Christmas Card Envelope Ideas

Christmas Card Envelope Ideas

It's one of my favorite holiday traditions: sitting down with a nice big coffee, my favorite pens, and trusty ole Christmas card list.  For me, this is a chance to pause, and remember the people who I may not have had the chance to see (especially in this year of tiny friendship bubbles!), but whose company I always treasure.  Here's hoping for many friendly reunions in 2021!

This year, I thought I'd have fun and take a bit more time addressing the envelopes.  After all, aren't envelopes like a card's giftwrap?

My calligraphy skills are, ahem ... always on my list of resolutions to develop ... but no matter, there are some very easy ways to up your envelope game.

First, play with your pens.  Put the ballpoint aside, and pick up a big green sharpie (but remember to address the envelope first, and then put in the card, as the sharpie can bleed through), or — my favorite — a gel ink pen.  I love the Uni-Ball Signo pens, which you can find at most stationery stores.  White ink is great against a colored envelope; what's more Christmassy than white and red?

Then, add a few flourishes.  This season, I did little scrolls around the sides to frame the address, or sometimes a few stars stars in each corner.  Nothing needs to be perfect, just have fun. (Tip: add your stamp first, so your art can flow around it.)

Lastly, I love to seal my envelopes with a foil sticker.  These are now easily available online, in so many sizes and colors.  Red foil is great for Christmas, and gold seals feel luxe all year long.

Happy writing!  See you in 2021!

(And p.s. In case you're wondering about Daisy Fay (top left).  Daisy (who became Daisy Buchanan) was Jay Gatsby's great love in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", and some say he would have first fallen for her when, as a young woman, she lived at this address in Louisville, KY .... but as with so much about Daisy, the truth is difficult to pin down.)

 

 

Jason Arbuckle
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What are the deadlines for mailing holiday cards?

What are the deadlines for mailing holiday cards?

Yes, it's that ho ho ho time of year again.  Procrastinators among us (ok, me!) might be wondering when is the last day they can mail their holiday cards, and still have them arrive by that magic day of 25th December.

The US Postal Office tells us we should circle Tuesday, December 15th this year as our deadline for mailing Christmas cards, and gifts.  You can still squeeze out another few days for priority mail, for which the deadline is December 19th.

For your fabulous friends across the Atlantic in Europe, or just up North in Canada ... here you'll want to get over the post office by December 7th.

But here's the silver lining of this crazy year — you can be sure whenever your loved ones ultimately receive their cards, any dose of holiday cheer will be extra welcome this season!

And, stationery addicts, if you're ordering from our website, remember we include a stamp and a lovely gold seal with every purchase so you can get mailing right away (above, left).

(Need more stamps?  Order stamps online from the USPS, click here.  They have all sorts of wonderful limited edition stamps, too, just for the holidays!)

 

 

 

 

Jason Arbuckle
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