Should I Have My Christmas Cards Printed?

It seems that we have more tasks than ever to accomplish during the holidays. We’re always looking for ways to save time and effort, both at home and at our business. While technology has given us many ways to make some of these tasks more efficient, in some cases, it has also made them less expensive.

When it comes to Christmas cards, the printed cards with a printed signature that mimics our handwriting can be awfully convenient. We can simply print address labels with our computer, or send them to the printer and there’s absolutely no writing from us required. Everyone on our list gets a perfectly printed card at precisely the right time.

But are we losing some of the meaning and sentiment of the holidays by using “pre-printed everything”, avoiding the task of even signing our own cards?

Many people certainly think as much. Hand-signed cards have become quite a treasure in our pre-printed world. Here are the reasons I think people still really appreciate a hand signed card:

• It shows the person actually participated in sending his/her own cards, rather than simply sending a file to a printer.
• If we’re lucky enough to get a hand written note, we know that the person actually thought of us as he/she was writing our card. This thought is actually what sending a Christmas card is, all about.

Even in our business life, a personal card to a client, colleague or vendor is so much more personal than one that’s pre-printed and signed. Our clients know that we took the time to think of them, and we actually mean “we appreciate their business” if we write it ourselves. Think how great you’d feel as a client if you got a Christmas card that was signed by the CEO of a company with whom you do business on a regular basis.

Now, I’m the first to admit that pre-printed Christmas cards are convenient and time saving. It takes just a few minutes to pick out a card and wording. Then we can send a file with our addresses to the printer along with the payment and the entire Christmas card project is complete. It is one task on our Christmas “to do” list that we can take care of easily.

After all, just because you send pre-printed cards to your family and friends doesn’t mean you don’t care about them. There may be some years when it’s literally impossible to get everything done and then this is a task you can outsource rather easily. I’m a firm believer that a printed Christmas card is still better than none at all.

But, in my opinion, the hand written card is still the nicest to receive. Knowing that my friends have taken the time to write a note, (even a short one) especially to me, is a sign that old-fashioned friendship and caring is alive and well. It may not be fast, it may not be efficient and it may not be high tech; but it is definitely appreciated.