Are E-Cards Appropriate for the Holidays?

We live fast paced, high tech lives. For many of us, email is our primary form of communication. But, when it comes to sending our holiday cards, is it acceptable to send email cards in place of traditional “snail mail” greetings cards?

Well, the answer really depends on the relationship. If your primary relationship with the recipient is through email, such as with an on-line friend, then sending a Christmas card via email is fine. For this type of relationship, email communication is practically expected, so it’s fine.

However, for other relationships in your life, it is usually preferred that you take the time to send a traditional, physical greetings card for the holidays. The personal touch that sending a real Christmas card gives is one that really isn’t duplicated with an email.

For most of us, the temptation to use email for cards comes from two sources. The first reason is that email is instant. So we can send an email card on Christmas day if we want and they still receive it for Christmas. A certain amount of planning has to go into mailing a Christmas card however, particularly if you want it to arrive on time.

Secondly, email is fast and easy. We can create one email card and mail it simultaneously to multiple people. It saves us time and effort, but, unfortunately, this is also the reason that these emailed cards seem so impersonal and thoughtless.

Traditional Christmas Cards

If you’re very short of time this Christmas, there are ways to minimize the time it takes to send traditional Christmas cards, so you don’t have to sacrifice the sentiment that accompanies receiving a Christmas card in the mail. Here are some ideas to help you.

• Print address labels on the computer. Create a spreadsheet of your addresses, so that you can print them on your home printer. Pre-printed address labels speed up the process of addressing your cards. Plus once you’ve created the spreadsheet, you can easily print address labels any time you need them in the future.

• Order cards online – This saves a lot of time. Visit our website for your holiday greetings card and stationery needs. They have a large selection of ideas available on-line. Shopping on-line saves a lot of time and your cards are delivered to your door.

• Order stamps on-line – The US Postal Service sells stamps on-line. Just a few clicks of your mouse and you’ve ordered the stamps you need for mailing those special cards. They’ll be delivered to your mailbox by your postman in just a few days.

Now that you have all of your supplies assembled, you’re ready to prepare your cards. Why not write them out while you’re watching a little television in the evening? Or waiting at a doctor’s appointment? Try using downtime for cards so that you don’t feel that preparing your cards is taking up too much of your already precious time.

Taking the time to send traditional Christmas is always appreciated by the special people in your life. It can be a little time consuming, but if you stay organized and use some time saving tips, you’ll find that mailing Christmas cards is not such an overwhelming job after all.