People ask me if I do Christmas Cards or Holiday Greetings. My enthusiastic response is “YES!” They are so wonderful. The most fun part is making the selections.

There used to be an expectation that you purchase one design and everyone gets the same card. That is not my style. I’m all for finding your style and letting it develop. What you do might be totally different. I don’t do letters, but I write short notes. I don’t do photos, but I do include extras such as a recipe, poem, or such.

There are too many lovely options available in card designs for me to just pick one. And who actually says that it’s against some holiday etiquette rule to break away from only one design? There are too many needs to fit them into one design.

I make lists. Yes, I love lists! I have them for everything. (Sometimes I say that God created Excel just for me because I use it for every list you can fathom.)

First, create the holiday list. Write down everyone you know in various categories. Forget about whether or not they sent you a card last year. Doesn’t matter. Don’t keep track. Send joy. Forget about tiffs or spats or offensiveness. Joy goes a long ways in keeping relationships healthy. Here are some categories to start with: Family, Friends, Co-workers, Current Acquaintances, Old Acquaintances, Church folks, Book Group,

Sports/exercise people, Neighbors, Old neighbors, Service people (mail, Fed Ex, UPS, paper, hair, nails, etc.), School acquaintances for kids/grandkids, Teachers and such.

Second, I create another list of all the holiday parties I am going to host, big and small. Keep in mind, I love to celebrate, so I create reasons to do so. Here are some of my parties: Family party, Neighborhood gang, The girlfriends, My sisters and sisters-in-law, The birthday club, Off season garage sale shoppers, Nieces and nephews, Grandchildren, Book Lovers, Exercise Group, Volunteer group

Third, add names of the people that will be invited to each party/function. As I add their names, I remove them from the first list.

Fourth, I find a card/invitation/announcement for each ‘function’. Then I add three more designs to send to those people who remain on the first list. Variety is the spice of life, right?

It’s absolutely fun to send out cards. No way would I consider it a chore!