Ensuring that your photo Christmas cards are ready for mailing can feel like yet another overwhelming task that simply cannot be faced or even considered this early in the year. Instead of waiting until the last frantic minute and being forced into using mass-produced holiday cards that look identical to everyone else's, you can follow these simple organizational steps to ensure that this year's holiday mailings are not only received in plenty of time to be enjoyed, but that they will delight the recipients with family photographs, an appealing color scheme, a unique layout, and a personalized message written by you.

Holidays are times of family and fun, traditions and parties. They can also be very stressful, and no one needs more stress than they already have. Eliminating the worry and potential problems can make creating and sending holiday cards a breeze. It all comes down to collecting the right photographs, deciding how many photo Christmas cards you'll need, selecting a template, and adding your personal touches.

The best time to start planning is today. The months will fly by before you know it. Your experience creating these highly coveted family mementos will be far more enjoyable and productive if you start now. Thinking about snow storms in the summer may even help cool you off!

Themes For Holiday Cards: August

Selecting the theme for your holiday cards is the first step to creating something memorable. New babies, homes, jobs, and other significant events from the year can provide inspiration. They can be humorous or traditional, spiritual or elegant, or whatever suits the family style. Selecting a theme helps to identify the types of photographs that will be needed and what sort of layout and color scheme would look the best. Use this time to select the preferred theme and layout to provide a cohesive structure for everything else. Life can be further simplified by adding matching thank-you notes and having the return address pre-stamped to save time.

Family Photographs: September

The pictures used can be shots taken earlier in the year, pictures taken by a professional photographer, or impromptu family shots. Many families have fun creating photographs of the kids lined up wearing Santa Claus hats, buried in piles of tissue paper and ribbon, or create something profound with a picture of the family standing solemnly at a church service. If a professional photographer will be used, it is best to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Their schedules fill up quickly and processing the pictures can take some time.

Make A List And Check It Twice: October

It makes life far easier when a holiday card mailing list is maintained each year. Many families simply use their standard address book, which also works. Carefully count the total number of holiday cards that will be needed and then plan on ordering a few extra to avoid being caught short-handed. It also helps in case of spelling errors, spilled coffee, and life's other bumps in the road. This is also when stamps can be placed on the weekly grocery shopping list to ensure that there are plenty on hand.

Putting It All Together: November

With the template selected, the photographs in the computer, and a mailing list in hand, putting everything together is simply a matter of pushing a few buttons and waiting for delivery. Set aside a few hours with family members once the shipment arrives in order to add hand-written notes, mailing addresses, and stamps. The younger children simply love adding those stamps, so keep an eye out or your cards will have enough postage to circle the globe all year! Family participation helps bring everyone closer together for the holidays. Completing this task in November also allows the family's holiday cards to be in the mail by Thanksgiving or soon after, which means those photo Christmas cards will be gracing living room walls, mantels, doors, and bookshelves in plenty of time to be enjoyed by family and friends across the nation.

Taking one step at a time and beginning with the selection of a theme and a template, this year's holiday cards can be managed in very little time and for far less than you might expect. Family and friends will love to see your family's beautiful smiling faces this holiday season in correspondence designed to be unlike any other - by you!