Guest Blog by Barbara Tako

It’s that time again. Time to think about holiday cards. If you enjoy sending out Christmas cards every year, please feel free to ignore the following ideas. I know some of us truly enjoy doing this each year. However, if you ever find card sending to be a hectic, difficult, or frustrating annual task, read on for some other options.

·               Save trees by sending cards made from recycled paper. Also, you may be able to send old cards for recycling to a worthy cause: St. Jude’s Ranch for Children at http://stjudesranch.org. In the past they have recycled used card fronts to make and sell new cards.

·      Save time around the holidays by purchasing, completing, and addressing cards earlier, before you are “under the wire.” You can hold off mailing them until well into December

·               Stand out from the crowd and avoid the time crunch by sending New Years cards or Valentine’s Day cards instead

·               Save money by purchasing cards from places like Current (1-800-848-2848) or a local card and paper products outlet store. Or, buy them when they go on sale right after Christmas for the following year.

·               Get frugal and creative by recycling a card you received last year into a holiday postcard. Cut off the backside of the card. Divide the plain side with a line and write a holiday message on one side of the line and put the address and postage on the other

·               For long mailing lists, send cards every other year, or send cards to half of your list each year. This will keep you in the loop and still free up a little time.

Send a farewell/last card to gracefully indicate you won’t be sending cards after this year to save a few trees and simplify your family’s holiday. Who knows? Maybe others will catch on too.

Barbara Tako is the author of Clutter Clearing Choices: Clear Clutter, Organize Your Home, & Reclaim Your Life (O Books, 2010), a seasonally organized book that provides a variety of clutter clearing tips that readers are encouraged to pick and choose from to fit their personal style and needs. Go to www.clutterclearingchoices.com to sign up for her FREE monthly clutter clearing tips newsletter.