Give thanks for Christmas

I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. Because of email and social media, I'm receiving fewer, so I'll appreciate yours more.  My address is 6 Balfour Avenue Toronto ON M4C 1T5, just in case you forgot.

I hang them on a red ribbon strewn across a living room wall, so they become part of my holiday décor. I'll think of you every time I look at yours.

I  won't pay as much attention if you email me a Christmas card, even less if it's a Merry Christmas update on Facebook or Twitter. The less effort you expend on your holiday cheer to me personally, the less time I'll spend thinking of you.

I'm no Scrooge. That's just human nature, which you need to consider before you decide how to send your holiday wishes.

Make it personal

If you really want to make an impression, add a personal note to the cards to the many people you've been meaning to thank.  Let me credit this idea to Dave Howlett.

When I heard him speak a few years ago, he insisted that everyone should send thank you cards every week. Inspired, I bought cards and sent them out for a while.

Life got busy and my enthusiasm flagged. Now I'm down to sending Christmas cards to the folks I should have been thanking throughout the year

Business greetings

Over the years, I've also written tons of holiday messages from executives to their employees, customers and other important people. Maybe this experience can help you with the group holiday greetings you may be planning.

These messages still have to be personal, but without the individual touch. So you have to write about emotions and experiences you likely share with the people on your list. This can be uncomfortable if these relationships are based on analysing market share or other  unemotional interests.

But it's an ideal opportunity to reveal more fully your human side. So talk about personal reactions to experiences they can relate to , for example,  your dog's fascination with ithe first flakes of snow, tracking down that sold-out toy your son is expectig from Santa or sinking your teeth into that luscious shortbread.

Thank you

My point is: be grateful, personal, emotional, visual, sensual and authentic. People will not feel any closer if they think  your assistant simply merged a mailing list and a mass holiday greetings template.

Many of you are probably wondering why I'm writing about cards when Christmas is more than a month away. It's because every year I  wish I had started my cards earlier. I'll bet you do too.

After all, people are more likely to notice the cards that arrive before the pre-Christmas rush.  And I'll be pleased to have more time in December for all the shopping, decorating, partying and visiting that make the holiday season so special.

Me, the Queen and other good company in the Globe

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