How to Make Family Holiday Videos from your Pictures

This Thanksgiving, my kids and I were able to take a wonderful trip up to Atlanta to my aunt and uncle's house. We had an amazing time, although we were really sad that my husband Grant couldn't make it because of his job. It was so wonderful spending time with my cousins, my parents, my brother, my aunt and uncle, and even more extended family. That weekend, we also attended a special party to celebrate my cousin's marriage.

So, as you can imagine, I took a million pictures. There are so many wonderful ones, and sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I don't end out doing anything at all with them. But now I've found a new AMAZING online tool that allows you to EASILY create fun videos from your pictures and video clips, called Animoto.

When I first signed on using my Facebook account, I was given a chance to make an instant video with pictures selected from my Facebook profile. It only took a couple of minutes to load, and one click of the mouse on my part to create a really fun 30 second video. I think I might start making videos of everything now.

You can use the promo code busyparents to create a free full-length video. (The 30 second videos are always free). Here is the video that I made from my Thanksgiving pictures. I love how it turned out, and I'm really excited to share it with my family!

I love how simple Animoto is to use, and yet how many choices you have. I selected the Autumn theme which fit perfectly with all of the leafy pictures. I also got to choose the song, and which pictures to highlight.

Be sure to check out this holiday busy parent's video guide with a lot of great tips. Animoto also has an awesome iPhone and Android ap that lets you create videos on the go from your phone's pictures. How great is that?

I also made another video for my daughter who is turning 2 this week. She really gets a kick out of getting her picture taken, and I know she is going to love this quick video. For this one, I just used Instagram pictures of her. I was able to download them easily straight to Animoto. This entire video took me less than 5 minutes to create.

Now, once you've made your videos, you have lots of ways to easily share them with your family and friends. You can download them directly to your YouTube account, or you can just share them on Facebook or Twitter.

Like my video? Make your own and enter to win a prize!

Animoto has graciously offered the code busyparents to my readers, which is good for a free video download. And that’s not all! When you use that code to download a video between now and December 15, you’ll automatically be entered to win a copy of "Capturing Life Through Better Photography" (MSRP $70) by Tamara Lackey, the woman featured in this episode of "Busy Parent's Guide: Photo & Video Tips for Parents for the Holidays." Additionally, you can use the code clever until December 15 to receive 20% off a year of Animoto service. All rules and requirements regarding this sweepstakes can be found here.

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.