By Janet Adetu

In the spirit of the festive season it is time to show some love, appreciation, gratitude and gratefulness. Christmas cards are a great way to express this in addition to the exchange of gifts. These cards are the tradition during festive times like this, I can remember stacking up past Christmas cards from over two years just simply as memorabilia. Looking back it was just a means of creating clutter in my house, thankfully I had a good storage system that worked.

Have you sent your Christmas cards out yet? Or are you following the trend of the Millennials and going paperless more digital? Or is it that you just could not be bothered about the whole idea of exchanging season’s greetings.

Physical cards share more emotions and of course are longer lasting. Today lifestyles have changed as more digitalized greetings are acceptable. It is cheaper, faster to deliver and stay longer virtually sitting in the inbox.

We still find that the art of buying Christmas cards does not come easy to many, infact some buy any card without a second thought. While others read a lot of meaning into the cards they receive most especially the wordings inside. Lets us take a quick look at a few things you could practice when buying your next Christmas Card.

Who Is it for?

Decide on who the card is for then choose the appropriate size of the card. Some people consider that the bigger the card the more significant the receiver. Larger cards are better for landmark birthday’s like 50, 60, 70 or 80. Where care is not taken many people consider a small card as general for all as a way to give little or no significance to the recipient.

Watch for the quality of the card or go cheap and cheerful

It may not always mean that the more expensive the card the better it is. You do not need to break the bank when buying cards. Depending on the brand of the card the quality is determined in the type of card, the material thickness and the quality of the envelope. Some cards include fancy embellishments, box packaging or even jingles.

Read the wordings, do they match your personality?

What are you looking for in a Christmas greeting card? You may prefer to write your own words. Keep it short and simple with relevance to the occasion. Reference the season, wish the recipient well, and inspire them for the future.

Address the card within

Many times, there is a confusion as to how to address the card within. Simply at the top right side of the card write who the card is for, then below after the final wordings indicate your own name. If the card is from the entire family you may indicate from you, your spouse and the family. It is also appropriate to use stamped

Have the correct sized envelope for the card

Some card shops keep the envelopes separately and give you at the point of purchase. Do not second guess the correct card once you request for insistence they will provide immediately.

Deliver by hand, postal or courier service

Finally deliver the card immediately do not hold onto the card.

Steps to Receiving Christmas Cards

What do you do with your cards once you receive them? Not everyone sees the value in these cards so may simply stack up in one corner. Follow these simple steps for receiving your cards

1. Open your card immediately even if it is attached to the gift
2. Read contents of the card on the spot

iii. Discard the envelope

1. Keep all recent cards together
2. Display your cards in a particular area of choice
3. Acknowledge receipt if you are keen

vii. Send back your own card

This Christmas send a card to those that matter in your life, add your panache to every card.

Wishing you Merry Christmas!