Using this technology of the mail merge really saves a lot of time! I will try out, thank you for the tip!

I used to handwrite all my own cards, but those days are now long gone. The best bit is that my customers think that I am still taking the time to handwrite their cards to them!

I’m a BIG fan of “personal” touch. Really, I like to send cards ALL throughout the year and hand write a little note to the recipient – “Old School” I know. I much prefer this than sending mass Christmas cards just during the Holiday Season when folks are getting a zillion at a time.

Would you believe that I host a large trunk show once a year – the local mailing list is 400+ and an official invitation goes out to each person on that list – no evite, no mass printed post card, a formal handcrafted invite goes out – and every year the turn out is AMAZING!

Then a few years ago we started making our own cards. We pick a photo taken during the year of something vaguely thematic (an angel statue, a polar bear at the zoo, snowy mountains, etc.), add a humourous caption, print as many as we need and paste them onto blank cards purchased at a craft store during the previous post-Holiday sale. We still write them by hand.

We immediately started seeing a booming response. Most people keep have kept all our home-made cards since the first; people we considered as mere acquaintances awkwardly ask if we “still have some of those cards” and hint that they hope to receive one, etc. We get lots of cards in return to hang on our own chimney. It’s been very rewarding!

Heather Gardner recently sent out cards to her contacts who she could locate a business address for and I was lucky enough to have one appear at my door the day before the blog post ! (http://tinyurl.com/6zldxc)

The picture postcard image at the bottom of the post was part of the cover of the handmade card. It was a wonderful personal way to keep in touch and make that tacticle connection that only paper and ink can convey.

I think you probably already know what I do for my holiday cards. I used to not send them, or would send them late (like a New Year’s card). When I started using SendOutCards, it was a quick import of my contact list, then I created three different cards (Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and the family Christmas newsletter) and did a one-click send to my different holiday list groups. I like to include a holiday poem, include photos of the year, etc. Then, for some of my recipients, I’d go in and edit their individual card to include an additional note just for them. Because it’s SendOutCards, I can do it in my own handwriting with my signature and they print it and send it for me. EASY and QUICK.

There’s no reason to send thank you, birthday cards, or other holiday cards INSTEAD when you can easily and inexpensively do both. A Thanksgiving card or New Year’s card might make it through the card clutter, but so does a humorous, meaningful, or personally designed holiday card.

I agree that the holiday cards probably will get thrown out at the end of the season. But that’s not really a reason not to send one. The unexpected, heartfelt individual card will most likely be kept, especially one that has the recipient’s own picture on it. Honestly, SendOutCards can help you do both. Less than 30 seconds to a custom greeting card in your own handwriting with your signature – printed professionally and sent in the mail for you with a first-class stamp. If sending your holiday cards overwhelms you, I suggest you consider it! I used to dread it, feel overwhelmed, procrastinate it, sometimes until it was too late and I just thought, “next year.” Not any more.

You asked! Thanks for listening.

-Sara

You can order custom printed holiday cards from VistaPrint – http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/holiday07/holiday_cards.aspx