6 Ways to Savour and Enjoy Sending Christmas Cards

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. I find the whole process very nostalgic. As a child, December in our house featured ribbons of Christmas cards strung around the living room and from the banister of our stairs. I also love the rhythm of this tradition – choosing a card, writing a message, and putting it in the envelope, perhaps with a letter or flat gift that made you think of the recipient. Then, once you’ve adhered your stamps, walking your cards to the post box and sending them on their way.

On the receiving end, it’s hard to beat the sound of post plopping through the front door! There’s something extra special about opening a personally addressed envelope to reveal a beautiful Christmas card. Not to mention reading a handwritten message and displaying the card to be enjoyed throughout the season.

With the rise of technology, people now communicate in lots of different ways, but so much more love and thought goes into a Christmas card than a Christmas WhatsApp message. I know it requires time and effort during an already busy season, so here are a few ways to make sending Christmas cards more enjoyable and less of a burden…

6 Ways to Savour and Enjoy Sending Christmas Cards

1. Make it a Mindful Task

Instead of seeing it as a mundane, repetitive task, try reframing writing and sending your Christmas cards as a mindful, thoughtful thing to do. You are enriching friendships and sending love at a time that can be fun and special but is often quite stressful too. If you consider how the recipient will feel when they open your card and read your note, it should help you navigate the ‘I’ve got to find time to write Christmas cards’ feeling.

2. Choose Beautiful Cards

These days, there are so many gorgeous, thoughtful Christmas card designs to choose from. Lots of small business owners design adorable cards. Susanna Banks is one of my favourite illustrators, and I love her bright, fun Christmas cards. Last year, I bought a pack of Sarah Dinsdale cards, sent some, and kept three to frame and display over Christmas. This collection is particularly stunning.

Packs of cards often work out much more cost-effective than buying individual ones. Find a set containing multiple designs so you can choose which one to send depending on what you think the recipient will most enjoy.

3. Start Early

There are a few benefits to starting this task early. First, it allows you to spread the workload and enjoy each stage of the process. I’d recommend choosing your Christmas cards as early as possible, especially if you’re shopping from a small independent retailer. Write a few at a time throughout November and then send them early in December. This means the recipients can enjoy them for longer. The post office queues are usually shorter earlier in the Christmas season, and you’ll be giving the mail plenty of time to get where it’s going. Starting early also allows you to send second class – saving yourself a lot of money!

4. Add Some Creative Touches

If you enjoy Christmas crafts and getting creative, why not add a few special touches to your cards? Making them all from scratch is a huge task most of us don’t have time for, but decorating the outside of a few envelopes with rubber stamps, stickers, or hand-drawn flourishes could be fun. Even just opting for a simple gold pen instead of your usual biro can elevate the experience.      

5. Host a Christmas Card Writing Party

I love the idea of doing something that needs doing with someone else. For example, you can take your laundry to a friend’s house to fold and iron it together. I’ve also seen baby showers where a group of women come together to prepare a load of meals for the mum-to-be.

One evening in November, when people are beginning to think about Christmas, you could invite some friends round for a cuppa and a mince pie, put on some Christmas music, and write your Christmas cards together. This immediately turns a ‘chore’ into a community experience and an enjoyable thing to do.

6. Be Your Future Friend

I’d encourage you to make a list of people you send cards to and keep it with your Christmas decorations ready for next year. Include addresses and any leftover Christmas stamps to make things even easier when the time comes (you’ll only need to update anyone who’s moved).

What to Write in a Christmas Card

I love writing something personal in my Christmas cards. I always name each family member (on both sides – recipient and sender) and mention something we have enjoyed together over the past year or are looking forward to in the year to come.

Many of my friends are Christians, and I love to mark Christmas as a Christian celebration. This means I like writing something a little different to the classic ‘happy Christmas and best wishes for the new year’. However, if time is tight, this is perfectly adequate and a lovely gesture. I would always encourage you to write Christmas cards with this sort of greeting if the alternative is no cards at all.

If you would like to include something more meaningful, here are some ideas to get you started…

To families we knew from other seasons of life:

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas celebrating that Christ came to earth to bring peace with God and Hope for the whole world.

To someone who is living through tough times:

I hope this Christmas season is a time of rest and family and that in spite of the struggle, you can celebrate and rejoice knowing that Emmanuel is God with us. Thinking of you, especially this year.

And Hope Designs Christmas Cards

I have a lovely collection of Christmas cards (including some meaningful, modern Christian Christmas cards) which you can find here >>> Christmas Cards

The customer favourite year after year is this set of Christian Carol Cards which brings modern elegance and high quality to a festive tradition loved by many: carol singing. This set of Nativity Cards is a close second so far this year. Some have purchased without personalisation to send to people who are not their children’s teachers, though a lot have chosen the set which includes teacher and classmate cards to have that all sorted in one go.