It is time to send holiday cards!
How to save money and get your Holiday cards in the mail quick.
It is that time of year again to send out holiday cards. The team here at Cleveland Moms Rock put together a few tips to make sending out the perfect holiday card to everyone on your list a little easier. We all love opening our mailboxes and finding a stack of holiday cards from our friends and family, but it is not always easy to get ours in the mail.
Here are our 10 tips and tricks to help you make the process quick and easy:
Tip #1 Customized photo holiday Cards – Make your cards from one or several of your family photographs by using a web service that will allow you to upload your own image and type in a personalized message. Cardstore
and SimplyToImpress.com
are affordable.
Tip #2 (Alternative to Tip #1) Send out a virtual e-card. Obviously this doesn’t have the feel of a real card, but it is a good option if you send out a long family update letter. MailChimp is a good, easy to use, FREE services that looks professional. Another cool thing about Mail Chimp is that you can see who opened the e-mails but you are probably not going to see your e-mail printed on your friends and family’s fireplace mantel.
Tip #3 Making your list can be the hardest part of getting these cards in the mail. We use a pre-formatted word document that is already setup for labels. The nice thing about this is that you can save it and use it throughout the year and add names easily. To do this just purchase standard Avery labels (we like the Avery Easy Peel Mailing Labels ), open up Microsoft Word and click on “labels,” under “options” enter your label number and click on “Full page of the same label”. Keep this list up to date all year and it’s great for when you want to send a card throughout the year. You can order envelopes printed with your return address to prevent from printing labels or hand writing it fifty times.
Tip #4 Did someone say FREE postage? To keep costs low, use Stamps.com
This services is easy to use and is running offers for free postage and a scale. If you don’t like it or just want the free postage, you can always cancel next month. We use this service here at Cleveland Moms Rock and it is nice when sending those holiday packages. Also, it can save you a trip to the Post Office and from waiting in the long holiday lines.
Tip #5 Draft a nice and thoughtful message. The “experts” recommend using your own handwriting. As an active Cleveland mom, you may not have the time to give each card personal attention, but a short handwritten note on the inside of the card is nice. It is a good practice to personally sign each card. If you are like us, you will have the printer print it on each card. You want it to be generic enough that it will apply to everyone on your list but look like you put some time into it.
Tip #6 “Merry Christmas,” Happy Hanukkah,” “Happy Holidays,” or “Season’s Greetings”. This is your call, if your family celebrates Christmas, send Christmas cards. Keep each card appropriate to the recipient, and make sure that Christmas or Hanukkah cards don’t get sent to people who don’t celebrate it. These are your friends and family members so just be aware of which cards are going to which families.
Tip #7 Try to get the cards in the mail as early as possible, but not more than a week before Thanksgiving. Ideally, you want your cards to arrive the first two weeks of December.
Tip #8 Business associates. It is always best to send it to their offices unless you also know them socially. Even if you have been introduced to their families, keep the cards professional. Sign the cards with a note from you personally, but reserve the family photo cards for your friends and relatives.
Tip #9 When sending cards to co-workers, mail the cards to their homes rather than handing them out in the office. This is more personal, and avoids any weird looks if you don’t have cards for everyone.