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I’m so sorry for the delay, everyone.  We travelled to Utah for the holiday and I neglected to take my article materials with me.  Now that we’re back home, I can finally finish the blog series I began in my last post.  I’ll try to post parts 2 and 3 for you today.

Go Digital

This is a tough one for a lot of us.  We associate the holidays with a certain nostalgia and instinctively bristle at the idea of using a computer in our preparations.  However, much the way buying frozen rolls at the grocery store allows more time for perfecting the turkey, using the computer to simplify trivial tasks can free time for what’s really important.

Tackle Your To Do’s: Decorate the house.  Purchase gifts.  Send cards.  Make travel plans.  To keep track of the little details without scribbling lists all over the house, take advantage of the ultimate free website for list lovers: gubb.net (I now like evernote.com because it has an accompanying iPhone app).  As user-friendly as it is functional, this site allows you to create, update and share dozens of customized, printable lists.  With Gubb.net you can check lists on the go via e-mail or text messaging.

E-mail Holiday Cards: If during the family meeting you chose “create handmade holiday cards” as your favorite tradition, then by all means whip out your cardstock and enjoy. However, if your goal is to simply keep in touch and send a greeting, try an email version.  Free programs such as Windows Movie Maker (pre-installed on most PCs or available for free download here) offer easy tools for creating a video or photo slideshow that can be emailed or burned onto a disc.  If you prefer the traditional postal method, use your computer to manage your mailing list.  Save data entry time by sending a mass email (or facebook request) to your friends and family requesting their addresses.  As the responses come in, use your copy and paste tools to add the addresses to your list.

Use Online Postage and Pickup: Few things are more frustrating than waiting in line at the post office.  At the website usps.com you can order free mailing supplies to be delivered right to your door, print postage on your home printer and schedule a free pickup.

This post is an excerpt from an article published by Organize Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007, Volume 03, pg 68-73, written by Maria Eckersley, photos by Poul Ober, styling by Kendra Smoot.