No matter how you choose to create and send Christmas cards, it helps to keep an ongoing list of recipients. I recommend using a basic Excel spreadsheet. On my spreadsheet, I started with simple columns:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Address
• City
• State
• Zip

Then, I created columns for each year (I started mine in 2007):

• Sent 2007
• Received 2007
• Sent 2008
• Received 2008
• etc.

When I address a Christmas card, I put an “x” in the Sent column for that year. When I receive a card, I put an “x” in the Received column in the row of the person who sent it. This helps me keep track of my Christmas list over time, so if I haven’t received a card from someone for a couple of years, I will stop sending one to them. Or, if I receive a card from someone new, I can return the favor.

Throughout the year, I maintain my list by correcting addresses as my friends and family send updates. I don’t keep a paper address book, so this is my method of keeping up with everyone’s contact info. The only time I typically send postal mail is for Christmas.

I have a contact database on my iPhone, but have found that a simple Excel spreadsheet works best for this project. When I am running short on time or my list is super long, I can mail merge the list into Word and generate mailing labels quickly and easily.

What method do you use to keep track of your Christmas list? Do you track it on paper or electronically?