I *adore* photo cards. At least, of people I know and like. And even cards from unfamiliar people (my husband and I gave some money last year to some missionaries recommended by his parents as being low on support, and they all sent us photocards this year) are usually interesting because I like looking at the families. I've always enjoyed photocards, and they go on our fridge and often stay there until the next Christmas! Regular cards get taped to the back of the door and enjoyed for the season, but I don't usually keep them beyond January or so. My favorites are photocards with kids. This year we finally sent photocards ourselves, which was fun. They're not vacation photos or anything. We went to Target wearing nice Christmassy clothes and got them taken on site. Most of the cards we receive are similar. They're usually of people wearing Christmas clothes or in front of a tree, or the like. There is one where the kids are wearing shorts, so it must be from the summer, but that's not the norm. And there's definitely no bragging... all the cards just say something like "Merry Christmas from the Carmichael Family!" and maybe a Bible verse from the Christmas story, and if there's anything handwritten, it's along the lines of, "We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Love, Tim, Amy, Beth, and Daniel Carmichael." Or whatever.
I think the LW should just stop sending anything to the aunt. That'll save her the cost of a card, or she can send it to somebody more appreciative.