Thank goodness it only comes round once a year… the amount of time it takes to sift through our address books, we could spend the whole 12 months just writing out all our Christmas cards!
We've rounded up all the best places to stock up on Christmas cards in Hong Kong and online – whether you want to keep it simple and buy in bulk in store, or tailor-make your own with personalised options! But before you start licking those envelops, remember to check out Hong Kong Post's official guide to the latest dates of posting and ensure your festive greetings arrive on time!
We love Prints' colourful and contemporary selection of cards, and their Christmas ones are no exception. They also sell loads of coloured pens, including festive favourites gold and silver, to add that extra special touch to your season's greetings! Stock up on gift tags and wrapping paper here too.
Hallmark's speciality is cards, cards and more cards, meaning their range is certain to cater for all your festive needs. They do some lovely Japanese pop-up Christmas cards that go down a treat with friends overseas, whilst if you're a fan of Forever Friends or Disney, you'll find plenty to please! Sassy top tip: head to the store in the upper echelons of SOGO; it's far more spacious than the other Hallmarks around town and since it's so time-consuming to get up there, it's generally pretty quiet.
Papyrus is another great one stop-shop (though a little pricey) for buying Christmas cards a plenty – and they're especially good at offering cards personalised for dads, mums, siblings, grandparents and the rest of the family tree!
Marks & Sparks does a fantastic range of cards in box sets – great for buying in bulk, if you have loads to send to friends and colleagues from all over. You know you'll get great quality and good value and they always refresh their range with new and gorgeous designs every year. Stock up on large rolls of matching wrapping paper here too.
Shop for unique one-of-a-kind holiday cards and matching gift tags at Etsy – you'll find hundreds of handmade greetings made by Etsy artisans! Etsy shops have beautiful cards in a range of prices and designs, but if you don't have the time to browse, a few of our favourites include Papette Boutique, LetterPressLight, Vandalia Street Press, Sweet Bella Stationary and HK's very own Loopz!
If you want to support a good cause with your festive missives, you're spoilt for choice! If there are any specific charities you're passionate about, it's worth contacting them to see if they're selling charity Christmas cards this year, but here are a few for starters: HandsOn Hong Kong, The Society for the Relief of Disabled Children, Christina Noble's Children Foundation, Hong Kong Society for the Protection Of Children and the Community Advice Bureau.
If you want to add a really personal touch, try personalising your cards; check the individual sites for pricing, shipping and minimum order details – but generally, the bigger your order, the cheaper each card. Just remember, customised cards take longer to produce, so make sure you get your orders in early!
Fresh, creative and classic – it's no wonder we're in love with this HK-based custom stationery company! The design really is all down to you, so email [email protected] or call them to arrange an appointment. You can also buy some of their most popular designs ready-made here.
We absolutely adore Minted.com's range of classy, cool and beautiful holiday cards. You can personalise cards through the text, the colour or even by adding a photo.
Tiny Prints offers a colourful contemporary selection of Christmas cards, with a small minimum order quantity (so no huge stockpile left for next year!) and great photo personalisation options. If you're feeling especially creative, try their fab DIY Christmas card section, where you create your own custom card totally from scratch!
We're loving Cupcake Designs' new creations this year, which all have a unique Hong Kong twist, like reindeers racing over our unmistakable skyline. You can either buy pre-made packs of ten or go for personalised options (either customising the text or adding photos) – they even sell matching wrapping paper too!
This British-based company has a cheeky sense of humour; we love their spoof magazine cards, which you can personalise with photos and (hopefully!) witty captions! They also do classic cards, cute ones for kids, simple photo-based ones and discount multi-packs too. However, the best bit is that they deliver the cards for you – so if you're sending to the UK, US or Australia, rather than paying international postage and worrying about dates, you can pay local shipping charges (generally peanuts) and know your mail will get there super quickly.