December 2009

It’s finally here! After all the decorating, planning, shopping, gift wrapping, etc., the big day has finally arrived. Instead of offering up another project idea, the Out of Office Blog Team would like to take this time to wish you all a wonderful day filled with holiday cheer, yummy foods, and quality time spent with family and friends.

I am certainly looking forward to my family’s annual tradition of watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy all day long. We started this practice three or four years ago with the first two movies and eventually added the third. Sadly, I always have questions about the storyline and my sister finds this to be completely annoying. Fun times!

Whatever your holiday tradition may be, I hope this day brings you peace, love and joy.

I come from an extremely close family. So when my grandfather passed away in 1999, we all felt the loss. As Christmas approached, my mother decided she didn’t want everyone to focus on what had been lost as a family, but instead highlight all the good that occurred over the year. Thus the State of the Moyles Address was created. 

It started as the typical family holiday letter on a simple plain piece of paper with an opening statement about what had transpired to the Moyle family as a whole, and then included a little blurb about each family member. It was then inserted into the yearly Christmas cards she sent to friends and family all over the country. 

The positive reviews were staggering. This simple paper opened up communication between friends and family alike, and initiated “wow, I didn’t know that happened….” and “remember when...” conversations. It also added a personal touch to the standard Christmas card.  ...read more

I am a parent in the unconventional sense. My child is a feisty and fun white and dark gray (almost black) rat terrier fittingly named Oreo. And like most pet owners I know, I can’t imagine life without him. Neither can my parents…who take care of him when I’m traveling for work or just because they want their only “grandchild” to visit. So in my search for some last-minute stocking stuffer ideas, I decided to create them a small Oreo-themed 2010 calendar so they could see his smiling snout even when Oreo’s home with me! ...read more

Christmas is sneaking up on me this year, and I was just about to decide I wasn't doing cards. Between e-mail and Facebook, I keep my family and friends up to speed, so who needs printed cards, right? But let's face it: nothing beats getting real mail. And how hard is it really to mail something once a year?

Fellow procrastinators, take heart! It's not too late to order your holiday cards or photo calendars. You can place an order at fedex.com/gifts all the way up until December 20 to get free rush shipping of your items in time for Christmas. Whew!

So I snapped some pictures of my son, and I dropped them in the template and ordered my cards today. FedEx Office has a new online ordering system, and I was really happy with how easy it was. With the free rush shipping, I will have them in time to get them out before Christmas. No need to do “Happy New Year” cards because I waited too long again this year! ...read more