The organized holiday · seasonal guide
December is a deadline, not a plan.
Almost nobody is late with Christmas cards because they forgot. They are late because the work is stacked in the wrong order, and the part that takes longest is the part they leave until last.
- Four moves, in order — the list, the addresses, ordering, then writing and mailing
- Start the slow thing first — collecting addresses needs two weeks of other people’s attention
- Build it once, reuse it forever — this year’s list is next year’s starting point
- 30 pages — PDF, instant download, no login
Included in The Handled Holiday at $39, with the two other seasonal guides.
What it is for
The first week of December, with nothing left to do.
It is for early October, when you build the list in one evening and ask for the missing addresses while it still costs you nothing.
It is for late November, when you write the cards over two evenings because every envelope is already addressed and stamped.
It is for the first week of December, when they go in the post and the rest of the month is yours.
The real calendar
Work backwards from the day you want it to arrive.
Cards should land in the two weeks before Christmas: early enough to be displayed, late enough to feel current. That single decision fixes every other date.
Ten to twelve weeks out · build the list
Early October. Households, not people. No addresses yet.
Eight to ten weeks out · ask for addresses
Mid to late October. This is the slow step, because it depends on other people replying, and other people are slowest in December.
Six to seven weeks out · choose and order
Early to mid November. Proofs, printing and shipping all take time.
Three to four weeks out · write and address
Late November. Two evenings, or one long one, with the hardest cards written first.
Two to three weeks out · mail
The first week of December. International goes a fortnight earlier.
The two dates that are not yours to move
International mail, and the printer’s cut-off.
Most overseas destinations need three to five weeks. If you have even one card going abroad, that card is mailed in mid-November, not December.
Photo card companies publish a last-order date for Christmas delivery, and it is usually earlier than people expect. Find yours before you start designing.
Honestly
Who this is for, and who it is not.
This is for you if
- Your addresses are across a phone, an old spreadsheet, last year’s envelopes and a few text messages.
- You are not sure who you sent to last year.
- You send cards abroad.
- You want this year’s work to make next year easier.
This is not for you if
- It is already December. Read page 25, send to the twenty people who matter most, mail them today, and use the close-out on page 28. A short list mailed on time beats a long list mailed in January.
- You want all three seasonal guides. The Handled Holiday is $39 and includes this one.
If you want more than this
The planner, and all three together.
Everything here can be tracked on paper, but there is a ready-made planner built for exactly these four moves.
All three seasonal guides: the cards, the gifts, and the planner that runs both.
Finally Get Your Contacts in Order $29
If the real problem is that your address book has never been true, fix that once and every December afterwards is easier.
Before you buy
The questions people ask.
It is already December. Should I buy this?
Only if you want next year to be easy. Page 25 is written for exactly this, and the close-out on page 28 turns this year into next year’s starting point. If you want it purely for this week, that is a fair reason to wait.
Do I need the planner as well?
No. Everything in the book can be tracked on paper. The planner is the ready-made version, and the bundle at $39 is cheaper than buying the two separately.
How long does the whole thing take?
One evening to build the list, one evening to send the address requests, a short sitting to choose and order, and two evenings to write. Spread across ten weeks it never feels like a job.
Do I need an account to open it?
No. It downloads the moment you pay, and it is yours on your own computer. There is no account to make and no site to log back into.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Read it, try it, and if it is not what you wanted, write to us within seven days and we will refund you.
Start the slow thing first.
Four moves, in order, on a calendar that works backwards. 30 pages, one payment of $19.
Instant download · No login · Seven-day guarantee