Christmas Card
Dear Friend, here is your card! (Yeah! That just saved me from addressing some!) I think I need a new printer, label maker program, etc. 'cause this Christmas card thing is a bitch.
I must send cards out every year since I'm such a friggin' shut-in (as are most people I know) that we would all cease to exist on the planet if I didn't send a picture and a "hi" and get one likewise from friends and family.
I love the corny Christmas letters; I love the pictures of the kids as they go from cute babies to pimply teens, and later the ones of mom and dad on some trip finally unencumbered by the wee ones.
But dang it if the list isn't pretty long and getting longer every year. And then someone always sends you one, and you go, "Crap I forgot them," and then have to fire one back. I actually paid a friend to alphabetize my list and combine my list with my husband's, but I still can't figure out how to print the list correctly so I don't have to hand address each one. And honestly, I have the writing of a serial killer, so I'm sure I'm giving the US postal office gray hairs.
My Ghetto Christmas Card
The past few years, my cards were great. During our engagement, we had a hi-lar-ious picture from Mark's big bday bash with us, go go dancers, and our best gay friend in a boa. We looked great. The next year, Vivien was newborn so that was easy. Picture of new baby. The following year, we had a great picture of our wedding (the fun one, not the legal one) with all of our combined children. Everyone was made up and/or tan and pretty, and it was a professional photographer. Last year, I did a spoof of a Christmas card. Vivien played in the living room happily involved in some tinsel; Oliver sat in a chair looking like he hated us ( on the edge of 14 at the time); I was in a housecoat spacing out; and Mark was bounding in joyfully home only to be ignored by all. Inside I said, "From our REAL family to yours." And I paid someone to take it.
This year, I didn't want to pay anyone. Mark also wanted his older son Ben in it. Which was fine with me, but by the time we all gathered, it was dark. I had a friend stand on a chair, and voila "The Peel Family Portrait." Did it on my mac. I did capture a theme. I never sent a change-of-address card when we moved in May, so this was "From our NEW home to yours." I bet a lot of my usual senders are shooting their holiday cards to our old address. Sometimes forwarded, sometimes not.
Oh, the pictures I am missing!
i've got mine down to a science!
1. have friend take oodles of pictures. it's a been a different person each time over the last 5 years
2. spend way too much time choosing between shots that are nearly identical
3. upload to costco.com, pick card (easier than picking photo), place order
4. pick up cards the next day, along with postage
5. mail, using self-adhesive stamps and printed return address & mailing labels
6. relax because i don't have a cramp in my hand from signing over a hundred cards and then addressing them!
how did you do step 5. it confounds me. the address label part.
I only know how to do labels with Microsoft Word 2007.
1. Click on MAILINGS tab.
2. Click on START MAILMERGE.
3. Click LABELS.
4. Select the product from the list. It would help if you already have the labels handy.
5. Click SELECT RECEPIENTS.
6. Click TYPE A NEW LIST. Save Data.
You can preview the results if you wish. Then just click FINISH & MERGE. And print away.
daphne,
i'd go with what abi said. i did mine soooo long ago, at least the original set, I don't remember exactly how. Now i just pull up the word doc with the addresses laid out in label format and edit as needed each year. it's just a table, so can insert or delete rows as needed.
for the return labels, i use the "print this one thing to fill page" or whatever that function is under labels. just have to put in the info from the label packaging to get them spaced properly on the page.
good luck!
actually, i just remembered that for the return labels, i mostly use all the free ones we get throughout the year from non-profits that want our money. thank you non-profits!!
I recognize a glitch when I see one. The problem is you have surpassed common paper, and have no choice but to send digital video cards this year.
I don't even bother with the labels anymore, I just print right onto the envelope. I can add a corky little Christmas graphic and plug our family site. Our photo only has the girls in front of the tree. I sign my cards but I print out the family newsletter for the older folks who don't check us out online. This year I hit fifty cards so I decide if I don't check a card back from someone and they are under the age of 60 they are off my list. *lol* Cause if my husband only knew how much this production cost, omg! *lol*
Now if someone has an idea on how to make the job of wrapping presents quick and easy, it'd be worth a batch of cookies!
There is always the age old: Lie and say you sent them, must have gotten lost in the mail!
This year, I cut my list down to 18 (the number of cards in one package of the cards I liked) and 5 specialty cards for grandparents/bff. I can label 23 cards and if I can't my 7.5 year old son's handwriting is legible.
See, this is how child labor gets started.
If you can't figure out how to print labels with your word processing software, check out avery.com (the company that makes the labels)
love the printing onto enevelopes.
and child labor joke, good one.
A bit late to the game here but this is totally a child labor job! You have teenagers, they could run the labels for you! And my 6 YO and 3YO did all the label sticking and envelope stuffing. Okay 3 YO was rather useless but still… I just had to provide a little supervision. It was actually fun to have compnay doing such a boring task. Our list is up to 100. Yikes.