Now a days it seems all birthday wishes, happy holidays, or congratulations all seem to happen. That is fine but I know I am not alone when I say I wish I did more! Real cards that you receive in the mail are so special so why don’t we do it any more? If you are like me there is just one real reason. Life is so busy that you never get around to it. But a little planning twice a year can make all the difference! 

1)Make a list! Sit down and write a simple list of everyone that you, your spouse, or your kids want to wish a Happy Birthday or anniversary card to (or send a Christmas card to). I take it a step further and put everyone into a spreadsheet  database (that sounds so much dorkier but true) but a spreadsheet will do. I will explain why later.

2)Do a little Facebook stalking. A lot of your friends have birthday and anniversary information already sitting on their Facebook profile. This can add a bit of surprise because they won’t be expecting a real card!

3)Do a first sort of your list! I find that postage is where sending cards (especially Christmas cards) gets expensive. So do a preliminary sort or your list to determine if you are planning on mailing the card or handing it to the person. Something I love about my church is that everyone does Christmas cards but they hand them out on Sundays and in small group! But I don’t see everyone that I want to give a card so some will need to be mailed. I denote this on my database with a simple m or h. 

4)Get the addresses. First get the addresses of everyone that you know you are actually going to mail a card to. Then consider getting everyone else’s just in case you don’t see them around their special days. 

5)Sort again! Now we are going to sort in date order. Then you can see at a glance who has a birthday in September, October, etc. 

6)Print! Now we are going to print off 2 sets of address labels (if you put your list in a computer). 1 set is the labels for birthdays and anniversaries, the second for Christmas. Also print off a list in date order of who has what on what day. If you are just writing your list on paper just know you will still have to hand address envelopes. 

You can stop here or keep going! 

7)Get or make cards! Nothing is worse than wanting to send a birthday card for a guy and only having floral ones! You can order card packs from a variety of places like Amazon or even go to the Dollar Tree. If you get real creative you can make your own. I actually love to do this when I have time. I am actually planning out the Christmas Cards I am planning on making. 

8)Put it all together! You can actually put the cards completely together and sign them. Then tuck them in the envelope, label them, and put postage. They you can put a sticky note on them, put a note in your planner, or write the date in the corner in pencil to help you get them in the mail on time. 

Yes, this all will take you more than a few minutes. The first time you do it will be the most time consuming with building your list. But next time you will just have to update your list with new people in your life and new addresses for those who have moved. 

I know I feel so loved when someone takes the time to give me a card. I want to make the people in my life feel that way too! But if I do it now during the summer it will make it easier to love on everyone all year long! 

This is part of my 10 Days to a Better School Year series! Pop over to see what other great posts I have in this series. It is also part of the 10 Days of Tips for Homeschool Moms. Many great bloggers are participating. Pop over to my 10 Days hub to see them all.