Spreading Cheer through the Mail this Year: Holiday Card Tips

Outfits matched - (check!)

Photo shoot - (check!)

Digitals are ready - (check!)

Photos look great - (check!)

Holiday cards ordered and mailed - AHHH!!!

Forgot to check off ordering those prints?  Relax!  It happens.  It's the holidays.  You are busy.  Cards were an appropriate after-thought to feeding your family - I totally get it!

Don't throw in the towel and simply chalk it up to creating a Facebook album titled, "Merry Christmas from Us" just yet!  If you want holiday cards, get holiday cards. There is still plenty of time to order some great photo cards to send some cheer through the mail this year.

Here are a few helpful tips to help get those cards to your loved ones without waiting on an online printing service to mail them to you first!

Drugstore/Big Box Store Photo Centers are life, money, (and time) savers!  I am a drugstore/pharmacy shopper through and through!  Everything from makeup to baby items, the deals at these stores just can't be beat.  Last year, I used Walgreens Photo Center and they did not disappoint.  I ordered that morning and walked out that afternoon with beautiful prints and envelopes in hand! Walgreens, CVS, Sam's Club, and Walmart Photo Centers offer same-day and next-day pickup prints.  This is an easy, breezy solution to getting your photo cards in hand quickly!  Simply log onto one of their websites, select the Same Day Prints option, and a variety of designs will be at your fingertips to receive within hours!  Walgreens and CVS have rewards programs as well, so rack up those points on your prints purchases!

Office Supply Stores such as Office Max/Office Depot, and Staples offer card printing services in-store as well, with some same-day printing options available as well.  These stores also have rewards programs, too!  (I love rewards programs!)

Purchase stamps while at the drugstore or office supply store.  Save yourself a trip to the post office!  Most grocery stores even offer books of stamps at the checkout register or customer service desk.  Take'em home, label your envelopes, and stick in your mailbox for pickup by your local carrier.  Time. Saved.

Stretch your time frame.  Christmas is closing in fast!  Give yourself a few more days and think about New Years themed cards versus holiday cards.  This will allow more time for you to design, mail, and have placed into the mail boxes of your loved ones before the top of the year.  Another benefit to this option is that those receiving your cards can keep them on the fridge or framed for the entire new year!

There ya have it!  Some tips that help me every year when getting ready to ship off some smiles to our family and friends.  Here's to filling fridges across the nation with your family's faces!

Have other tips to share?  Did these tips help?  Comment below!  I would love to hear from you!

Sample holiday card template from Walgreens