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Holiday Traditions and Connections

Holiday Card Checklist

Winter Vista Card by Peagreen

One and a half billion Christmas cards are delivered each year—and sometimes it feels like you’re personally sending out that many. If you want to navigate the season’s mailing frenzy with less stress, follow these tips to make sure your holiday cards are bought, stamped, and shipped on time.

Six Weeks Before

  • Update your address list. Go through your address book and update any information that’s changed since last year. Fill in any missing information and make sure zip codes are accurate (omitting a zip code is better than including the wrong one). Find ZIP codes or ZIP +4’s at usps.com.
  • Write a list of the people to whom you will be sending cards, ideas for what kind you’d like to send (photo cards, e-cards, good-old-fashioned paper), where you will purchase them, and the estimated amount each card will cost.

    Related: Etiquette Questions, Answered: Holidays and Gifts

  • Shop for cards. Some stores put holiday goods out by Halloween. You’ll get the best selection if you start early. And if you’re ordering cards online, you’ll want to have plenty of time for them to arrive. You can skip a mailing step later by ordering from a site like Peartreegreetings.com, which gives you the option of ordering coordinating return-address labels.

    Related: 36 Magical Holiday Cards

  • Go digital. If you’re opting for e-cards, many sites allow you to schedule mailings in advance so the card arrives on the exact day of your choosing, even though you designed it ahead of time. Try Cocodot.com, which offers digital cards that look like the real deal—they even come in trimmed envelopes with personalized seals. The site also offers a one-stop-shop for holiday party invitations where you can manage the RSVP’s through a Cocodot account and link the event to Facebook.
  • Consider sending holiday postcards instead. If you choose the standard 4¼-by-6-inch size, you’ll save 16 cents a card (using a 28-cent stamp instead of a 44-cent one).

    Related: 4-Week Holiday Savings Plan

  • Buy stamps. Beat the last-minute rush by stocking up on plenty of stamps. If you don’t have time to hit the grocery store or post office or want a bigger selection of designs, try buying your stamps online.

One Month Before

  • Start writing and addressing holiday cards, using the address list you updated earlier. It can take a while, depending on how long your list is. Post-office computers scan addresses, so print neatly with no punctuation. If the scanner can’t read an envelope, delivery may be held up by one to two days.

Three Weeks Before

  • Mail cards. Allow at least four days for all domestic cards, no matter how close the destination. Send international mail by December 9. If you’re trying to save money, don’t use shipping stores, such as Mail Boxes Etc. Even when they don’t pack for you, they may charge up to twice the standard carriers’ rates.

Christmas Week

  • If you forgot someone when you mailed out your paper cards earlier in the month, go online and send a card instantly. Try Paperlesspost.com, which sells e-cards that look like expensive stationery.

After Christmas

  • Consider paring down your card-sending responsibilities for next year. If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of holiday mail you’re sending, you have several options. Pick a different holiday to send cards, send them every other year (or divide your list in two and send to half one year, the other half the next), or send only to out-of-towners.

    Related: Easy Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

  • Start shopping for next year. The week after the holidays, buy discounted cards to restock your stash and skip some of next year’s steps (and spend half as much).

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Did we forget anything on this checklist? What would you add?

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