As this is my first year as a real adult (i.e. living on my own), I decided it was about time that I start doing adult things…this includes sending Christmas cards. I love getting mail- it’s a special kind of thrill- and so it’s nice to return the favour and give people some of that joy…especially around the holidays! When I sat down to write my cards last night, I thought about the etiquette of sending Christmas cards, and I decided I’d impart to you the wisdom that I’ve somehow accumulated, as well as some adorable holiday card options on the market.
Who do I send cards to?
I feel like this is a question very similar to “who do I invite to my birthday party”…you don’t want to offend anyone, but also don’t want to develop carpel tunnel from writing to every person you know. Aside from family (which is a given), it can be tough to decide which friends and coworkers should get some holiday lovin’. I think that a good rule of thumb is to follow Lauren Conrad’s tip on who to invite to your wedding (on a much smaller scale). Did you receive a card from this person last year? Have you sat down to have a meal with this person recently (the past 6 months to a year)? Have you spoken to this person over the phone or via Skype in that time-frame (for those far away)? If not, they probably don’t expect to hear from you at the holidays. If you really want to reach out to more people, the app JustWink is a techy option to send greeting cards without the hassle of writing cards or paying for postage.
What do I write?
My mom used to make me write thank-you cards to my family after my birthday and Christmas…I hated it at the time, but now I am SO grateful as I am a seasoned professional in writing short but sweet notes! It can be so easy to write the same thing in every card (Merry Christmas! Have a lovely holiday and all the best in 2015.), but that will get mega tedious and will come across to the recipient that you mass produced these cards. You want your friends and family to feel like you care (even if you are just writing cards as a formality). I like to pick a general statement- like the one above- and make it unique for each person. Did they get married this year? Do they have a pet? Are they going on vacation? Add a little note to personalize each message to show that you didn’t zone out and were in fact thinking of them!
Which cards do I choose?
You obviously don’t want to spend a crazy amount of money on pieces of paper that people will throw out in a week, but you still want your Christmas cards to be pretty and unique! Here are a few of my faves this season…I went with the checkered moose cards from Chapters, and they really are adorable…I hope they put a smile on my friends’ faces!
Julie Ann Art, 8 for $21.22
Chapters, 12 for $5.48 (sale!)
Rifle Paper Co., 8 for $16