When to Order and Send Your Holiday Cards – 5 Tips

‘Tis the season to think about holiday cards! If you want to make it on the mantel this year, do a little homework and your card will be the perfect sentiment for loved ones near and far. Here are five tips to help you order, send and display those holiday cards!

When should I order?

You can order them really anytime, the majority are purchased from mid-November through mid-December.

How many should I order?

Well, you’ll want to order about a dozen more than you think you’ll need.  It’s always more cost and time efficient to order the extras on your original order. They always come in handy for those last minute adds. You can use last year’s list as a starting point. If you do not have a list, you can start a list of the various stages of relationships. Stage one is close family. Stage two is close friends. Stage 3 is distant relatives. Stage 4 is general friends. Stage 5 is those you haven’t had much contact with over the year, but still like to keep in touch.

Which card is right?

The one that shows your personality. If you are showcasing photos, you may want to first see how many photos you would like to include, this will give you a better idea of design choices. Since most holiday cards are 5×7 and smaller, less is always more on the front of the card. The reason is that most relatives and friends have not seen you and your family in awhile, they’d like to be able to see your faces. Here are some quick guidelines.

• Make sure the photo is a high resolution and good picture of everyone in the family.
• Look in the background of the images for any distracting objects and crop them out.
• For company cards, consider using a photo of your product, office, store, or employees. It’s nice for customers to see the faces behind your product or service.

Got ’em, now what?

Take some time to sign each card. If it’s for family you only need to sign your first name. If it’s for a colleague or a business then typically you would also include your last name. You can also include a holiday newsletter, just make sure the newsletter is positive, short and humble.
When addressing the envelopes, make sure to include your address so recipients have your most current address. Before you mail them out, make sure to check the postage. Some cards like 5x5s or 5x7s require extra postage. You’d hate to send them out only to have them all come back to you because there was not enough postage.

When should I send them?

As soon as they are addressed, you should send them out. It’s the busiest time of the year for packages and cards, so beating the rush is always a good idea.

What do I do with the ones I receive?

Display them of course! When you receive them, first check the address to make sure you have the sender’s latest address. Then get crafty and display them on the mantel or get creative and showcase them in various ways around the home.
Ready to get started and spread some cheer with  customized holiday cards? We offer various sizes, paper finishes and so many designs! You can check them out HERE.