Festive foliage botanical Christmas card held up in front of a Christmas tree with gold lights and cream baubles

5 Reasons Why Buying Your Christmas Cards Early Is A Really Good Idea

You always have the best intentions of being organised at Christmas, with Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree well in advance, the fridge full of festive food ready for the big day, and Christmas cards written and sent early in December, so when the Christmas holidays come around, you can sit down with a glass of something lovely, surrounded by your nearest and dearest, and enjoy the festivities.

But life happens! You are busy juggling a million other things, and sometimes these jobs don’t happen as early as planned, and it all ends up feeling like a mad rush (again). As a small business owner, running my own small greeting card business, Jess A Little Creative, I completely understand, it's a lot! But one job that you can do now, which will help ease stress further down the line, is buy your Christmas cards. Some of you may still be in denial that we are now in the full throes of Autumn, let alone planning for Christmas. But buying your Christmas cards early is a really good idea (especially in 2024!), and here are 5 reasons why…

If you don't need any more convincing, check out my range of unique Christmas cards now and get organised in plenty of time. 

Illustrated Robin Christmas card sat on a shelf with pine cones, a mini Christmas tree and Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper in the background
Illustrated Robin Christmas card

1. It avoids your Christmas cards getting caught up in the postal delays and strikes

There are postal delays every Christmas, I was still receiving Christmas cards in January last year! It’s inevitable when so many more cards, letters and parcels are moving through the postal system than normal. So getting organised and easing the pressure on our fabulous posties will always help things run more smoothly. The earlier you can buy your Christmas cards, and the earlier you can get them in the post, the better chance they have of arriving on your loved ones doorsteps in plenty of time! For the most up-to-date information about the postal strikes, and any delays, head to the Royal Mail website.

Snow Christmas card sat on a table with a recycled kraft brown envelope and a ball of twine and mini Christmas tree in the background
Snow Christmas card

2. It helps to spread the cost of Christmas

Another reason I share every year, but is even more important this year, is that by buying your Christmas cards early, you can help spread the cost of Christmas. Christmas cards may not be your biggest expense of the festive season, but they are another expense to take into account. And given the current cost of living crisis, rising postage prices, and ever-increasing energy bills, budgeting out your festive purchases and breaking them up throughout the coming months is going to be crucial. By buying your Christmas cards now, that expense is sorted and taken care of.

Hand holding Black and Gold 2025 New Year card Modern unique New Year card design Printed on FSC certified card Supplied with kraft brown recycled envelope
2025 New Year card

3. It ensures you can get the Christmas card designs you want

This is especially important when buying from small and independent businesses, though I’ve also seen big retailers run out of stock closer to Christmas. If you have seen some beautiful Christmas cards from a small or independent business that you would love to buy, and send to your loved ones this year, it’s a good idea to buy them early. By their nature, small businesses don’t tend to carry the same levels of stock as the bigger retailers. By buying early, you get to choose from their entire Christmas card range. There is nothing worse than finding Christmas cards you love, and realising they’re out of stock when you come to buy them. Settling for alternative designs, which aren’t quite what you had in mind, is always disappointing.

Check out my range of unique Christmas cards, with over 20 highly unique designs to choose from to delight your loved ones this year.

Red Ho Ho Ho Christmas card, led on a table with a recycled kraft brown envelope, a ball of red twine, and Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper in the background

Ho Ho Ho Christmas card

4. It reduces your pre-Christmas stress levels

With so many lovely festive activities happening, and friends and family gathering to catch up and spend time together, Christmas really does hold the potential to be the most wonderful time of the year. But often, it’s not. It can be stressful! Pressure and expectation of having the ‘perfect Christmas’ (there is no such thing, by the way), and a never-ending list of things to do before the big day can lead to stress and hysteria! So help yourself reduce those stress levels, by doing some jobs early. Ok, you can’t prepare your turkey in October and still expect it to be edible come Christmas Day, but you can buy your Christmas cards, and even write them. Your friends and family will appreciate a well-thought out message much more than a quick last minute scrawl across a card. And by doing this early, it can help with the fifth reason…

Botanical Christmas card featuring illustrations of festive foliage, held in a hand with a recycled kraft brown envelope, with a Christmas tree in the background
Botanical Christmas card

5. It helps you get in the festive spirit and feel some Christmas joy

Life has felt pretty hard over the last few years. There has been, and still is, a lot going on, affecting an awful lot of people. So a chance to cheer yourself up, and feel a bit festive, will be a welcome break from the stresses of daily life. Christmas cards are a great way to dip your toes into the festivities. Taking a look at some beautiful and unique Christmas card designs will remind you of all the wonderful things you love about this time of year and get you ready to fully embrace the festive season. Is that Michael Buble I can hear playing softly in the background…?

Mistletoe romantic Christmas card, sat on a shelf with a Christmas tree and Christmas gifts wrapped in brown paper in the background
Mistletoe Christmas card

So there you have it, plenty of reasons why buying your Christmas cards early is a really good idea. It means you can avoid the postal delays and strikes, you can help spread the cost of Christmas, you can ensure you get the Christmas card designs you want, you can reduce your pre-Christmas stress levels, and you can get in the festive spirit along the way! Do you need any more convincing?

As previously mentioned, I have a wide range of unique Christmas cards, all drawn and designed by me from my home studio in Cheltenham. I have over 20 highly unique Christmas and New Year designs to choose from, and they’re available now. Go and take a look! 

It will mean this year you ARE that person sitting down with a glass of something lovely, enjoying the festivities, rather than running around at the last minute like a headless chicken…

Happy Christmas card shopping lovelies! Jess x

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