Do you enjoy sending Christmas cards? This subject came up among a group of friends I was with recently. Three people in the group of six said she still really enjoyed it...one of those
three was me. The rest of the group felt it had become too much of a burden.
One group member pointed out that it has gotten too costly to continue. Cards are not cheap, whether you're
purchasing from a retail store or you're ordering from an online photo card company. U.S. stamps are 60 cents apiece now. If your card list has fifty people on it, that's $30 in postage alone.
We all agreed that the prices are getting way too steep in an already-strained economy.
I mentioned that I cut back dramatically on my "send list" this year. One friend replied that her card list has actually increased, so she switched from buying cards to making them
herself.
Another person still sending cards says she now sends to a small list of 25 people; down from the 75 she used to send not long ago. She did reluctantly admit that
a) if she receives a card from someone she didn't originally send too, she would send one back and b) if she sends a card to someone and doesn't receive one back, there is a chance she will remove them from her send list.
I told her not to feel guilty about the system she's using. After all, we're more likely to keep up with people these days than we used to in the past. Once upon a time, Christmas cards might have been the only time you were in touch with someone. But with email, texting, and social media, we are likely to be in contact with those on our list throughout the year.
The conversation then turned to how we could make sending cards more enjoyable or, at the very least, less burdensome.
1. Start early.
The number one suggestion was to start early. Try to have them done and ready to mail by December 15th or so.
2. Divide and conquer. Make a cup of coffee or cocoa,
and maybe do ten at a time.
3. Make working on your cards a special event. One group member said that, one year, she took her cards to the coffee shop and treated herself
to a large vanilla latte while she worked on them.
4. Write out your cards while doing something else that's fun. One person said she watched Christmas movies or played
Christmas music while she addressed them.
5. Print your mailing labels. Rather than writing out everyone's address, on every card, every year, type your recipient names and addresses into a computer file and save it. Every year, you then just open that file and print your
labels.
6. Consider folding in a newsletter. I include a family newsletter in my Christmas cards. That may seem like even more work, but doing so means that I don't have to
write too much in any one card. If I do write a short note, it refers to something more personal that's not already in the newsletter. My annual newsletter ends up in my scrapbook each year, and it provides a bit of "family history" that we can look back on. This is an added benefit to my family. (By the way, some friends of mine send a holiday newsletter exclusively; no card included.)
7. Use a service. I generally order photo cards from an online service, designing the card using their templates, and that's what I'm doing again this year. Our names are already "signed" on the cards and the envelopes have return addresses, so that saves time and energy. Some people opt to spend the extra money to have the online card company send out their cards for them directly to their
recipients.
8. Go digital. Some in our group have converted to sending e-cards. While a subscription to an e-card company may cost about $30, they can send as many cards
all year as they like, most people seem to like getting them, and they enjoy choosing the cards from home. It saves trees as well. They do send a few paper cards—to friends who are not inclined to use computers or email...or to a few people they want to send a special note to.
9. Post on social media. One in our group says she posts a "Happy Holidays" message on Facebook and calls it a day.
10. Wait until January. I have a high school friend
who choses not to send Christmas cards in December. During January, however, she writes short notes to close friends and family members wishing them a Happy New Year.
Should YOU send Christmas/holiday cards? That is
completely up to you. My thought is...if it makes you happy, do it; if it's something you'd prefer not to do, that's perfectly okay as well. Personally, if I felt like I "had" to do it, I wouldn't send them.
Sending cards should not only bring joy to the person receiving them, but also to the person sending them.
