Christmas cards

Holiday stamps are available now at the United States Postal Service. Shop for stamps early, and you'll have your choice of seasonal designs.

Better still, buy stamps online from USPS.com. For a $1.00 service fee, stamps will be delivered to your mailbox; standing in line at the Post Office is one holiday tradition that deserves to fall by the wayside.

While you're at the USPS.com site, consider ordering free mailing supplies. Flat rate envelopes and boxes can be delivered to your door, and they're ideal for shipping Christmas baked goods and small gifts. Oh, and did we mention that they're free?

USPS.Com

Christmas card chores can feel overwhelming if done in a big gulp by a single hand. Spread the joy with a Christmas card round robin!

Draft all family members for the job, and divide cards among them. Each member starts with a different section of the list, writing a brief greeting. When finished, hand the card along the table to the next person, who adds his or her own greeting.

Christmas music and special snacks make the effort special, and sharing makes it fun. Season's greetings!

Christmas letters! They run the gamut from brag sheets to War and Peace.

Whether it's the braggin-braggin report, or the single-spaced block of solid (boring) text variety, holiday letters are the seasons greetings we love--and hate.

Want your holiday letters to stand out from the seasonal crowd?

Try these tips for sparkling holiday letters:

Seven Tips for Sparkling Christmas Letters

Smart tips can make it easier to address, write and send Christmas cards. Try these ideas to keep the cheerful in the chore:

Christmas Card Tip: Buy Stamps Early!
Holiday stamps go on sale in late October, and are often in short supply when they're needed, in December. Buy holiday stamps early for the best selection, and treat yourself to one less wait at the Post Office next December. Simpler still: order stamps online from the USPS web site at http://www.usps.com and save a trip!

Christmas Card Tip: Many Hands!
Involve the whole family when signing and addressing Christmas cards. Divide cards between spouses and older children, or do a quick round robin, with each family member adding a short line to each card. Many hands make light work--and ease the writers' cramp!!

Christmas Card Tip: Break It Down!
Break card chores down into do-able segments. Penning three or four greetings every day or so yields a livelier correspondence-and is a lot easier on the pensmanship than signing a hundred cards in a single frenzied sitting.

With computer use on the rise, few subjects stir as much Christmas controversy as using technology to simplify seasonal greetings.

Should we use a computer to address the cards? Write a Christmas letter on inkjet letterhead? What about pre-printed signatures? Is it okay to use e-mail to send holiday greetings?

Try these tips to simplify Christmas cards using computers:

Simplify Season's Greetings: Using Computers To Send Christmas Cards

Christmas cards and holiday letters are here, so take note! Their arrival means it's time to update the address book.

Check cards and envelopes for address changes; update address books for those who have moved or changed telephone numbers.

Too busy? No problem! Toss envelopes into a file folder; when life slows down in January, it'll be easy to check return addresses against address book entries and update as needed.

Ready to write, print and send holiday letters this year?

Get quick tips for holiday letters--plus free holiday letter templates--from the folks at HP.com:

10 Tips for Holiday Newsletters

News release from the USPS: In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service will warm up for the holidays by issuing Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic winter-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl. These beautiful stamps consist of a dignified stag, a snow-dappled evergreen tree, a perky snowman sporting a top hat, and a whimsical teddy bear.

In recent years, knitting has become quite popular again, both in the United States and internationally.

Inspired by traditional Norwegian sweaters and knitted Christmas stockings, Stahl decided on "something cozy" for this year's holiday stamp issuance. She used a computer software program to draw her original designs and convert them to stitches and rows. Then she downloaded the information to an electronic knitting machine and used it to knit her creations.