Save money.  Buy Christmas cards in January! 

At this point there are 133 contacts listed on my Christmas list.  To save money on the list I usually buy Christmas cards and supplies in January.  Stores like Walgreens, Barnes & Noble and CVS mark down their Christmas supplies 50-75%, so you can get dozens of cards for only $2-3 per pack.  Pretty good savings, since the exact same supplies are $12-15 in December.

I pride myself on sending out Christmas cards every year.  Since I have trouble remembering dates of any kind (birthdays, anniveraries, etc) it’s one of the few dates that I know I can prepare for.  It’s also a great chance to confirm people’s mailing addresses, and keep in touch with people that I haven’t contacted in a year.

I try to select cards with a religious theme (I’m Catholic), maybe with a nativity or an angel on the cover.  Cards with any kind of rhyme scheme are out, since they seem so corny.  I get a few “Peace on Earth” cards for my non-Catholic friends, and a few sets of stickers to decorate the envelopes.  I wait out the year, and in December I start writing and mailing the cards.

I learned this trick from my Mom, who’s expert at taking advantage of discounts and getting around store markups.  I’ve already bought next year’s cards, so I should be all set for 2007.