With the holiday season in full swing, it's time to think about what form your greeting card will take. Let us suggest a video as fun (and generally inexpensive) way of letting family and friends know you're thinking about them. If you decide to incorporate pictures of the kids growing up over the year or snapshots from your '09 vacations, services like Animoto and One True Media can help you convert your photographs into a compelling video. They use YouTube APIs to make uploading to YouTube a breeze, too.

Here are some examples of "video cards" out there to get you inspired.

Family-focused, by JeremyCampMusic:



Animated, by dawgsays:



Humorous, by jibjab:

By now you might have seen the immaculately accurate recreation -- in Legos -- of the legendary "bullet dodge" scene from The Matrix, in honor of the film's 10th anniversary this year:



But what's really cool is that the filmmakers, Trevor Boyd and Steve Ilett, have some detailed behind-the-scenes information on their site, including a guide to the technology behind the video and this fantastic tip sheet, which is a must-read for any budding Lego animator.

With 40,000+ subscribers and a couple of hit videos, the folks behind the phonedog channel know a thing or two about making popular product-review videos (in their case, mobile phone reviews). In the spirit of the holidays, they've kindly agreed to share their secrets with you, to help the next generation of gadget reviewers rise up on YouTube.

Ask any question you like about how to be an effective gadget reviewer by leaving a comment on -- or uploading a response video to -- this video. phonedog will review your questions and then make a tutorial video, uploaded around December 15, to help give you your start in this field. Take their advice or leave it, but definitely test it out, particularly on any hot new gadgets you or your friends receive this holiday season. We'll be featuring three of the most promising new reviewers, as selected by phonedog, on the YouTube homepage during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January.

For more details, Noah from phonedog lays it all out:

YouTube can be a powerful tool championing the rights of individuals and promoting free expression. This month, during International Human Rights Day, we're partnering with Morgan Freeman and Amnesty International to encourage you to become advocates for equality and justice, through Video Volunteers.

Here's how you can help. Create a video about the nonprofit of your choice working on a human rights issue that you care about -- it could be genocide, human trafficking, refugee protection, gender equality or something else -- and submit it to the Video Volunteers channel by December 21. Amnesty International and Freeman, who plays legendary crusader Nelson Mandela in the upcoming movie Invictus, will select three videos to appear on the YouTube homepage at the end of the month. Hear more from Morgan about the importance of taking up this cause:



This is your chance to help citizens around the world who often can't help themselves and to bring the vital work of human rights organizations to light. Join Morgan Freeman to protect the rights of these individuals at www.youtube.com/videovolunteers.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it's a good time to contemplate what you're thankful for and, presumably with work and school winding down a bit, an even better time to make a video. What's more, your video might end up on our homepage and/or on TV on Thanksgiving Day.

This year, ABC News' Good Morning America is asking for videos about the things in your life you're grateful for. They'll pick some of the best ones and broadcast them on Good Morning America on Thanksgiving morning. You can upload your videos here.

Need some inspiration?

julianattaway uploaded this video of kids at day care sharing what they're thankful for:



dare2bxabigail talks about the difficult times her family has been through, yet how many things she's grateful for despite the bumps in the road:



wilvan is thankful for memories he shared with his dad and created this sketch to express his gratitude:



So what are you thankful for? Your family, your health, your dog? Upload your videos on the Good Morning America website for a chance to be on TV on Thanksgiving morning.

iJustine recently let YouTube users in on her video production process via this video packed with tips (and delightfully un-self-conscious dances on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade):



Over on her blog is a full equipment list and this sage advice: "One of the BIGGEST misconceptions I think people have is that you NEED to have all kinds of expensive equipment to shoot great videos. No, you do not. A lot of videos that I shoot on YouTube are all done with a little tiny camera or my iSight and edited on my Mac." Click here for the full article.

This month, in honor of Thanksgiving and as part of our YouTube Video Volunteers program, we're asking you to make a video on behalf of your nonprofit organization tackling the issue of hunger in America, for a chance to be featured on the YouTube homepage on Nov. 25. So grab your cameras and submit your video by midnight PST on Saturday, Nov. 21. The top three submitted videos will go on the homepage.

Please make sure to read the complete rules before submitting your video and tag your video "ytvideovolunteers" so we can find it. If you need some food for thought, here's a film entry from nsmith345, documenting how a local food pantry in Queens, New York, serves its community: