It never fails: right after Thanksgiving I start seeing the question of whether to send holiday cards pop up in my feed and boy, does it cause a lot of stress!
If you've followed my blog for some time you know my commitment to annual holiday cards and rather than just share my final product like I usually do in January I thought it would be helpful to share my favorite tips for getting your cards done.
1) Wait for the New Year - this is my top tip for avoiding the stress of holiday cards. Most people are caught up in the rush of Christmas preparations, and I admit having friends' cards get mixed up in the blur and shuffle of the season. It's such a warm surprised to open up a New Year card, and it allows for an excuse to let your card display linger a bit (we keep ours up until Valentine's Day #noshame). We sent our first New Year's card the first year we were married and now with our 9th card about to go out it's so fun to look back and celebrate all that's happened whether it be welcoming each of our kids, moving to a new state or becoming home owners. Minted even has themed cards to mark each of these occasions and from collages to single images, there's so many designs to share your family's milestones.
2) Use an Old Picture - I know we all want everyone to see what our family looks like right. this. minute., but there's nothing wrong with pulling up an old picture for your holiday card. And another tip? Thanks to the awesome technology on today's souped up smartphones, it doesn't have to be a professional shot. While we did re-use one of our pictures from last year's fall photoshoot since the kids pretty much look the same, I think next year we might pull out our tripod and do our own DIY photoshoot! It wasn't lost on me though that I didn't have to select outfit then wrangle the kids into doing a photo session this year.
3) Automate When You Can - it's one thing to order your cards, it's another to actually address and stamp them. Each year we usually send out over 100 cards and even if I batch my cards I always end up with a cramped hand! I also like taking time to write a few personalized messages on the backs of some of the cards. This is especially a great tip for rolling a "thank you" message from Christmas gifts into your New Year's card and it can give the kids a chance to write or draw their own special message especially to loved ones far away. To help handle the burden of all that handwriting the good news is that Minted offers FREE address printing on beautifully matching envelopes! They're much better than my home-printing job I used to do:
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| {Image via Minted} |
I know it's a minor detail, but I still take pride in picking out a special stamp for our cards. This year we went with the special edition The Snowy Day stamps, but for an additional fee Minted can even add a custom stamp to your cards. They're even cute enough to use for your regular mail throughout the year! Perhaps one year we'll splurge and try them:
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| {Image via Minted} |
Our Minted cards are a tradition we look forward to continuing each year and their customer service is outstanding with super fast standard shipping (we always get ours a day or two ahead of the estimated date)! I've had to use their live customer service help before and it was very easy and quick. Projects I've saved and orders I've placed are always easy to return to in case I need to place another order. They even will give you a $5 discount if you skip the regular proof and it saves you time on your order as well.
Starting 3pm PT today through Wed 12/27, your readers can enjoy 20% OFF New Year & Holiday Cards with code NEWYEAR OR Free FAST Shipping for Delivery by 12/31 with code NYSHIP
For the NYSHIP promotion:
* From 12/21 - 12/26: get free expedited shipping for delivery by 12/31
* On 12/27 - get free rush shipping for delivery by 12/31
Ready to get started on your cards...like yesterday? Head over to Minted's website to check out their holiday card collection, create an account and do like I do: start "hearting" your favorite designs and play around with a few family photos. I promise you'll love what you create!
What are your favorite tips for sending holiday cards?
Starting 3pm PT today through Wed 12/27, your readers can enjoy 20% OFF New Year & Holiday Cards with code NEWYEAR OR Free FAST Shipping for Delivery by 12/31 with code NYSHIP
For the NYSHIP promotion:
* From 12/21 - 12/26: get free expedited shipping for delivery by 12/31
* On 12/27 - get free rush shipping for delivery by 12/31
Ready to get started on your cards...like yesterday? Head over to Minted's website to check out their holiday card collection, create an account and do like I do: start "hearting" your favorite designs and play around with a few family photos. I promise you'll love what you create!
What are your favorite tips for sending holiday cards?
