Wow, can you believe that Christmas is just over a week away? How are you doing with all of your holiday to-dos?
This year, unlike many years, I decided to send cards. Somehow I convinced myself that despite the added things on my plate this year—like the big bed painting project, three days spent in the car driving to and from Michigan, and a busier than usual evening activities schedule—that this would be a good year to send cards again. Hmmm…
It isn’t that I don’t want to share the joy of the season with friends, family, clients and business colleagues via holiday cards. Instead, my choice not to send cards in the past was based on two factors. First, I recognized that this task doesn’t very comfortably fit in the months of November and December with all of the other holiday to-dos on my plate. Quite simply, there has been other, more important and more urgent to-dos to squeeze into my schedule. Second, I really don’t enjoy the process of sending cards. Yes, I love the end result, but it’s all the other steps along the way that I simply don’t enjoy. Especially because it seems as if something always comes up to complicate the card sending process.
One of the reasons I decided to send cards this year was that I had already entered the addresses into an Avery label template in Word. Collin did this for me last year. So I thought that I had simplified things enough to take on this task this year. After all, the worst part of the process for me—addressing the cards—was already done. What I didn’t anticipate was an incomplete list and the need to continually add names and addresses after the labels were printed. Nor did I anticipate that the labels wouldn’t stick to the envelopes. Nope—didn’t see that one coming. Seriously, would you expect your labels to peel off your envelopes right after you stuck them on? Me neither.
The solution was a piece of Scotch tape across the top of each label. And while functionally this works, it wasn’t exactly the look I was going for. But I shoved my inner perfectionist aside, grabbed my little girl and a tape dispenser, and we went for it.
So, what’s the moral of the story? Well, I don’t think it’s to stop sending cards again for another two or three years, but rather to begin the process even earlier next year. I’ll update the address list throughout the year by adding new friends, colleagues, and clients to my address list as they come along. I’ll also be investing in some new, stickier labels and clear ones at that. (I also had to tell my perfectionist side to hush when I noticed the labels were white and the envelopes were off white. Argh.) I also plan to begin this whole process in September or earlier next year, so that I can even do a photo card. Now, I know that when September rolls around I’ll think that I’m going overboard starting so early…but I’ll have this here blog post to remind me that the card sending process is simply too much for my schedule and sanity in November and December.
As you go about your holiday preparations, remember this Christmas card story and take note of how things are going with your own schedule and to do list. What things can you do differently, earlier or not at all next year to make the season a notch simpler and a whole lot sweeter? I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you have any card sending stories to share (ones that involve a bump or two in the card-sending road) I would absolutely love to hear them!
Hmmm . . . I used the Avery address labels and return address labels, and they always stick for me. If you got a bad batch, perhaps you should contact them via the internet and let them know. Often companies will send you a coupon for a replacement when a product does not perform well. Avery labels are not inexpensive, and it might be worth a few minutes of your time!
September or earlier? Wow. Good for you for letting go of your inner perfectionist. I’m sure all your card recipients will be absolutely thrilled to receive your card!
i decided last year that i wasn’t going to stress about christmas cards ever again. there are too many better things to do. i now send a new year’s letter.
also, most people end up tossing the christmas cards, right? [or i guess, a lot keep them because they feel guilty about chucking them and yuck to all that extra stuff.] so forget cards and envelopes and labels and stamps. i send it electronically. saves paper and ink and money and landfill space and time. i have to send a few letters to those aunts and uncles that don’t have email addresses and/or don’t hop onto my blog. impersonal? maybe, but, really, a picture card with everyone’s names printed at the bottom isn’t that personal, either.
Started mine in September (possibly even August). I use clear labels simply because I stress too much about the whole white/off-white issue. I’m not sure that there isn’t always something you didn’t count on that rears its head during the process. I’ve encountered over the years: a square card costed more; the cards and enclosure weighed more than one ounce (and cards were returned with insufficient postage); the card didn’t work well with the provided envelope because of a ribbon! Let’s face it: a well-done Christmas card is a feat to behold!
I bought christmas-cards – BEAUTIFUL christmas-cards. And I wanted to write handwritten, personal letters. To about fifteen people. Well, that was four years ago… I never got around doing it and I always dreaded the computer-typed annual-letters. I thought they are too impersonal.
But this year I decided it’s enough and typed an annual-letter. It was two pages with about ten pictures and I enclosed a beautiful hand-written card to each and hand-wrote the address onto each envelope. I decided it is better to send a typed letter with pictures than nothing. And the pictures within the letter end up being much lighter and it saves me a lot of stamps – postage from Europe to North-America is REALLY expensive!
I am so glad I did it and will go for it next year again – earlier, that is. I want to be done by the end of November. I think (and hope!) it will help me to get into christmas-mode.
Since my eldest was born we’ve (or rather I’ve) done a picture card with short newsletter. My husband and I both have American Moms so we have a lot of Stateside relatives and a Christmas card is a good way for them to be updated on how the kids are growing up. I ALWAYS have card disasters but hey that’s part of the fun right? I’m always well intentioned but it only ever comes together last minute. Tonight I’m going to finish the cards and get them in the post. They won’t be in time for Christmas in the States but hey ho! Here in England people don’t send picture cards or newsletters so ours stand out.
I think it was the cute bucket that made you want to do the cards this year! Seriously! :0)
A few years ago I got a new dish set, and boy did it make we want to cook! LOL
I ordered/printed pictures in November and haven’t done anything since! Please tell me how Jay did the Avery template for the labels. More than anything I hate to do mail merges to make labels. If you have a simpler solution (even if it means re-typeing labels just this year), please please share it with me.
Many thanks,
@MMarie, regarding your question about the labels, I didn’t do a mail merge. My son typed them all in by hand last year using the return labels from Christmas cards we received. I added more addresses this year by typing them in by hand, too. Hope this helps. 🙂
Aby
I understand your pain! I make 35-40 handmade cards each year-usually each one is different from the other. I enjoy the process of creating, but then I get tired of making them because inevitably extra people get added to the list last minute, and I always procrastinate creating my Christmas newsletter, so then I get stressed when the cards don’t make the mail when I want them to! I have one more to make today and then I will be done, and fortunately the ones still in my possession are ones that are being handed to people-not mailed. I definitely need to make sure my list is up-to-date earlier in the year, and I think writing down things I want to include in my letter each month and storing the pictures I want to include with those stories on my desktop are going to have to happen next year to take some of that stress away! I am also going to try to make a few cards throughout the year. Even if I end up with just a few-it will be worth it.
I am quite a perfectionist too, but I did let go of the envelopp issue a while ago. I used to buy all shades of nice envelopes, but now I only use white. I buy the A2 white envelopes by the hundreds. That envelope gets trashed right away anyway. For Christmas I buy the A6 size that will accommodate a 4×6 photo along with the card. Again, by the hundreds. Leftovers are put away for the next year.