Tips to Send Your Holiday Cards

It’s almost December, which means it’s time to start thinking about sending holiday cards this year. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how I was a little bit overwhelmed with all my greeting card sending, but I think I’ve got it under control for now. (Once I catch up on birthday cards again that is.)

So now that I’ve got a grasp on my own holiday card list, it’s time to help you get yours under wraps as well. Let’s do this –

Make Your List & Check It Twice

Decide who from your life is going to be getting a holiday card this year. Think about the people who have made an impact, the people you would like to stay in touch with, the people that always send you holiday cards, and your family members.

Choose Your Cards

There are so many great options for cards nowadays. You can order a box of cards. You can browse Etsy. You can make a photo card on one of multiple sites. You can design your own cards and print them. Or you can hand-make them. Decide what’s going to be easiest for you and pull the trigger. This is the most important part. Once you have the cards, you’re more likely to go through with sending it.

I decided a few years ago that each group of people in my life was going to get a different type of card (some of which I ordered). This mostly just makes things more interesting for me because I send so many. I have 58 more cards to make this year. It’s going to be a busy weekend.

Buy Stamps

This is probably the second most important part. Once you have cards and stamps (especially if they’re holiday stamps) there’s no going back. Figure out when your local post office has no line and stop by then, or you can order them online by creating a USPS account and they’ll send them straight to your door. (They don’t usually fit in a mail slot though.)

Write the Envelopes First

This might seem counter-intuitive, but I’ve found that it really works for me. After I write all of the holiday cards there’s nothing I want to do less than write envelopes. It’s such a mindless task that it’s a great thing to do while you’re catching up on Netflix. I usually write the person’s name, the return address, and put the stamp, then I figure out the address later.

Personalize the Message

It doesn’t need to be fancy or complicated, just include a personalized message to the receiver. Throw on your favorite holiday album and start writing! Include their name, wish them a Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays / Happy New Year’s / Happy Hanukah / Happy Kwanza, and then include something specific to them i.e. it was so great to see you this year, thanks so much for helping me out, I’m so glad you were able to celebrate with me, have fun baking all your holiday cookies this year, can’t wait to see you soon, etc. I have a whole blog post about what to write on holiday cards for business if you’re looking to expand your repertoire.

Gather Addresses

There’s a few way to do this. You can also create an online account at Postable to collect people’s physical addresses. (This is on my to-do list because it seems easier to maintain than my stack of index cards.) That said, I usually just end up texting or emailing people right after I finish writing their card asking what their address is unless I’m 100% sure they didn’t move.

Send Your Cards

If you’re lucky enough to live in the burbs with one of those fancy mailboxes that you put the red flag up and they take the mail you have, you don’t even need to leave your property to send your cards. Otherwise, find a blue mailbox on your walk to work, and call it a day. You’re all done!