May the calendar keep bringing
Happy holidays to you

Come to Holiday Inn
If you’re burdened down with trouble
If your nerves are wearing thin
Park your load down the road
And come to Holiday Inn

— Bing Crosby: “Happy Holidays”

As the holiday season approaches, so does the often cheerless task—ironically—of producing and mailing the firm’s holiday card. If you’ve received this assignment, you could be forgiven for taking an axe to Bing Crosby’s perennial noel… but a closer look at the lyrics above suggests that Bing may have shared your pain. (By the way, these are the real lyrics; we looked them up.) We know these thoughts are too late for this year, but seasoned veterans know that it’s never too early to start planning for the next.

For years, we’ve heard horror stories surrounding the production of what is supposed to be the year’s warmest sentiment. So we thought we would share some of what we’ve learned, advice that might turn this annual chore into the celebration of gratitude and affection from your organization to your friends and clients as it was originally intended. Then you, too, may be singing:

If the traffic noise affects you
Like a squeaky violin
Kick your cares down the stairs
And come to [insert your organization here]

What works in holiday promotions?

Every year, we collect all the cards and gifts that come into our office and spend a firmwide lunch discussing them. We vote on the best and shamelessly belittle the worst. We are merciless even though we know very well that the worst card we get has best wishes for us in mind. Are we particularly cruel? The jury’s out on that one, but here’s what we know: the impression your card or gift makes is the difference between a wasted effort and a memorable one.

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