How to address holiday cards

Holiday cards are one of the few times a year most of us address a stack of envelopes at once. There are only a few rules worth knowing, and most of them come down to two questions: how does this person like to be addressed, and can a sorting machine read it?

The name line

The name line is the most personal part of the envelope, so it's worth a moment's thought.

One person. Use the name they go by: "Jordan Ellis". Add a title if it's someone you'd address formally, or someone who uses one professionally: "Dr. Lisa Moreno".

A married couple with the same last name. "Sam and Elena Brooks" is warm and current. The older formal style, "Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Brooks", is still correct for a formal card, but many people now prefer to see both first names.

A couple with different last names. Write both full names, joined with "and": "Lisa Moreno and Dan Kessler". If the names are long, they can go on two lines.

A whole family. "The Hendersons" covers everyone in the house. Make the last name plural by adding "s", or "es" when it ends in s, x, z, ch or sh: the Brookses, the Joneses, the Lynches. Never use an apostrophe for a plural. "The Henderson's" means something that belongs to one Henderson.

If you'd rather name everyone, put the parents first and the children after: "Sam, Elena, Maya and Leo Brooks".

Family and close friends. On a card going inside the family, "Aunt Carol" or "Grandma and Grandpa" is perfectly fine. The mail carrier only needs the address to be right.

When you're unsure, think about how the person signs their own cards. That's usually how they'd like to be addressed.

The address lines

The Postal Service reads addresses by machine, and machines like a predictable shape. Put the address in the middle of the envelope, slightly right and below center, in this order:

1. The name line
2. The street address, with the apartment or unit at the end: "2201 Oak Hollow Dr Apt 12"
3. The city, the two-letter state abbreviation and the ZIP code: "Raleigh, NC 27606"

A few details make a real difference:

• Don't leave out the apartment or unit number. It's the most common reason a card comes back. If you don't know it, ask before you mail.
• Use the two-letter state code (SC, not S. Carolina).
• Include the ZIP code. The extra four digits (27606-1904) help but aren't required.
• Keep the bottom of the envelope clear. The Postal Service prints a barcode along the bottom edge, so don't put stickers or decorations there.

You don't need to use capital letters or leave out punctuation. Those are the Postal Service's preferences for business mail, and ordinary mixed case is read without trouble.

Your return address

Put your own address in the top-left corner of the front, or on the back flap if you'd like a cleaner front. If a card can't be delivered, it can find its way back to you, and you'll know to update that address for next year.

Handwriting or labels?

Handwritten envelopes feel personal, and for a dozen cards they're lovely. For fifty or a hundred, printed labels or envelopes save an evening and are easier to read. Many people split the difference: a printed address and a handwritten note inside.

If you print, a clear serif or a simple sans-serif at a comfortable size is easier to read than a script font. Script fonts can look elegant, but they're harder for sorting machines and for anyone with tired eyes.

Doing it with Labeltime

Paste your list into Labeltime in whatever shape it's in: a spreadsheet column, an old email, a note on your phone. It formats each address the same way and asks you about anything that's missing, like an apartment number or a ZIP code, instead of guessing.

Names print exactly as you typed them. Labeltime never rewrites a name, changes capital letters, or adds titles. So if you want "The Hendersons" on the envelope, type "The Hendersons". If your list says "Mom & Dad", you can change it on the Review screen before you print.

When you're done, you can save the cleaned list with just your email, so next year starts from this year's addresses instead of a blank page.

Mail early

Holiday mail is slower in December. The Postal Service publishes recommended mailing dates each year; checking them in late November, and mailing a little before, gives every card a good chance of arriving on time.