82 Days ’til Christmas – Prep Your Holiday Card List

This post is part of the 100 Days ’til Christmas Challenge — one small step each day to make the holiday season less stressful and a lot more fun.

If you’ve ever found yourself starting from scratch every December, trying to remember who you sent holiday cards to last year, you’re not alone. That’s why today’s task is all about creating a holiday card list you can carry forward. Once you have it, this becomes one of those holiday jobs that gets easier every single year — you’ll simply remove a few names, add a few more, and you’re ready to go.

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Why Make a Holiday Card List Now?

• No more reinventing the wheel. You’ll always have a starting point for your holiday cards.
• Helps you order the right number of holiday cards. No last-minute scrambling or running out.
• Keeps things organized. You’ll know exactly who’s getting a card when it’s time to gather mailing addresses (Day 80) and plan your family photo (Day 78).
• Gives you time to add extras. If you like sending a yearly recap or family newsletter along with your cards, you can start thinking now about what you’d want to include.

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Who Should Be On Your Holiday Card List?

Think through the groups of people in your life and jot them down:

• Family (close and extended)
• Friends (near and far)
• Neighbors
• Teachers, coaches, mentors
• Coworkers, clients, business contacts
• Community connections (babysitter, mail carrier, hairdresser, etc.)

You don’t have to include everyone. This is your list of holiday cards — keep it manageable and meaningful.

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Start Your Draft List

Grab a notebook, open a spreadsheet, or (my favorite) use the Cards to Send List I created for subscribers. You’ll have an easy place to write names now and a reusable list you can come back to every year.

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Daily To-Dos

• Brainstorm the groups of people you want to include.
• Write down names for each group.
• Use the Cards to Send List (or your own notebook/spreadsheet) to start your working holiday card list.
• Do a quick count to see how many holiday cards you’ll need this year.
• Add 10 extra to your total for mistakes and last-minute additions.
• If you plan on sending a yearly recap letter, start jotting down the highlights you might want to include (vacations, milestones, big family changes).