Each year I send out Christmas and Holiday cards to friends, family and business contacts. Some are surprised a tech guy or a guy in general sends snail mail (hate that phrase) cards. Yes it can be quite laborious, but I still think it’s worth my time investment.

Personally, I still enjoy going to the mailbox and retrieving mail that was personally written for me (i.e.- not a credit card mailer from Wilmington, DE). It’s become somewhat rare for our culture, but I find it enjoyable, thoughtful and hope others feel the same.

As I went through my card writing process (yes, I have a spreadsheet for it), I noticed I spent more time than usual. This year was particularly hard for me to find addresses and mainly for my ever growing group of tech friends/contacts. People readily share their business email, some their personal email, but few share their home address. And unlike sending out wedding invitations, I don’t wish to request an address to send a holiday card.

If you haven’t noticed those bloody mobile phones aren’t just for the kids. People aren’t using POTS (plain old telephone service… yes this acronym is real) lines. Only use your mobile… then others likely can’t get your address. Unfortunately, those folks were cut from my list. All this has left me to consider other greeting options…

• Email - A few friends sent me a holiday e-card or email (nothing wrong with that)
• Text Messaging - Other friends sent text messages for the holidays.
• Social Networking posts - I received internal messages through Facebook, MySpace, etc wishing me good cheer. Maybe that’s a good way to quickly reach the masses?

These sound good, but I am still clinging to my old ways and want to find a way to send physical cards. How did you spread holiday cheer? Any tips on sending good wishes offline or on?

Flickr photo credit: Churl

Share This