Peace of Mind Organizing

Reflections on holiday cards

18 December 2008

As I posted in November, holiday cards are a big project for me. I do two sets: business and personal. Last year I only managed to get the business ones out. (And the sky didn’t fall.) This year, I’m bound and determined to do both this year. I’ll send out two hundred or so, in total.

Last night I finished writing in my business-related holiday cards. They’ll go in the mail today. I send them to clients and to colleagues. I take real pleasure in both giving and receiving holiday cards.

I’d like to encourage you to consider cards an opportunity, not an obligation. For me, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with folks I might not have seen in awhile. And to express my appreciation for having them in my lives. If I didn’t see it that way, if I sent the cards just because I thought I should, that’s a whole different ball game. That’s just stress. Stress—particularly holiday stress—isn’t good. (Come to think of it, this concept applies to holiday gifts as well.)

This weekend, I’ll work on the cards for friends and family. I know I’m going to enjoy reconnecting with people, especially since I didn’t do it last year. Because, like everyone else, we’re trying to economize in my family, I’m reusing cards left over from several years ago (when Snapfish mistakenly sent us twice as many customized cards as we ordered). I’m using Forever stamps I bought back before the last postage increase. So really, all it’s costing out of this month’s budget is my time.

I consider it time well spend. And I actually consider it enjoyable because of my view of it as an opportunity. If you don’t share that view—if it’s a chore hanging over your head—I encourage you to let it go. If I’m on your holiday card list and I don’t receive one, I promise not to hold it against you. Feel free to reconnect with folks via email. Or a new year’s card. Or, gosh, a phone call.

When it comes to cards, be kind to yourself. Make it an enjoyable ritual or let it go. But don’t do it just because you feel you should. In my opinion, “should” has no business making its way on to our to-do lists.

Tagged with: belt-tightening, cards, holidays, stress

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