Yeah, Yeah, I know… Halloween’s not even here yet and here he is talking about Christmas… how commercial.

Christmas cards are one of those expenses that people seem to forget about… I don’t even think people really budget for them unless they are of the type that send out hundreds of cards..

It is a big deal for the card printers though…they are already printing and stockpiling cards and lots of stores have already ordered the inventory that shortly will go out (or may already be) on display.

And a lot of people like to order those cards that are “imprinted” on the inside..(not for me though….I like hand signing and maybe a little note on how things have been going)…..imprinting takes time to do and get delivered let alone again the time it takes for them to be delivered by the postal system after you mail them to your friends.

I also have friends in other countries and usually mail (at much higher international rates) their cards the day after Thanksgiving which gets them there about 2 weeks before Christmas….long enough to enjoy but not become a pain before being recycled after the holidays.

The question now being: Do you buy a box of “One Size Fits All” cards or do you buy individual cards based on the personality of, and your relationship, with the recipient??

Without a doubt the “one size fits all” approach is the cheapest… aside from not sending any at all anyway.

Or you go strictly to picking cards for each person…the most expensive way.

The offering of same I got in the mail yesterday (with a motorcycle bent) is offering 25 cards and envelopes plus address labels and envelope seals for $25 plus $5.95 shipping… making them $1.24 apiece… add $7.00 to the box ($0.28 each) if I want imprinting.

On the other hand you have going to an online store that specializes in GLBT items to get your cards (at least for your GLBT friends) and paying $2-$5 apiece plus shipping and off to the card shop to get them for everyone else… at pretty much the same prices just no shipping.

Then again for card shop prices you have the enjoyment of going out and looking for those special cards… for some of us the trip to the card store is as much an end unto itself as we are easily amused, an afternoon of inexpensive entertainment and a chance to see all the decorations being put up.

As is sending the cards you buy… thinking about the look on the recipients face as they open the one you’ve so carefully chosen for them.

Worth it for really close friends. Then theirs the really special card for your loved one… you know…the ones that end up in the scrapbook or the ones your Grandchildren or relatives will ponder over when they find the shoebox filled with them along with a stack of letters wrapped in silk ribbon after your gone… (tell me that never happened to you when sorting out your parents or grandparents belongings… Dare You!!)

I usually do a blend of them… I get a box of the universal and still get special cards for very special friends.

With postage… including international… I usually spend around $75 or so every year sending cards. But for it I usually get at least an afternoon of enjoyment perusing several card shops, a pleasant hour or three writing notes and addressing them, and the knowledge that I am going to brighten someone’s day when they get the mail.

Seems like a good trade off to me.

Have you ever thought about how much you spend on Christmas Cards? Do you even bother with them?

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