Holiday Card Preparations

I know, I know, "Too soon!" you are thinking, but if you have to send the volume of cards that I send, you should have started this two months ago. Fortunately, Margaret of Paper Pastries is on top of things! She's released a fine and dandy rubber handstamp to dress up any ol' envelope with bright holiday cheer.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, Margaret is giving away one of these stamps to a lucky L.W.A. reader. Leave a comment here with your favorite thing to do with holiday cards, either sending or after you've recieved them. One random winner will be selected next week.

**We have a winner: Mari, commenter No.8 as choosen by random.org. She said, "I usually take a photo of one of my cookies, adhere it to a plain card and write - by hand, of course! - my greetings on the other side. The picture is usually of an animal from the Chinese Zodiac, so this past year's Christmas/Year-End card featured a rabbit in s suit with a monocle. (Mr. Rabbit is in the banner of my blog) Because it's so expensive to send boxes of cookies to friends and clients I find this is always nice way to share some of my baked goods and my greetings."**

What's more, she's also offering a discount code for everybody. You'll get 15% off your entire Paper Pastries order if you put in the coupon code "LWA". The code is good until December 17th, 2011. That Margaret, she's so nice!

Comments

[Elizabeth Swenson]

Preparing my Christmas cards is probably one of my favorite holiday activities, because it allows me to think individually about every single person on my list. I hand write each one a little note inside (however brief) and also hand write all the addresses, and it just helps me to connect with those people, many of whom the Christmas card is my only connection for the year.

[David]

My favorite part of holiday cards is addressing the envelopes. As I write each name and address I remember all the good things about my friends and family. I believe that my fond memories are transmitted through the writing to those I'm writing to. At least I hope so.
Oh.. choosing the cards comes a very close second.

[kimberly]

I usually make all of my cards, so my favorite part is deciding on the color scheme...making them becomes tedious after the first two, but I love that I can create something personal for our family and friends. I also love hand-addressing and dropping them into the big blue mailbox one-by-one :)

[Lela]

I usually make my cards too, and I enjoy the process!

[Jaime]

I always host a Christmas card writing night. I bake gingerbread, make hot chocolate and have the carols playing. A fun night with friends!

[Brendan Leber]

I think my favorite thing about sending holiday cards is sorting through my collection of cards to find the right card for the right person. It is fun to think about the people in my life while I match a card to them.

[Connie @ Daydream In Color]

I love sending holiday cards. It's a chance for me to catch up with old friends in this busy world! I love making them, but if I'm short on time, I'll buy a set.

[mari]

I usually take a photo of one of my cookies, adhere it to a plain card and write - by hand, of course! - my greetings on the other side. The picture is usually of an animal from the Chinese Zodiac, so this past year's Christmas/Year-End card featured a rabbit in s suit with a monocle. (Mr. Rabbit is in the banner of my blog) Because it's so expensive to send boxes of cookies to friends and clients I find this is always nice way to share some of my baked goods and my greetings.

[cmn]

Favorite thing to do with holiday cards received... well, so kind of you to ask! :)

Photo Cards: I create a collage on a kitchen cabinet door, and leave it up all year. I've noticed that family and friends make a beeline for that cupboard door when they come to visit -- just to check out who's there! LOL

[Jan F.]

I love sending (and receiving) Christmas cards. If I have time I make my own and use dark red envelopes addressed with white ink and a few other decorations to make them look extra Christmassy.

Very nice of you & Margaret to have a giveaway, too. Thanks for the chance to win a cool rubber stamp. :D

[Lauryn]

I've always loved decorating the outside of the envelopes. It's eye-catching and sets it apart from the plain white ones! :)

[Jamie]

When I receive my holiday cards, they immediately go on the wall. I usually have a Christmas card tree as part of my decoration, and it's so nice to have all of my cards displayed.

[Emilie]

In the entrance to our apartment I have a changing display of mail... Right now it's a compilation of postcards, but when the Christmas cards start rolling in I'll put those up. It's something happy to brighten up the hallway. :-)

[Marian]

My favorite thing about holiday cards is getting to hear from friends and family that are far away! My mom collects all of the cards that our family receives in a little basket and in December I like to sit down and look at the pictures and read the stories that people send. :)

[Brenda]

I don't receive too many Christmas cards yet, but hopefully when I'm more settled down I will. And I hope I'll have a fireplace, then I'll hang them around it!

[Christine]

I love finding very personal, unique Christmas cards. For example, a few years ago I found Irish Christmas cards (my family is Scotch-Irish) from a Catholic supply company. Anything with bassett hounds is also a must.

Nollaig Shona Duit,

Christine

[Julie]

As a young'un, I don't receive heaps of cards, but my mom does and she always tapes them up around the doorways into the living room and dining room. When I was a kid I loved helping to put them up, and coming home to find out how many more I got to tape up that day. I still love seeing them when I go home to my parents. As for my own cards, my favorite part is probably picking them out -- at the store (I always buy way more than I'll use) but also choosing which card to send to which people.

[Lisavi]

After all my cards are ready, I bundle them together and mail them to a post office with a holiday name to receive a special postmark. Last year it was Santa Claus, Indiana. The year before, Noel, Mo. I have to get my cards ready a little earlier but every one loves seeing the different postmarks.

[Lisa M]

I write/send over 100 cards every year and get quite a few in return. I love to 'recycle' the cards at the end of the season by using pinking shears and cutting them up into gift tags. This years presents will have last years cards that have been stamped with a "To/From" If there are photos in the cards those go into the photo album for the year.

[Jess]

One of my favorite things to include in my cards is a top 10 list of something I enjoyed over the year. Favorite books, foods, items of clothing, stamps issued. It takes a little bit of time to write them out, but then again, when has any of us LWA members complained about having to write something down? :)

[erin fae]

I am not a big holiday card sender. But any cards i receive do go into my archive. I don't recycle or reuse my mail, i just keep it and revisit it...often

[Sophie]

I love sending out the traditional family photo Christmas card, but with a dysfunctional twist - this year our photo is round the tree, partner in nerdy holiday get-up (red snowflake sweater and suspenders) and me in 1940s evening wear, trying to get the kitten (bow around neck) to remain in the frame... ;)

[jamie]

My favvvvorite things (I cannot narrow it down to just one) about sending holiday mail are:
a) starting it in, like, July, b) picking out which person gets which vintage postage, c) screen printing my own!, and d) including an actual letter in each one, that is addressed to that person/couple/family alone. I don't like the mass spam style letters, they lack personality, so I take the extra time to share my sentiment and wishes with the people I love most.

[HAPPY DAY MAIL]

As each holiday card arrives at our home, it is immediately put on the moulding around our double glass doors leading into our sunroom which overlooks the water. What a sight to see a winter waterscape framed with greeting cards from those we hold dear to our hearts!

[ana]

Such fun stamps! I am one of those goofy people who loves getting and sending holiday cards!

[AMY]

My favorite way to address holiday cards:

(1) Gather list of recipients, holiday cards, red, green black and gold pens, holiday stamps, holiday stickers.

(2) Take all supplies to a cozy cafe that is playing holiday music

(3) Order a large latte and a yummy baked good.

(4) Write out the cards amid a latte buzz

[esperanza]

My favorite part of holiday cards is writing a personalized message in my best handwriting and then being amazed at how well it turned out. And I love receiving them, which doesn't happen a lot so each one is very special.

[Sam C]

My grandma and I would always spend hours arranging all of her Christmas cards on the piano, and then when we ran out of space there we kept going on the mantle and the coffee table in her living room. It's never Christmas time until Grandma's living room is covered in red and green and gold cards!

[Stephanie]

My favorite part of the holiday card process is knowing that this is the time of year I am most likely to received mail back :-)

[Crystal S.]

My favorite moment when receiving holiday cards is when I first meet the newly arrived envelope in my mailbox. When I see the colorful (or perhaps not so colorful) envelope with a loved one's handwriting on it, I instantly feel connected to them, wherever they may be.

[Dawn W.]

My family has never really been one to send Christmas cards out like you see on television. The last few years I've decided we should be and have done my best to send them. This year I got so excited about them I had some made with TWO different photographs I took/was in (sometimes meeting a favored celebrity is cause for splashing it on your Christmas card like a nerd!!). I love receiving cards but I always get a thrill when I get to slip 30 or 40 cards into the post box at the same time!

[Jennyhenk]

I like to make little origami boxes out of Christmas cards <3

[chickypickle]

I love taking time to decide what my holiday cards will look like every year. What will I use to make them? I love to go to S.C.R.A.P. here in Portland and pick through bins of paper and goodies to make cards from! This year, I hope to letterpress some cards at the I.P.R.C!!

[Erin]

Margaret IS so nice, what a fun giveaway!

I love making my holiday cards by hand, I am planning to linocut print a bunch of new cards this weekend, just to make sure everything gets done on time this year... unlike years past :/ Would love to use this stamp for mail going to my extended family!

[Jennifer]

I love the whole ritual of holiday cards. Going to the Post Office and selecting which stamps to use this year. Sifting through my massive stash of free stickers, return address labels and cards I get from charities each year. And especially the act of actually sitting down with a cup of tea and writing and handwritten letter inside of each card. It definitely keeps the list of people I send cards to short, very short now that I have kids and find less time to write, but each recipient who gets a card knows I really sat down and spent time thinking of them...

[Kestrel]

How wonderful! I do love stamps to add that extra touch. I have many friends who don't celebrate Christmas so I always send out 'Happy Holiday' cards. In the past few years I've done a custom postcard with my pet Rabbits in silly pet holiday costumes on the front.

[Mónika Knapp]

My favourite thing is to collect all the things what I need to make the holiday cards. I like to try unusually techniques, like cross stiching. It makes fun to prepare the cards and my friends like them very much!

[Divyadoll Doll]

My Brother collects all the holiday cards when the cards arrive at her house they immediately go on the wall.my favorite thing to do with the holiday cards is to create a photo gallery. and i even love sending the cards, It's a chance for me to catch up with old friends in this busy world!