As soon as Halloween passes us by and the clock turns midnight on November 1st the push for Christmas is unavoidable. Every store you visit has switched over to trees and ornaments and the 2024 push for multiple Amazon Prime days pushes the holiday earlier and earlier. You know the whole gift-giving part of your year is coming up, but it still surprises you when you check your mail on November 29th and see that the first holiday card has arrived.
Here are four ideas to simplify the holiday card process in 2024.
Idea No. 1: Go Digital for the Ultimate Stress-Free Holiday Season
Once you have the photo you would like to share on your card this year there are many apps that rival minted, Shutterfly, and Artifact Uprising.
Canva: Your money-saving secret for Christmas card ideas in 2024
For creating a card on your laptop, Canva provide easy-to-use templates and hundreds of Christmas card ideas newly designed in 2024. Many are free and to access premium templates you can sign up for a free trial month of Canva Pro. Create your card and download the file to your laptop.
Pro-tip: If you will be printing a physical card, make sure to choose a template that is sized for 4”x6” or 5”x7”.
PicCollage
When it comes to creating a card on iPhone or Android my top recommendation is an app called PicCollage. I’ve used this app for the last two years for my cards and have been very impressed with the variety of templates that support one or multiple photos. I would say it is easier to use than Canva in terms of editing fonts and photo cropping. PicCollage has free templates or a premium VIP membership that is available with a free 7-day trial.
From there you can go completely digital and post your card on social media to share with family & friends.
Idea No. 2: Local Printing to Save Time and Money
Upload the file as a 4x6 or 5x7 to your local Walgreens for printing. You can order online and have the cards shipped to you as well, this is where Shutterfly and Google Photos tend to perform the best, but the turnaround time can be slow.
Idea No. 3: Create Reusable Address Stickers
When it comes to tracking addresses you can store them on the contact card in your phone, but this is cumbersome in remembering who to send cards to every year. To solve this problem I created a Google Sheet that lists names and addresses. From this Google sheet I batch print a page of addresses on sticker paper. Sticker paper is easily found at Target or Amazon and is compatible with a basic printer. Cut the sticker paper labels apart and apply to your envelopes to speed up the process.
Idea No.4: Mail-for-Me Cards
To save yourself the most time there is the “mail-for-me” option on many sites with this business model expanding in 2024. Walgreens now offers it, but you need to individually input each address. Snapfish now offers this service as well and supports the importing of a CSV file for mass addressing. This is where having the Google Sheet or an Excel sheet saved in the proper format will save you the most time.
For the 2024 holiday season Snapfish is offering 70% off when you order 20+ Mail for Me 5x7 flat of foil cards with code: MAIL234 until 12/31/2024.
As the holiday season approaches, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless to-do list. One task that often falls by the wayside is sending out Christmas cards. However, with a little planning and creativity, you can simplify the process and enjoy the holiday season stress-free.
By embracing digital options, utilizing local printing services, and implementing time-saving strategies like reusable address stickers and mail-for-me cards, you can create beautiful and personalized Christmas cards without breaking the bank. So, take a deep breath, and let these tips guide you toward a more joyful and efficient holiday card-sending experience.
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