Holiday ‘Wrap’ Part I :: Post Christmas Review (projects, budgets + next year)

by | Dec 31, 2014 | Organization, Planning, Productivity

OK – so how did it go?  What could have gone better?  What do you wish you had planned better?  What needed more time?  Most importantly -> WHAT WASN’T WORTH THE EFFORT?
I spoke to many people in the days leading up to Christmas (and saw many feeds) about the anxiety of the holiday bustle. Some folks were especially out of sorts due to unexpected events and illnesses; and there were the few that seemed to be floating through, enjoying every aspect, and coming out of it all unscathed (or so it seemed…).
I started the season with a plan, and still had things go awry – (thankfully, avoided major illness and catastrophe!).  And now that we are somewhat beyond, I think I have a sort of amnesia… It’s like childbirth (well, not really)… the “labor” is over, and I experience the holiday “glow” and forget (??) the effort that got me there!
Part I of Post Holiday Wrap follows – this is where I make notes** for next year… (maybe by the time I am 50, I’ll have it down to a science!)
///**a point on making notes for next year.  Now that my memory is really failing, I am always concerned about whether I will be able to a) remember that I made notes 1 year from now, and if I do b) remember where I put them!
Some ideas on where to keep your notes:
  • binder or notebook stored with your holiday gear (may not be a great idea, because you’ll want to plan way before you go to decorate)
  • your electronic calendar (hopefully your using the same system next year)
  • an electronic note taking application like Evernote 
  • file within a drive on computer (as long as you review your electronic files on occasion, this is probably ok)
  • write some blog posts and refer to next year (ha – this is what I will be doing!)

AND – I will put a reminder in two electronic calendars to ping me mid-Oct 2015 that the notes exist!  Overkill you say??? If you do anything beyond last minute gift giving, not overkill AT ALL.  Why re-invent the wheel??////

Christmas Cards
I described the main parts of my Holiday Plan in my Honing on the Holidays post.  I failed to list any of the bits that fall into the Christmas card effort.  This was a dumb fail since there are so many parts – and MANY of the “parts” were, in fact, riddled with issues:
  • Issue 1: capturing or finding photos for the card (this year trying not to use those we’ve posted to FB; finding original content can be a challenge when we don’t actually prepare!)
  • Issue 2: sitting at the computer to create and order the card (thought I was going to use TinyPrints, but when it was going to me more than $200, I went through Costco and got 100 cards for less then $40!  In any case, when attempting to complete such tasks in various available 20 minute chunks of time, going back and forth can add a couple of days)
    • Awesome Bonus – Costco sold me stamps – this was huge!  What a smart tactic, Costco! (The photo guy deserves commission for having asked.)  Any time saved is better than money in the bank!
    • Post-Holiday Idea – at least two of the photo cards my sister received were especially cool (loved the paper stock and the additional room for the year’s updates).  I’ve asked her to ask those friends what service they used.
  • Issue 3: the flippin’ address labels – suffice it to say, this was WAY more effort than it should have been (next year will be my last try to make labels effortlessly – if it doesn’t go well, it will be hand-written from now on)
    • Cool (?) Tip: I printed out all addresses separately (on paper), so that as cards came from family and friends, we could review it quickly:
      • sometimes I second guess if we sent so-and-so a card
      • any “returned to senders” and other address changes can be noted
    • after all is said and done, I will make adjustments to the excel file and know we are ready for next year

I like to send holiday cards and the “why” behind this big effort is reinforced when I begin to receive cards in the mail.  I love going through them, and it’s especially nice to see what folks are up to – especially those note active on social media.

holiday card arch

I also LOVE what they do to my archway!  (Though, excuse our mess; our bathroom is undergoing an official renovation!)

2014 Holiday Card

Below is what we came up with this year. Can’t wait for next year’s iteration!

So, what card making services do you all recommend?  Do you have any tips that make the process more seamless?  Share with me, so you can share with other readers!!

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Stay tuned for Part II of the Post Christmas Review … where I will muse about budgets (in a good way!)…