One of the things so many love about the Christmas season is sending and receiving cards. Yes, it is quite easy to text a message, or to e-mail a warm greeting. However, to take that extra effort to put a pretty card into the post is a way to show you care about the people in your life.
Beautiful Christmas cards make people smile with joy when they open them. Here are seven tips on how to make this year’s Christmas cards fun and festive:
Make a list of the people you want to send cards to
This is the first thing you should do. Before you order your cards, count how many people you want to send them to. Be generous with yourself and always add an additional 5 to 10% to that number. During the holidays, you may reconnect with old friends, former co-workers, and people you know. Also, you may want to send them a warm Christmas greeting. By having a few extra cards, it becomes easy for you to accommodate additional people.
Double check mailing addresses
Don’t neglect to take out time to do this. Sometimes, people move, or postal codes get changed. Perhaps you have a friend who has changed jobs frequently and has lived in several different cities or countries with each job. You may want to call them to double check their address before putting the card in the mail. There is nothing more disappointing than receiving a Christmas card, which you mailed, returned to you because it could not reach the recipient.
Get extra postage in advance
Getting extra postage in advance, especially when you are sending out a large mailing such as your Christmas cards, is simply the smart thing to do. Having extra postage on hand will let you breathe a sigh of relief. You won’t have to wait forever at the post office to pick up more stamps. Also, you will not run out of stamps for a few extra cards you might want to send.
Take steps to make your envelopes festive for the season
Now, this is something that baffles many people. They think that they need to be super crafty or creative. What you really need to be is – organised! Start by looking at the colour scheme of your envelopes and the cards. Let’s say, the envelopes are green, and the cards inside have green, red, and silver in them. Then, all the three colours will look perfect to decorate your envelopes. If you have pretty penmanship, consider getting a fancy silver marker to address all of the envelopes with a metallic touch. Or look for stickers that match your Christmas cards, such as snowflake stickers for cards that feature a snowy scene.
Don’t get stressed if you have a big Christmas card list
When you have 50 or more cards to send out, sometimes this seems a bit overwhelming. Because most of us have family obligations, work, and other things to take care of, we recommend that you set the goal of working on your holiday cards for 1 hour each night for several nights. With 50 cards, you will probably complete the list in about 3 days if you are well organised.
Practice the short greeting you’ll write inside your cards
This is a true time saver! Sit down with a notebook and think of a simple, short friendly greeting you can write to friends. Another one would be to write to people with whom you have worked with. You may need another greeting if you are giving Christmas cards to people who have provided services for you such as a doorman, hair stylist, or a dog walker. Creating these greetings and then writing them out means you are not creating individual greetings off the top of your head for everyone.
Always remember that writing holiday cards is a treat to be enjoyed. Put on some of your favourite Christmas music, pour a glass of wine, or have a mug of cocoa, and watch a Christmas movie while you write out your cards. The rest of the year, we write other things to put in the mail. So, this is the special time of year when we send Christmas cards; don’t miss a moment of it.