Deciding when to order Christmas cards starts with figuring out by what date you want the card in someone's mailbox. Personalized cards take longer to reach someone's door than a box of pre-printed ones. A photo must be uploaded, proofed, and printed before it ever ships. Waiting until after Thanksgiving to start is how people end up scrambling in the second week of December.
When to Order Christmas Cards for the Best Results
Late October to early November is the sweet spot for ordering personalized cards this time of year. You'll find a few Christmas cards ready to personalize the moment you're ready to order. This window leaves room for a photo reshoot if the first one doesn't work. It also allows time for proof review and normal shipping, all without pushing into the rushed part of December. Deciding when to order Christmas cards this early might feel too soon in September, but it rarely feels that way once December arrives and the mailing deadline is close.
After you decide to order, all that's left is picking the photo and the wording. Nearly 52 percent of shoppers already begin their holiday shopping in October or earlier, based on a Prosper Insights & Analytics survey done with the National Retail Federation. Picking a photo ahead of time, even one from earlier in the year, reduces some of the extra stress that comes with that time of year.
Why Personalized Cards Need a Longer Lead Time
A pre-made card can ship the same day it's ordered. A personalized one usually can't. Someone has to check the uploaded photo, confirm the layout looks right, and send it to print before it ships. Add a few days for that step on top of standard shipping, and a card ordered the first week of December can easily miss a mid-December mailing goal.
Placing a second order because of a typo or a blurry photo adds another round of that same wait. That's why a little extra buffer at the start pays off later.
When to Send Christmas Cards So They Arrive on Time
Mailing during the first two weeks of December gives a card time to arrive well before Christmas. It also avoids the busiest mailing days of the year. Cards that go out any later still have a shot, but the odds get worse the closer the date creeps toward the holiday itself.
The USPS Mailing Window You Shouldn't Miss
Mailing deadlines don't move much from year to year, even if the date changes by a day or two. USPS has long said to send First-Class Mail by mid-December for delivery before Christmas. That category covers greeting cards. December 15 has long marked the start of the busiest mailing week of the year. Treating that mid-December date as a hard cutoff, rather than a suggestion, keeps a card from getting stuck behind a much larger volume of packages and letters.
How Early Is Too Early to Order Christmas Cards
There isn't much of a downside to ordering in October. Cards don't expire, and an early order just means less to think about later. The only real tradeoff is picking a photo before some events, like a fall family trip or a school photo day, have happened yet. For most homes, that tradeoff is small next to the stress of ordering during the first week of December, when production queues are longest and shipping carriers are busiest.
A family that waits until Thanksgiving weekend to even start looking at cards is already cutting the buffer close. Three or four weeks go by fast once proofing and shipping get added on top.
Ordering in October vs Waiting Until Thanksgiving
An October order usually means working with whatever photo already exists. Waiting until Thanksgiving, by contrast, gives you the option to use photos taken in the weeks before. The same logic applies to birthday cards ordered ahead of a busy month. Planning around what you already have on hand almost always beats a rushed photo session right before the deadline.
A Week-by-Week Timeline for Personalized Christmas Cards
Late October through early November covers the order itself, including the photo and the proof. Printing and shipping typically take the following one to two weeks. Addressing, signing, and mailing everything out happens during the first two weeks of December. Once the cards are out, the next task on the list is usually writing thank you notes for whatever gifts show up in return. That follow-up step usually has its own timeline too, stretching into January for plenty of households.
When to Order Christmas Cards If You Have a Long List
A list of fifty or more addresses needs more lead time than a list of ten. Addressing and signing that many cards takes a lot of time on its own. That's especially true if more than one person in the home is helping. Ordering by late October instead of mid-November gives a long list enough room for that extra step, without cutting into the mailing window. Working out when to order Christmas cards becomes even more important once the list grows past a couple dozen people.
Common Questions About When to Order Christmas Cards
How early should personalized Christmas cards be ordered?
Late October to early November works well for most orders. If that window has already passed, rush production and faster shipping can still make up some of the lost time, usually for an added fee. Waiting until after Thanksgiving is still workable, but it removes most of the buffer if anything runs behind schedule.
How long does it take to receive personalized Christmas cards after ordering?
Production and shipping combined usually take one to two weeks. The total time depends on the order size and the time of year. A tracking or order confirmation email usually shows an estimated arrival date once the order ships, handy for checking against a date already on the calendar.
Is it better to buy boxed Christmas cards or ones personalized for each person on the list?
It depends on the length of the list and how much personal detail matters for each person. It may make sense to further understand the difference between boxed cards and individual pop-up cards to figure out which format fits a shorter list versus a large one. Either way, ordering earlier leaves more room to decide once samples are in hand.
Getting Your Christmas Cards Out On Time
When to order Christmas cards, when to send them, and how much lead time a long list needs are all questions that are formulated from the same idea. What is the best day to start? Late October or early November will cover any accidents that may happen along the way. Addressing and mailing happen during the first two weeks of December. Everything in between is just proofing, printing, and normal shipping time.
Sources
USPS - USPS Holiday News.
National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, as reported by Medill Spiegel Research Center - Strategic Shopping: Why Americans Start Early but Spend Less.