I know, I know…. It’s October. What am I thinking even THINKING about Christmas cards right now? Just hear me out! Let’s be honest, those cards don’t send themselves. They also don’t address themselves. Oh, and lastly, who even keeps track of addresses in this digital age anyway. If you desperately want to send (and receive) Christmas cards, but it just seems like an overwhelming task at an already way too busy time of the year, LET ME HELP YOU!
Step 1: Decide you’re sending cards.
See? EASY!
Step 2: Start gathering addresses early!
I like to use postable.com because it creates a link I can easily share with friends and family on Facebook or via text/email. When they click the link, they are prompted to enter their name(s), address, and even enter information for their kids/spouses including birthdays so you can track that later in the year! It takes a bunch of work out of it for you because you don’t have to have a physical address book AND it’s secure for them because they aren’t posting their information publicly.
Another part of gathering addresses is to make a list of those you absolutely would love to send a card to. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to scroll through my text messages, emails, call logs, and Facebook messages. Chances are if I’ve communicated with someone through one of those, I’m close enough to them that I’d love to mail them a card! Don’t forget about family members you may not speak to often such as older grandparents or aunts and uncles. They are more accustomed to snail mail and usually REALLY appreciate cards in the mail.
Lastly, we like to search for some fun places to send cards. Every year, there are posts for elderly in nursing homes who would love to receive cards, children in hospitals who could use a bit of holiday cheer, and other opportunities like that. Look around Facebook and ask friends/family if they know of any people who could use a bit of holiday magic.
Step 3: Decide on a card type.
While still in the address gathering phase (It could take a couple of months for people to click the link, for you to text/reach out to people to ask for an address, etc) start thinking about what kind of card you’d like to send! Some people love sending cards with family pictures. Others send out entire newsletters with yearly recaps (those are super fun to get!). We personally like to bulk buy cards on Amazon or on sale AFTER Christmas, but that takes a bit of planning ahead the year before. We’ve had great success ordering picture cards from Shutterfly.com, but I’m sure there are many options available. One year, we didn’t have a family picture (because those are hard to get) so we used individual shots of each of us (with Snapchat filters LOL) and made a collage! Work with what you have!
Step 4: Get those cards made!
This can be as easy or hard as you’d like! We tend to do a combination of picture cards for close family with a tiny recap of our year AND some plain cards for just friends or distant relatives. While the picture cards are fun, they’re a bit pricier than generic cards. We set aside a few evenings in November and the kids color the plain cards and envelopes and we buy a ton of stickers for them to decorate! They LOVE the creative time and people love seeing their artwork!
The trickier part is the addressing which normally has to be done by an adult unless you have an older child. I know there are ways to print address labels, but I’m not that techy. I try to start addressing early on as I have some free time and am feeling the Christmas Spirit. I mean, I can always use an excuse to throw on a warm, fuzzy blanket and listen to Christmas music in August/September/October before the rest of the world deems it appropriate…. NOTE: Most Christmas cards are 5×7, so you can buy your envelopes WAY ahead of time and then get your cards done closer to Christmas. While they usually come with envelopes, you can save them for the following year (LOOK AT YOU GO!!) Shutterfly has a special for 4 free sets of address labels several times/year and I always take advantage and order Christmas-themed return labels. It’s usually about $7 in shipping (that’s how they get you), but I think that’s a decent deal! A fun thing to do if you get your envelopes early enough is to seal them inside large gallon-sized Ziploc baggies with a cotton ball covered in essential oils such as Peppermint, Cinnamon, or Christmas Spirit! They must be in there forever (aka months) to really absorb the scent, but I think it makes them SO fun!
A fun thing to do if you get your envelopes early enough is to seal them inside large gallon-sized Ziploc baggies with a cotton ball covered in essential oils such as Peppermint, Cinnamon, or Christmas Spirit! They must be in there forever (aka months) to really absorb the scent, but I think it makes them SO fun!
Step 5: Buy your stamps!
You can head to your local post office OR order online. The post office on 4th has a decent selection, the PO stop inside the gas station at Hitt/Sunnyside usually has a wide selection of cute stamps, but a limited number of them, and I’ve never checked the post office downtown. The website always has a great selection, though! I LOVEEEEEE stamps, so I order them online in October! Make sure not to add your stamp until the address is on correctly! Also, remember to tell the kiddos not to put anything in that corner!
Step 6: Assemble and mail.
Once your cards are made, your envelopes are addressed, and your stamps are purchased (brace yourself as stamps are NOT cheap), you are ready to assemble and mail. We try to mail RIGHT before Thanksgiving so the cards will get there the week after Thanksgiving! We always make a huge deal out of this as we normally mail 150+ cards every year and we listen to Christmas music in the car, go look at Christmas lights (if any are up), get some hot chocolate (or coffee), and head to a blue box where the kids JOYOUSLY drop their cards in the mail! It is SUCH a fun night!
Step 7: Sit back feeling like an overachiever and get excited to receive cards!
Many people will send you a card even if they didn’t plan to once they receive yours. We try to make 10 extra cards and have them ready to be addressed, stamped, and mailed for nay cards we get that we didn’t send out to! The perk of sending your cards out early is that it gives people more time to reply! Keep in mind that you may not get back as many cards as you send out and THAT IS OK! This is about spreading Christmas cheer! Every year you do this, more and more people will add you to their lists!
Look at that! It doesn’t seem so hard when it’s cut down into bite-sized chunks, huh? Be sure to look for an upcoming post on different display ideas as well as what to do with the cards you received AFTER Christmas. THAT post will be closer to Christmas, though ? Happy Fall and Happy Christmas-card prep!!!
