Is it already that time of year again? How can that be?

Here we are pulling together last minute Halloween costumes, and I’m busy thinking about Christmas cards, ornaments, and winter decor. It seems like the end of October cascades headlong into the holiday season, and I’m never ready. But this year, I’m getting ahead of the rush!

Let’s just be honest, this proactive turn of events is not because I’m so organized. It’s only because Basic Invite asked me recently if I’d like to check out some of their invitations and greeting card products. I’m so thankful that they reached out to me, not just because they have a fabulous website and beautiful paper products, but especially because it woke me up to what time of year it is and how I need to get my rear in gear!

Do you really still write Christmas Cards?

I am one of the last holdouts when it comes to writing actual Christmas cards. I generally write a short history of our year, and include a couple of pictures, so family members can watch the kids growing up. I know people don’t do that so much anymore, with streaming real-time status updates on Facebook, and the pictorial history of Instagram. But I think it’s nice to get something other than bills in the mail, so I still send out a few cards every year.

To continue the theme of honesty I’ve got going here, I have to admit I don’t usually write my letters until after the Christmas rush, so they end up being New Year’s letters, and occasionally even Valentine’s letters. “Better late than never” is my life motto.

But this year I’m determined to get ahead of the game, and Basic Invite is making it easy for me with their holiday photo cards. Don’t let the name fool you, they are anything but basic, and carry all sorts of other paper products besides invitations. I’ve even got my eye on new business cards from them, once I get through the end-of-the-year flurry. But if it’s invitations you want, make sure you check out their christmas party invitations ideas for some fun new looks for your holiday party.

One of my favorite things about Basic Invite is their samples. For a very small fee, you can order a printed sample of any of their products, before you purchase a whole order. I checked out several, just to see the quality, and was so impressed. Just look at the cool shimmery paper option of these snowflake holiday party invitations:

I think if I were ordering wedding invites or invitations for a very formal event, it would set my mind at ease to be able to look at and hold an actual version of what I’d be sending my guests.

Back to my Christmas cards, I am loving this version of the Christmas letter idea:

If I can get my act together and write my letter before I have to order the cards, this is what I think I’ll do this year.

Organizing your Christmas Cards

Can I share a little organizing secret with you? I’ve been writing family Christmas letters since our engagement, so I have 17 of these little pieces of our story. A few years ago, I decided to officially use these letters as our own personal family history. I’m not great at keeping a journal, or even keeping track of my kids’ milestones. (My 10 year-old’s baby book still isn’t finished.) So these letters are all I’ve got, unless I get magically inspired to finish about a half dozen scrapbooks that I’ve started over the years.

I picked up a simple 3 ring binder and a package of page pockets, the inserts that are just a big sleeve the size of a piece of copy paper. Every year when I send out cards, I keep a card and letter for myself and slide it into the next pocket. Now we have a book of us. It’s not fancy, but my kids love to look back over the old letters and cards to see pictures of themselves and read about what happened that year. This basic binder has become one of those parts of our family that tells our story and helps us know who we are. So I’ll keep writing my letters, if for no other reason than to keep from missing a page in our book!

Thinking ahead to the Holidays

I hope I’ve given you some ideas of how to get ready for this holiday season. Next time, I’ve got a fun Christmas craft that I’m working on. (It’s currently in the failure stage of experimentation, so I’m hoping I’ll figure it out sometime before Christmas!)

Now, get to work on your holiday cards and party invitations, and I’m hoping I’ll be on your list of recipients for both!

Happy early holidays, and don’t panic, it’ll all get done. Or it won’t and that’ll be OK too!