A Homemade Holiday: Christmas Cards
No, it’s not too early to start talking about Christmas cards. Over the past few years, I’ve found it harder and harder to get all of my cards ready in time for the holidays, and this year, I wanted to be proactive. Today’s “project” is not so much a specific project as it is just a reminder for you to be thinking about your holiday cards if you send them out every year.
For as hard as it is for me to get our Christmas cards filled out and sent out in time for Christmas, I decided that this year, we’d make our own cards. Now before you go thinking “Gosh, she’s such an overachiever!” hear me out! I have 5 kids at home who love art projects. They are constantly trying to find ways to become involved in the holiday preparations, but they aren’t always able to participate. I was trying to think of something that would be a good outlet for their energy this holiday season when it occurred to me that they’d probably love being in charge of this year’s Christmas cards.
I picked up envelopes, card stock, stamps, and a few other items to make their project a little more exciting. I was able to get most of the scrap-booking supplies (stamps and ink and such) on sale at Hobby Lobby, so I really didn’t end up spending very much to get all of the supplies, and I know the stamps and ink will get used over and over again! The kids will be in charge of card-making, and I’ll be in charge of labeling the envelopes. They’ve made over 20 cards so far. A few more days of card-making, and we’ll have all the cards we need!
But even without making our own cards, every year I forget to print off labels for mailing addresses, either for our return address or the address of the recipient. This year, I picked up a package of mailing labels, and I am planning to use the online template for printing out the labels as soon as I get the chance.
Every year, we take a picture of the kids that we tuck into the cards we send out. I usually wait until right after Thanksgiving to take this picture, and then we have them sit in front of the tree for the pictures. I’ll still do that this year, but I want to get everything else ready to go first. If you are thinking about putting a picture in your cards or doing a photo card this year, start planning! My sister is a photographer, and I know she was booking mini-sessions for holiday photo shoots for Christmas cards as early as last month, if not earlier. Most photographers are booked early and need time to do any editing, plus you still need to be able to print and send out your cards, so get planning! We take our own picture every year, so that isn’t an issue for us, but I still start thinking about the picture ahead of time. What will the kids wear? Do they need haircuts or a bath before we take the picture?
Picture or not, you’ll still need postage. Don’t forget the stamps! Sometimes this is the reason I don’t get my cards out earlier. Next week, I’ll have to make a stop at the Post Office to get our stamps for the holiday season.
I’m pretty sure that by getting the kids involved, we’ll actually be able to get our cards out before the last minute! What about you? Are you a late-mailer? Do you still send cards, or have you ever? Would you or do you ever dare to make your own cards?
Love~Danielle
