Get Organized Now for Christmas - Day 7 - Cards, Cards, Cards

Make your card list, including friends, family, colleagues, children's friends, church family, teachers, school staff, children's classmates, online groups, mailman, hair dresser, sorority sisters, high school friends, neighbors, -- all those people who you want to keep in touch with. Complete your list as thoroughly as you can.

Next, rate the people on your card list:
A = have to send
B = want to send
C = would like to send

Then, go around your house with a basket and gather up all of your address books, old Christmas card envelopes, scraps of paper, etc., to get the addresses for your cards. Transfer the updated addresses to your address system (whether it be a computer address book, file cards, or hand-written address book).

When making or addressing your cards you will start with group A. If you have time during the Christmas season, then move on to group B and then group C.

If you decide to hand-make your cards, create a card now to see how time-consuming the individual cards are and to see if you have the supplies you need. If you are buying your cards, purchase them this week.

If creating your own cards, determine how many you need (see above) and what date you want to have all your cards mailed. Remember that cards going overseas need mailed 1 to 2 weeks earlier to arrive in time for Christmas. Divide the number of cards needed by how many weeks are left (depending on your own personal due date). For example, if mailing on December 6th you have 4 weeks (from today) to create your cards, so each week you should be creating 50 cards if you are mailing 200 cards total. This means each day you should create 7-8 cards.

Use the same formula above to determine how many cards need addressed and stamped each day.