The holidays are always an anticipated time for many reasons. There are so many fun activities to do and my December calendar always gets filled up quickly. Even with everything going on during the holidays, I always make sure to leave time for sending out holiday cards. I like to think of holiday cards as a snapshot in time from each year and my plan is to eventually make a photo album of all of our holiday cards that we can look back on.
Today I’m sharing what I do to make sure I stay organized while planning and sending out holiday cards. Like everything in life, preparation is key. Here’s what I do each year to make sure I have my cards out on time:
- Update my address list. If I’m missing anyone, I use Basic Invite‘s address assistant and text them a link to fill out! Once they filled out their information, their contact is updated in my Basic Invite account.
- Select a location. When I’ve decided on a location, I check the availability of the location. Some locations have specific hours and charge (like a Christmas tree farms).
- Plan our outfits. I lay out our outfits from head to toe to insure that I have everything we need (last year we forgot T’s shoes on top of a mountain – so I learned this lesson the hard way). I loved this dress , so I planned T’s outfit around it.
- Contact a photographer – Once I’ve figured out what I want, I contact a photographer and schedule the shoot. You can also have a family friend take the picture, or even take the picture on self timer!
- Decide on the company I’m using. I choose to use a card company because of ease and because I am a little stretched for time (like everyone else) during the holiday season but you can also make your cards yourself! I used Basic Invite this year because:
-
- Colors – Once you select a holiday card design from their selection of modern holiday cards, you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different colors so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it (this means you can match your card exactly to what you are wearing)!
- Samples – Basic Invite allows you to order a printed sample of your holiday card so you can see exactly how it will print as well as feel the paper quality before you place your final order.
- Address Capturing Service – This is my favorite thing about them! Basic Invite offers an address capturing service that allowed me to text my friends and family with a link that requested and captured their addresses and then those addresses were stored in my Basic Invite account! Basic Invite ALSO offers recipient address printing at no cost on all Christmas card orders.
-
- Decide on a theme. One of the best places to get Christmas card ideas is, of course, the internet (Pinterest is my favorite for inspiration). When deciding on a theme think about your family’s personality.
Right now you can save 15% on your Basic Invite order with the code 15FF51.
I hope you enjoyed these preparation tips and our Merry Christmas cards! I hope these ideas are helpful to you in getting ready for a stress free holiday!
Happy Holidays!
Love,
The Berecz Family
Photographs by: Cat Galletti Photography
