Holiday Hints

As a mom with two young children, I look forward to decorating for each holiday season, but a tight budget and limited free time calls for creative measures. This Thanksgiving I wanted to take an old mirror and dress it up for the holiday in a way that would create a personal touch for our home decor while also helping to teach my children the importance of the holiday. 

If I haven’t told you before, fall is one of my favorite times of year. I like the weather, the pumpkin-flavored baked treats and – let’s face it – the Halloween candy! I always try to put out festive pumpkins, mums and scarecrows on my front porch, but this year I’ve added some new décor to the ensemble – a lawn sign to welcome the trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. ...read more

Quick – without looking at a calendar do you know when Mother’s Day is? If you’re like more than half of Americans polled in a recent survey from FedEx and FedEx Office, the answer is NO! That’s likely because Mother’s Day is incredibly early this year – falling on the earliest possible date for the holiday, May 8. So will you be ready?

The majority of Americans polled in our April survey said they planned to give a personalized Mother’s Day gift this year, customizing their present in some way to mirror her tastes and styles. We here at Out of Office are glad to hear it, because we’re all about getting creative in thoughtful or unexpected ways. 

For those readers out there who haven’t gotten started on their Mother’s Day shopping list, it’s not too late to take the personalized route. A few ideas from the Out of Office crew:

Happy Mardi Gras from the Out of Office team! Got Mardi Gras bead overload? Check out this fun craft we posted last year that helps you reuse your Mardi Gras beads in a creative way. Our friends in New Orleans are sure to be enjoying some King Cake today – how do you celebrate Fat Tuesday?

I’ve either got good news or bad news, depending on your ability to make enviable projects using only your imagination and some pinking shears: March is “National Craft Month,” a time to celebrate those among us who know what pinking shears are (and are not afraid to use them).

Since I prefer to think of March as the time when we start getting hints of spring weather and honor Irish culture with St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d search the Web for projects from those who don’t need to search “what are pinking shears?”

Happy 2011! As the Out of Office team starts a new year, I’ve heard a lot of talk about resolutions and getting back on track after the indulgence of the holidays. I think it’s fair to say that most people are pretty good at coming up with resolutions. It’s keeping them that becomes challenging, and I’m no exception.

This year, I’ve pledged to do better at working exercise into my daily routine. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that there are many things I’d rather do than go to the gym. Like eat. Or catch up on my favorite TV shows while eating. But I digress. The point is that it’s not going to be easy and I know I’ll need some encouragement along the way.

Every year, I find myself rushing to the store on my way to a holiday party to pick up a bottle of wine or flowers for the host or hostess. This year, I decided to make a personalized, cost-effective hostess gift that can be created months, or even a day in advance of an event. 

For 2010, I created holiday candy jars with personalized labels for just under $10 each (and in some cases, that’s less than flowers, or a bottle of wine!). Making the jars is fun and you can get your creative juices flowing if you allow time to sit down and enjoy the process. I knew I would be going to a couple holiday get-togethers, so I purchased enough supplies to make five jars and headed to my local FedEx Office to print the labels. This eliminated multiple (and last-minute!) trips to craft and grocery stores.

Step One: Find the right jars  ...read more

With Christmas just three days away, my fellow procrastinators are most likely starting to feel that holiday stress settle in. Now is the time to make those last minute dashes to the mall for forgotten gifts or to replenish your wrapping paper stash. But before getting too overwhelmed by your holiday “to-do” lists, check out these helpful holiday survival hints for those of us who haven’t been preparing since post-holiday sales last year!

Don’t delay – get gifts on their way: The last day to ship by FedEx Express for guaranteed delivery before Christmas is tomorrow, December 23. For additional deadlines to ship your gifts in time for the holidays, click here.

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We recently shared a new card design contest that FedEx Office is hosting, and the contest finalists have been announced! Remember that the winning design will be featured in our 2011 holiday card collection for purchase. Voting for the winner is now open, so let your voice be heard! Which design do you want to see in our 2011 selection of cards? You can vote on the finalists up to three times daily from through January 7, 2011.

Here at Out of Office, we aren’t eligible to compete, but we like to be creative and still wanted to have some fun. So we held our own card design contest in the office! We pulled out all the crafts from our supply chest and got to work. Without further ado, here they are, our very own holiday card designs – the good, the bad, and the ugly!

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Guest blogger Cordell Golden has more than 18 years of experience working for FedEx. He spends his days during the busy holiday season assisting customers with their shipping challenges and sharing his tips on perfect packing & shipping techniques.

I’ve done a lot of packing and shipping in the time I’ve been with FedEx. And call me biased, but I think it’s one of the things we do best! I’ve seen it all, too. From toys and care packages to fragile and oddly shaped items…you name it, we’ve probably packed and shipped it. This holiday season, I’m sharing some of my best packing tips with you, our readers. I’ll let you in on some of the tips and tricks from the pros so you can make sure your holiday packages arrive intact and on time.