Mr. Postman ... Look & See ...

Everyone loves to receive things ... in the mail. 

An email ... a text message ... a tweet ... not even a phone call has the same impact as finding a simple envelope in the mail with your name on it.  It means someone was thinking about you ... a couple of days ago ... enough to stop what they were doing &; send a special little something on to you.

Of course, I am not talking about junk mail or bills.  They, too, have your name on them.  Those are different.

I am talking about personal mail.  From friends.  Or lovers.  Maybe even from imaginary friends.  There's just something about receiving things in the mail.  The sentiment is far more memorable when received in a card or letter.   And sometimes, those treasures are tucked away and savored ...over & over again ... year after year.

This week I had the opportunity to send something to a bunch of people.  Actually, it was two bunches of people.  In both cases, they were invitations.
Of sorts.

Sending bunches of mail these days might seem overwhelming. 

You know, you have to prepare what you're going to send ... which usually involves at least one trip to a store somewhere ...

And you have to make sure you have all of the addresses ... then you have to put 'em together ... and seal 'em ...and stamp 'em ... ending with a trip to the Post Office for mailing.

Just a few years ago ... it didn't seem like such a big deal.  I guess each new-fangled technology just makes us more impatient, impersonal and immediate. 

Lucky for me, I have the best of both worlds.  The old-fashion ability to create special pieces of mail ... invitations, cards, letters ... with my very own pictures ... one-at-time or in bunches for groups of folks  PLUS technology that allows me to do it online quickly & efficiently.

So on Monday, I sat down to my two invitation projects. 

First was an invitation to a baby shower for some very special friends.  They had put together a pretty good list of invitees in multiple states ... and emailed it to me.  So it was a piece of cake to take the list ... format it in excel ... and upload it into my card-sending contact list.  Took about 10 minutes, I think.

Then I made the cute invitation.  Over the weekend I had sent my friend into the online card catalog to pick out something that she liked and together we had decided exactly what we wanted to say ... it was basic invitation stuff ... where & when & the like. 

The special thing was being invited to share in this occasion ... the preparation for the arrival of a sweet little girl early in 2011.

Upload.  Design.  Click. Click. Click. Send.

That was it.  Personally addressed. Stuffed. Stamped.  In the mail.  Done.

Took 20 minutes ... tops!

Second was my annual reminder invitation to parents who send Letters From Santa to their children as part of their holiday tradition.  Each year I send them a cute little card asking for an update on the activities of each child so that ole Santa can write very personal letters to them.

This went a little quicker because the reminder card really doesn't change from year-to-year.  It's always right there in the "My Cards" folder when I am ready to mail it.  So again, a quick upload of last year's mailing list followed by a few clicks ... and hundreds of invitations were on their way.

And the only time I got up from my chair was to get another cup of coffee!

How did I do that?!?!  It's a nifty program called SendOutCards.  It's fun & creative.  Some of the individual cards I have made for friends & family have been ... well ... priceless!

Cards full of pictures from an event or gathering.  Invitations to weddings, parties &other such occasions.  Thank-yous to clients.  Intros to prospects.  And there's even a font created from my handwriting to satisfy the old-fashion notewriter in me. 

Emily Post would be so proud of me ... for finding a way to carry such a timeless, proper tradition into the frantic life of the 21st Century ...

... and pretty much everyone who knows me knows I love traditions!

Holday card sending is just a week or so away.  I am looking forward to that, too. 

I don't send out as many Christmas cards as I used to before all of the connectivity of the internet.  Still there are people & friends that I will be sharing some memories with during the season.  Each will be custom-designed ... with them specifically in mind ... very special messages ... & a few fun pictures, too. 

The value of each card will be high ... the actual cost will be somewhere around $1.50 including postage ... even if you add the price of my good coffee, it will be less than a typical off-the-rack greeting card.

It's not too late to create the coolest holiday cards ... ever ... for individuals, small groups of friends or bunches of people.  SendOutCards. Just let me know if you are interested & I will tell you how to get started .

It's really not magic ... but it sure does make someone special feel like it is ... from time-to-time.

http://www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com/
(c) November 2010

Ho, Ho, Ho!

"He sees you when you're sleeping ... he knows when you're awake ... he knows if you've been bad or good ... so be good for goodness sake!"

That popular holiday song is talking about Santa Claus, of course!

Each year ... about this time ... I start thinking about how I can help Santa out.  That's right.  It's a family secret that I "work" for the jolly ole elf.  I am one of Santa's original "letter writers".

For over 20 years, I have been penning clever little notes to children of all ages .... reminding them of the accomplishments of the past year ... and at times, reminders of the popular fads & trends as well.  Each  letter shares tidbits of the milestones or unique experieneces of the seasons just past ... as well as a promise that if good behavior prevails ... something special will be waiting under the tree!

I started the tradition when my daughters were very small.  It has been fun ... every single year ... to see the awe & wonder on their faces when the mail arrives with a REAL letter ... with a stamp and a postmark from the North Pole ... and loving words from Santa Claus.

When Abbi was in middle school, she caught on. 

In her precocious style, she confronted me with the TRUTH about "those Santa letters".  An elaborate explanation of Santa's workforce followed along with the promise to "show" her the paycheck from Santa when it arrived.  That cute little check ... so carefully crafted by a friend at the bank ... is part of collage of our Outer Banks years hanging in my kitchen. 

I have told the story of Abbi and the paycheck from Santa several times over this past weekend.  I was participating in a Holiday Sale where I was introducing new families to a unique holiday tradition --- a personal letter from Santa.

Each letter is as special as the child that receives it.  Loved ones share the stories & memories and they are woven into the fabric of the letter.  No two are alike ... just like no two children are alike.

Over the years, many families have collected the letters.  Saving them in scrapbooks or maybe in a bundle to be read and re-read each year as the children become adults.  Together, the letters become short chapters ... reminders of where your children came from as they travel down the road to where they are going!

Grown-ups like the letters, too. 

There was a loving man in North Carolina who sent a letter to Santa to his wife ... faithfully ... every year for 15 years.  They were middle-aged when he began the tradition.  They had no children of their own ... only each other.  Each year he shared little stories of their life together ... and Santa always smiled at the love that was found in their home.  Last year, I received a letter from this kind man telling me that his beautiful wife would be spending Christmas in heaven from now on.  He shared with me the story of the year just past ... of her strength and courage ... of his broken heart ... and how those letters each year had become a special expression of love between him & his beloved.

I had no idea ... that something so fun & whimsical to me ... could have such an impact in someone else's life!

Even though Abbi & Jessi are grown now ... they still look forward to their annual letters.  It's one more way that I tell them that I love them ... year-after-year ... the little girls who are now amazing young women!

If you want to add a little magic to some special child's Christmas this year ... why not send them a personal letter from Santa!  Click on the tab on this page and fill out the simple form. Or SantaWritesLetters 

It only takes a few minutes ... and it's not very expensive.

Oohs... aahs ... wonder ... smiles - priceless!

http://www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com/
(c) November, 2010