Here’s How (And Why) To Prioritize Your Self-Care During The Holidays

If you’re struggling with how to prioritize your self-care during the holidays, this blog post is for you, sis!

Even before I started having children, one of my favorite things about the holidays was the hustle and bustle. Running holiday errands, attending fun themed events, planning get-togethers with loved ones, I love it ALL.

After we started having kids, I started to focus more and more on creating “holiday magic” for them so they could enjoy the season as well. Which, as you know, usually requires a lot of labor on Mom’s part.

Don’t get me wrong, I will continue to do this going forward! But this holiday, I’m also reminding myself to make time for self-care.

So, how do Christmas greeting cards play into all of that? Let’s chat about it!

Before we get into it, I want to extend a quick thanks to Basic Invite for sponsoring this post. Basic Invite is a family owned, Utah based company with over 15 years of experience in beautiful, unique greeting cards and stationary for every occasion.

Christmas greeting cards? Designing party invitations for this year’s holiday party? Creating invites for your sister’s baby shower in a few months?

Basic Invite is your go-to for elevated stationery including invites, announcements, greeting cards, save-the-dates, and more.

Right now, they’re offering 15% off your order when you use code 15ff51!

DISCLOSURE: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links from which I earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, when you make a purchase. Read more about it HERE.

What Do Greeting Cards Have To Do With Prioritizing Self-Care?

As moms, making time for activities that don’t directly involve the babies can sometimes feel a bit self-indulgent. For a lot of us, crafting a beautiful holiday card to send to our nearest and dearest can feel like something that’s not important, even if we truly enjoy doing it.

But doing your own thing is an incredibly important form of self-care, especially during the holidays. Plus, though it’s very easy to get caught up in the “busy”ness of the season, Christmas greeting cards are a beautiful reminder to slow down and appreciate the ones that make this holiday special: your friends and family!

Need a few more reasons to make time for holiday greeting cards this year?

1. Inexpensive, easy way to let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them

2. Instant mood booster: creating something beautiful to brighten the day of someone you care about

3. Give your loved ones a tangible keepsake to hold on to throughout the season

4. Great way to update friends and family who you don’t interact with often throughout the year (remember, not everyone is on FB or Insta like that!)

5. The perfect outlet for those holiday ideas bouncing around in your head. Put all that creativity to good use!

6. Planning an elevated holiday party this year? A gorgeous, unique Christmas invitation will help set the mood way better than an FB invite or phone call!

By the way, if you’re feeling stressed about this time of year, I can definitely relate. But don’t get stuck in that state of mind! These 8 simple tips will help you to de-stress and overcome overwhelm during the holiday season and throughout the year.

Committed to prioritizing your self-care during the holidays and beyond? Sign up for my weekly newsletter for more self-care content like this!

What Do I Put In A Christmas Greeting Card?

Well, this depends on what you’re sending. Christmas party invitations will, of course, include the theme (Dirty Santa, Ugly Sweater, etc.) and pertinent info like date, time, and location.

If you’re thinking of doing regular greeting cards, you have a few options. Some families like to use Christmas greeting cards as an opportunity to update their relatives on what they’ve been up to throughout the year. Keep it short and simple though. Remember: it’s a greeting card, not a full-on newsletter!

You can also share a few cute photos of you, your partner, your babies, even the family pets. And don’t forget to add a line or two of season’s greetings and well wishes for the person receiving the card!

When it comes to the actual design of your greeting cards, you’ll be happy to know that Basic Invite makes this part SUPER EASY!

One of the really cool things that sets them apart from most other online stationery companies is their extensive color selection with over 180 gorgeous shades to choose from. Once you select your design, you can actually change the color of each element of your card and get an idea of what the physical card will look like with an instant online preview.

If you’re looking for something really special, Basic Invite specializes in beautiful foil cards in either flat or raised foil. Choose from gold, silver, or rose gold for an elegant, upscale touch for your invite or greeting card.

There are also over 40 different color options for their easy-to-use peel and seal envelopes. Let your creative side go wild and mix and match with your actual greeting card or party invitation.

When Should I Send Out My Greeting Cards?

This comes down to personal preference, but I would say you’re good to go any time after Halloween! DO keep in mind processing timeframe from the time you design your cards to when you receive and approve your sample. YES, Basic Invite will send you a printed sample of your actual invitation before you place your final order.

Once you’re happy with your product, you’ll want to take into account processing time and mailing dates as well. In short, start on those greeting cards ASAP!

Too Busy For Self-Care During The Holidays?

As a mom of five (6 if you count the dog!) I get it. We are wrapping up the older girls’ Fall semester, keeping the boys entertained, and preparing for a big move next Spring. All while making time for a little holiday magic for the littles.

That doesn’t always leave a lot of time for much else, but it’s worth the effort, trust me! If sending beautifully designed greeting cards sounds like your happy place, lean into that! It’s important to make time for the things YOU ENJOY. Ya’ll know my favorite saying on this blog: take care of YOU first, so you can take care of your loved ones.

Here are a few quick ways make time for yourself:

1. Take advantage of nap times

2. Don’t be afraid to have your partner take over one or two holiday events with the babies, so you can enjoy a few hours of quiet time (make sure they take plenty of pics!)

3. Ask a trusted friend, relative, or even hire a sitter to entertain the kiddos for a few hours

4. If you have older kids, find a few activities that will keep them entertained for an hour or two to give you a bit of peace (mine love painting, watching Blippi, or water play when the weather allows for it)

5. Take advantage of early mornings before the kids are up or late nights after they go to bed (full disclosure, this works best if your babies are sleeping through the night!)

Plus, Basic Invite is here to help things go smoothly and quickly, leaving you with more time to spend with your babies (or by yourself with a good podcast; I won’t judge!).

One of the tools they offer to speed the process is their innovative Address Capturing Service. They’ll provide a link for you to share on social or via email to request your friends and family’s physical addresses.

Those addresses are then automatically stored in your customer account where you can select them during the design process to receive their greeting card. Basic Invite even offers recipient address printing at no extra cost.

Best Christmas Photo Cards & Party Invitations

Need a few ideas to get you started? Basic Invite has A TON of beautiful options, but these are a few of my favorite Christmas photo cards and Christmas invitations.

1. Paper Confetti Holiday Card: Bright, cheerful, almost whimsical

2. Oval Frame Christmas Card: Gorgeous, warm-toned florals; this one kind of gives me boho vibes

3. Wheat & Cherry Christmas Invitation: Minimalist and chic with just a hint of soft color

4. Little Pine Christmas Invitation: A pop of bright, seasonal red that’s perfect for an exciting affair

5. Mod Shapes Christmas Card: A fresh modern, photo collage to show off those beautiful family pics

Permission To Prioritize Your Self-Care During The Holidays

Around this time of year, I see a lot of focus on creating a beautiful experience for the children, especially in the “mommy blog” space.

You certainly don’t need permission, but in case you still need a little push: consider this post a reminder that it’s okay to give some of that focus to the things that matter to you. Of course, we want the babies to enjoy themselves, but your own self-care during the holidays is important well!

Don’t talk yourself out of doing something that you find enjoyable for whatever reason. Throw the holiday party, send the beautiful Christmas card, and dress the dog up in her own Christmas PJs (okay, that last one’s for me, but you get the idea!).

Bottom line: you’ll enjoy the holiday season a lot more if you prioritize your own needs and self-care!

Ps. If you enjoyed this post, can you do me a favor? Hit that share button at the top (or just copy and paste the link) and share with a friend who could use the reminder to take care of themselves this holiday! Thanks so much!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!