How to keep a Christmas card list that lasts for years

The short answer: A Christmas card list is a simple table of names and addresses with columns for sent, received and notes. Kept well, it saves hours every December and stops you from forgetting the aunt who always sends one.

Below is what to track, how to collect addresses, a two-week sending plan and ways to keep the cost of cards and stamps down.

What to track on your list

Use one row per household. A few extra columns make the list useful year after year.

The notes column is the one people skip and later wish they had. Writing "new baby: Ava, born March" means next year's card can mention her by name.

If you moved this year, update your own address before the cards go out. USA.gov notes that you can change your address online with the Postal Service and that you don't need to pay a separate company to do it.

Christmas card list template (copy and fill in)

To estimate postage, count the households on your list and multiply by the current stamp price at the Postal Service, then add a few spare stamps for corrections. Need words for the inside of the card? See our Christmas card messages.

Collect addresses in November

Keep the addresses you gather in a printable address book, so next year's list is ready in minutes.

1. Send one group message. Ask family and friends to reply with their current address.
2. Check last year's received cards. Return addresses show who moved.
3. Update the list once. Correct everything in one sitting, not envelope by envelope.
4. Keep the list in one place. A printed sheet in a binder or a single spreadsheet, not three apps.

Check the post office's deadlines before you set your mailing date. USPS publishes its holiday shipping dates each year.

A two-week sending plan

Break the job into short sessions so it doesn't take over a weekend.

• Week 1, day 1: order photo cards or buy boxed cards.
• Week 1, days 3 to 5: address envelopes, 15 minutes a night.
• Week 2, day 1: write short notes on cards to close family.
• Week 2, day 3: add stamps and mail them in one trip.

Check the carrier's holiday mailing dates for international and military addresses, since those need more time. If you are enclosing a family update with your cards, use a Christmas letter template to organize the message before mailing.

Supplies that make it easier

• Christmas address labels: saves writing your address 50 times.
• Self adhesive envelopes A7: no licking, and they fit most 5x7 cards.
• Gold gel pens: makes handwritten envelopes look festive.
• Holiday card display holder: shows off the cards you receive.

How to cut the cost

Cards and postage add up fast for a long list. Trim to people you're in touch with, and send digital cards to distant contacts. Order photo cards during an early sale. Buy stamps in one trip so you're not paying for gas twice. If you send more than 50, consider a simple printed letter tucked into cheaper boxed cards.

Keep the list with your holiday plan

Our Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99) includes a card list page alongside the gift list, holiday menu and to-do list, so the whole season lives in one place. For year-round addresses, birthdays and family info, the Household Binder ($6.99) has birthdays and contacts pages. Planning the whole season? The Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99) adds savings and hosting planners.

Writing the cards

Short is fine. A line about the family's year and one specific note to the recipient is enough. For close family, mention something from their year: a new job, a move or a graduation. Sign with each family member's name, and let young kids add their own signature. For more on this topic, see our holiday planning guides.

If someone has had a hard year

Your notes column helps here too. If a friend lost a parent or went through a divorce, a warm, simple card is kinder than a cheerful family newsletter. Write a personal line such as "Thinking of you this Christmas." Update the household name if a family has changed, so you don't address a card to someone who has passed away or moved out.

Saving the cards you receive

Many families keep the cards they receive. Punch a hole in the corner and keep them on a ring, or tape photo cards into a small album with the year on the front. It becomes a lovely record of friends' families growing up. It also gives you next year's return addresses in one place.

Should you still send paper cards?

Sending fewer cards is fine. Plenty of families now send paper cards to older relatives and close friends, and a digital card or photo message to everyone else. A shorter list of cards you write properly often means more than a long list of signed-only ones. Decide your number before you order, since photo cards are priced per card.

More holiday planning: Christmas planning checklist, Christmas list template, Christmas card messages, 12 days of Christmas gift ideas and Christmas baking list.

For what to write, how to sign and when to send Christmas cards, see our holiday card etiquette guide.