Another question: Okay, for those writing holiday cards -- what's a good rule of thumb for keeping/culling people from your card list?

(I will be sending them out, and no I'm not going to do it by mass email, people I know tend to change email addresses often, although they remain in one place physically. Besides, I like the personal touch an actual letter -- mail that isn't a bill! -- brings with it and I'm willing to spring for postage once a year.)

Keep an eye on Hallmark stores. Many have been running buy one get one free deals on gift wrap. The also have extra long rolls for larger sized gifts.

For holiday cards, I recommend never taking a family member off your list. Even your 80 year old Aunt two time zones away that you haven't seen in 3 years should receive a card. It's amazing how valuable it is to receive a card, especially for the elderly.

Don't get wrapping paper at the Container Store! It's sooo expensive. Target has boxes with 4 rolls of paper, ribbon and bows for $10-15 and it's such a better deal.

Try Party City or Party Depot for wrapping paper and also bows/accessories. They're normally cheaper. You can also consider checking in Dollar stores.

the BEST gift bags are at local dollar stores (Everything's a Dollar, Dollar Tree, etc). Each one costs $1, often comes with tissue paper and a card, and are often cuter than what's available for $4 or more somewhere else. I never buy wrapping paper or gift bags anywhere else!!!

Re the card question: I give everyone at least a one-Christmas grace period. Some people (those I really hope to hear from, i guess) get more than one Christmas, but almost no one gets more than two. If the friendship is over, it's over. I never drop the elderly, even if I never get a card in return, for the excellent reasons already cited. I keep a list of who I dropped each year in case I need to "reinstate" them.

American Greetings is the way to go! They offer recycled paper cards, and inexpensive cards for the discriminating shopper. In my area, I find them at Marc's and Carlton Card Shops. Their creativity says it all.

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