What You Should Know About Sending Christmas Cards Articles | Christmas

By: Xmas Data

The Christmas card industry is a big one. About 2 billion holiday cards are sent out on an annual basis every year in the United States alone, and this is only for Christmas. These cards will be sent out by a huge number of people and everyone from family, friends, and neighbors to work associates, clients and customers, will be caught in the holiday card frenzy regardless of whether they celebrate the season or not.

As with any type of correspondence however, certain etiquette rules apply when it comes to mailing out such winter greetings. These bits of advice should help along the way.

For Friends and Family:

If preprinted holiday cards are being used for both business and personal reasons it is important to sign your name right below the printed version then write a small handwritten note inside. This way you make the recipient feel that you thought of them personally during the holiday season.

When you are signing for the whole family you should start off with the name of the father, followed by the mother and then the children. You can simply write something like “James, Jane and Family.”

When a card is being sent to a couple and family that has two different last names, the card should always be addressed to both people. For example John Smith and Mary Jones, or the entire family as in Mary Jones, John Smith and Family, you should always include the children’s name as well inside the family cards.

For Business Associates:

Cards to business associates should always be mailed to the office or if you have met their spouse or them socially within the year, then you may address the card and have it sent to their home.

When sending a card to a married woman who uses her maiden name at work, always address the card to Mr. and Mrs. (using her married name), if she uses her husband’s name personally. If, however, she only uses her maiden name, it is acceptable to address the card to both using both recipients full names.

Business cards should always be written in a style which is much more formal and secular. Never sign your spouse’s name unless the recipient has met them in a social gathering. You should never send your personal family newsletter to business associates under any circumstances.

If you’re sending out hundreds of holiday cards to a number of business associates, then you shouldn’t use bulk mail. First class mail should always be used to send out this bulk mail.

Special Circumstances:

Each time you send out a holiday greeting, it usually means well. Unfortunately, good intentions are often misunderstood. In order to avoid etiquette slips, you should remember these important bits of advice:

When you are sending cards to someone that has a different ethnic or religious background from you, you should use a much more secular card which has no religious undertones. People who don’t celebrate the holidays at all, you may use a winter scene card which has a basic Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays or message of Peace for the season.

When your recipients are grieving the loss of a loved one during the year, you should take particular care to find a card that deals with holiday grief. The extra thoughtfulness will be appreciated and you will have assured them that their loved one hasn’t been forgotten with this particular holiday season. When sending a card to a recent widow, you should always address her as “Mrs.”. This will make her feel a lot less alone.