{"id":263,"date":"2013-11-04T01:44:26","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T06:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ClevelandMomsRock.com\/?p=263"},"modified":"2013-11-04T01:44:26","modified_gmt":"2013-11-04T06:44:26","slug":"holiday_cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/04\/holiday_cards\/","title":{"rendered":"It is time to send holiday cards!"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to save money and get your Holiday cards in the mail quick.<\/h2>\n

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.<\/h2>\n


\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are our 10 tips and tricks to help you make the process quick and easy:<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

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. \u00a0Cardstore<\/a>\"\"\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0SimplyToImpress.com<\/a> are affordable.<\/h2>\n


\n\"30%<\/a><\/h2>\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u00a0Avery Easy Peel Mailing Labels<\/a>\u00a0), 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\u2019s 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.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip #4 Did someone say FREE postage? To keep costs low, use Stamps.com<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip #10. Start today. The sooner you get it started, the sooner you will get it done. Also if you implement some of the tricks and tips in the article, it will be even faster to send out your holiday cards next year.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to save money and get your Holiday cards in the mail quick. It is that time of year again<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7,12],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4NId2-4f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52422,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/01\/black_friday_2013\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":0},"title":"Black Friday 2013 Tips & Tricks","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"November 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Christmas shopping season is almost upon us, with stores opening earlier than ever this Black Friday. This kick-off to the Holiday Season isn\u2019t anything new. In fact, Black Friday has been a shopping favorite for years. Stores have consistently offered fantastic deals on everything from computers to clothing, toys\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/category\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ClevelandMomsRock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Thanksgiving-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":458,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/21\/cold_in_cleveland\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":1},"title":"It Is Cold Outside, Now Get Inside and Play","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"January 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"With the weather soooooooo cold in Cleveland, it can be difficult to find family fun activities outside of the house, where the kids can still stay warm and have some fun. Here is our staff's list of fun \"indoor\" places to go with your children this winter. All are Cleveland\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":460,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/11\/family_ski_and_snowboard_vacations\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":2},"title":"Great Family Ski and Snowboard Vacations","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"January 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Cleveland-area ski resorts, including Boston Mills, Brandywine, and Alpine Valley,\u00a0 have always attracted people from all over Northeast Ohio, yet people often overlook some of the great resorts a short flight or drive from Cleveland.\u00a0 We recently went on a family ski vacation in Stowe,\u00a0 Vermont. The Stowe Mountain Resort\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"man snowboarding","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/pexels-photo-1973293.jpeg?fit=1200%2C811&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/pexels-photo-1973293.jpeg?fit=1200%2C811&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/pexels-photo-1973293.jpeg?fit=1200%2C811&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/pexels-photo-1973293.jpeg?fit=1200%2C811&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/pexels-photo-1973293.jpeg?fit=1200%2C811&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52421,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/21\/christmas_tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":3},"title":"Christmas tree: Cut vs. Live vs. Artificial","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"November 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was a kid, buying a Christmas tree was not just a trip to the tree lot but a major holiday experience. I remember one year my dad filled up the station wagon with all of the kids. Yes, he had several station wagons over the years. Each one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holidays"","block_context":{"text":"Holidays","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/category\/holidays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christmas tree 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ClevelandMomsRock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Christmas-tree-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":305,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/25\/halloween_safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":4},"title":"Halloween Safety Tips","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"September 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"As Halloween approaches, it is important to prepare and plan ahead to make this holiday a safe one. \u00a0 \u00a0 Only buy costumes that are made from flame resistant material. Don\u2019t assume that the materials are flame-resistant: the label should say \"flame-retardant. Choose a costume that can easily be seen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holidays"","block_context":{"text":"Holidays","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/category\/holidays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":290,"url":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/10\/family_winter_fun\/","url_meta":{"origin":263,"position":5},"title":"Outside Winter Family Fun","author":"Cleveland Moms Like You","date":"December 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The snow is falling in Northeast Ohio. Now bundle up the family and get out in it! There are so many great fun activities to do with your family. We put together a list of our favorite winter time activities. \u00a0 The Polar Express on the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad Tickets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/category\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clevelandmomsrock.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}