Seven Steps to No Stress Holiday Cards


Every year I watch Christmas Vacation and every year I watch the shenanigans of Clarke & Ellen but also share in the stresses of the holidays. One scene that always hits home is Ellen sitting at the dining room table frantically assembling holiday cards only days before Christmas with a house full of family and her sanity on the edge ready to tip. Why do we do this to ourselves? We wait until the holidays arrive to actually do our holiday cards. This can be one stress we eliminate before the madness of the holidays begins. So let's start even before the busyness of Thanksgiving to get the wheels in motion.


I'm giving you seven steps with deadlines. Use them. Trust me you won't regret it.


  1. Book your photographer now.
  2. Choose your wardrobe now. I say this because it's another stressful thing to do but I believe in helping clients have no stress sessions. You can check out a post here with steps and style guides to assist you with wardrobe selection.
  3. Receive your images in 2 weeks.
  4. Prepare your mailing list. Holiday cards can be an investment for some depending on the thickness of the paper, if enveloped are lined or not, one side or two side print, calligraphy addressed or printed labels. So get an accurate count of your mailing list before you place your order. No one wants to have 15 extra cards or be short 15 cards. I always suggest ordering a few extra though in case someone is remembered or you want to send one to the neighbor that just moved in.
  5. Design and order your holiday cards by mid-November. Mark your calendar "ORDER HOLIDAY CARDS" for November 15th. This is one of the most important parts. It can sometimes take up to two weeks to get custom holiday cards back in your hands. The closer you wait to Christmas turnover times get longer and with COVID I can only imagine wait times will be longer this year in the past. Did you know you can customize your card from over 50 designs through the our shopping cart system? It's quick and easy. You can have your design chosen before you receive your images.
  6. While waiting on the cards to arrive prepare your stamps and return labels. I love the kiosk at the post office for everyday stamps but I will wait in line to choose my favorite Christmas stamp. I also have a custom address stamp from Simply Stamps that I use year round. It saves so much time and looks nicer than a printed label.
  7. Address, stamp and mail by Dec 5. This will give the recipient time to enjoy your card throughout the holiday season.

Seasons greetings, (too early?)

Amanda


***If your photographer is creating your custom cards they have ordering cut off dates as mine is November 28th.