It may feel like summer just ended, but the holiday season is right around the corner. Snow will fly, halls will be decked, waistbands will expand, and holiday greeting cards will start arriving in your mailbox in droves.

The key to a stress-free holiday season is preparation. Finishing your shopping, planning your meals and family events, and sending your holiday cards early in the season can all help reduce your holiday stress and leave you free to enjoy the magic of the season.

Getting your holiday cards ready to send doesn’t have to be a trying or tedious process. If you’re tight for time, holiday stationery sets are an excellent option for sending beautiful traditional or contemporary holiday cards, but if you’re ready to flex your creative muscles, try sending a homemade card! It’s never been easier to create your own holiday missives.

8 Tips for Creating Your Own Holiday Cards

When you send a homemade holiday card, you send more than greetings and good tidings. The extra energy you put into creating a beautiful homemade card adds to the depth and sentimentality of your message, and your loved ones are sure to appreciate your special effort.

Before you get crafting, here are our tips for creating your own holiday cards:

1. Send your cards as early as possible to make sure they arrive by the start of the holiday season, even if there are post office delays. Aim to send your cards in late November or early December.
2. Always include a return address. That way, your recipients will instantly know who sent them such a beautiful card, and they’ll be able to send you a thank you.
3. Make multiples of the same card. Don’t feel obligated to create a special design for each recipient! Making multiples of the same design can save you valuable time, especially if you’re sending cards to a large number of people.
4. Incorporate texture. Embroider designs, use fabric swatches or felt, or even create wreaths out of herbs. Using different materials adds texture and dimension to your cards without adding time and effort.
5. Simple can be striking. Don’t worry about creating intricate, detailed designs. Instead, focus on simple design elements and sentiments. Try using Kraft paper and embellishing it with simple holiday-themed elements. Keep reading to see our favorite homemade card designs.
6. Use your scraps! Homemade holiday cards are the perfect canvas for using up your paper scraps. Try punching circles or other shapes out of your paper scraps and creating holiday shapes like wreathes or trees using the cutouts.
7. Experiment with different colors. Pastels, metallics, and other unconventional shades make for striking holiday cards. Try this pastel green flat or folded card.
8. Keep your messages short. Not only will this save you time, but your recipients will appreciate your brevity as well. Holiday cards are not the place for a 1000 word update on your most recent family vacation.

Making Your Own Holiday Cards: Essential Supplies

The best way to cardmaking streamline the process is by starting with precut and folded greeting cards. Not only does this save you the hassle of sizing, cutting, and folding your own cards, but your cards will look more polished when you’re done.

Here are some of our best-selling blank greeting cards:

Flat Cards

Flat cards are a trendy option for your holiday greeting cards, and they’re a great choice if you’re short on time because you only have to design one surface.

Try using these flat cards:

Folded Cards

Folded cards are more traditional than flat cards, and they give cardmakers more room to get creative with their designs and written sentiments.

Here are some great folded cards:

Envelopes

When you send holiday greeting cards in the mail, the first thing your recipients will see is the envelope. There are a number of ways you can dress up your envelope, and choosing a striking color is one of the simplest.

Here are some of our favorite envelopes:

What About Paper?

If you’re searching for sheets of paper or cardstock to create your own holiday embellishments, check out our Project Pointers: Holiday Cards post! You’ll also find great suggestions on how to display your holiday cards.

Inspiring Card Designs

Designing and crafting homemade cards doesn’t need to be a ton of work! You can create simple designs using craft supplies you’ve already got lying around the house.

Here’s some inspiration to get you started:

Kraft Paper Holiday Cards

Kraft paper is rustic, but it’s polished enough to create lovely, whimsical holiday cards. Try layering it with holiday colors, patterns, and interesting shapes like this artist.

Follow this tutorial and create the look for yourself.

3D Trees

These pop-up tree cards literally take your holiday greetings to the next level.

They’re super easy to make, and all you need is paper. Here’s how.

3D Trees Take Two

These printable 3D paper trees may not travel as well as the pop-up variety, but they make a lovely thank you card for holiday party hosts and other hand-delivered cards.

Download the printables here.

Paper Poinsettias

No holiday season is complete without poinsettias! Create and send your own using nothing but paper and some basic craft supplies.

Learn how to make your own paper poinsettia cards.

Scalloped Edges

This card is perfect for using up your paper scraps. Combine patterns, colors, and textures to create a whimsical holiday card for anyone on your mailing list.

See how this artist made her cards.

Let The Holiday Countdown Begin

The holidays are coming! Preparing your holiday cards in advance is an easy way to reduce your holiday stress. Between our holiday stationery kits and our wide variety of flat and folded blank notecards, sending your holiday cards has never been easier!

Check out our full selection of holiday papers:

Holiday Stationery Kits
Flat Cards
Folded Cards
Envelopes