. However, that’s where the highlights end for this family. Putting their faces inside of the cat heads is more than just a little off. You have to wonder how at least three human beings saw the final product, and still decided to send it out to friends and family anyway. I’m sure at least one family member saw this card and screamed “Oh my God!”