Photo by birdyboo

This week, I’m collating our Christmas card mailing address.  This isn’t too complicated for me, since I already keep an extensive database of friends and family with FileMaker Pro.

But even if you don’t have this, it still shouldn’t take you too long.  Set aside a few hours this week, and gather your mailing addresses.  Even if you’re planning on a simple newsletter sent via email, make sure you have correct emails.  You don’t want to spend hours nagging your friends (and your friends of friends) when you could be snuggling on the couch with hot chocolate and Elf.

If you don’t have a comprehensive address list, here are a few places to start:

• your wedding mailing list
• university and/or sorority alumni databases
• church directories
• your kids’ school directories
• Facebook

And here’s the key – keep these addresses for next year.  You can invest in some database software, or you can simply keep them in Excel and print them for your Home Management Notebook.  There are also a few online secure address books, such as Zexer, Flexadex, and Plaxo (why do they all have the letter x?).

Either way, take care of your mailing address now, so that the holidays are just a smidge more relaxing.

How do you store your important addresses?

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