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Hello and Merry Whatever-You-Celebrate! Yes, it’s that time again! If you’re new here, here’s the deal:
Every year, a number of us exchange Christmas Cards with fellow CS members across the globe. We collect sign ups from people each year, compile a list, send it out in early November, and then we flood the hell out of each other's mailboxes with Christmas cheer.
So, the timeline: You have until Saturday, November 1st to sign up, and then you'll be able to see how many people are planning to participate, and if you decide you can't handle that many, you’ll have until November 8th to opt out. The list will then automatically be emailed to everyone once the opt out period closes. Sound good? Then click the link at the end of this post and sign up!
Now, for a quick FAQ List...
Can I make my own cards, or do they have to be store bought?
Either way. Whatever jingles your bells.
Religious Themes: Yay or Nay?
Again, it doesn't matter. This event is about friendship and holiday cheer.
If I sign up, do I have to send a card to EVERYONE?
YES, and in a timely manner too. I cannot stress this enough. It is selfish, rude, and seriously unfair to sign up and get cards from everyone else and not send any of your own. If you wish to only send cards to a select few members of the CS community, please make such plans on your own.
Are e-cards allowed?
No. Once the final list goes out, this becomes a snail mail event. Postcards are allowed, however, if you wish to save a few pennies on postage.
What happens if I sign up and don't send out my cards/don't send out my cards until after the Easter Bunny has visited?
People who sign up and don't follow through make Baby Jesus cry and thus, are automatically placed on Santa's Naughty List for the next year. Oh, and on my naughty list as well. No-shows are banned from participating in future events. This is why tallying the cards you receive is so important – it makes sure everyone gets credit and no one gets banned when they don't deserve it.
But what if an emergency comes up and I can't?
I'm not an unreasonable person, and we’ve found that most members of CS that participate are very accommodating. If an emergency comes up, all I ask is that you PLEASE let me know. I will handle things accordingly and you will not be penalized in any way.
How many people will sign up?
It varies. As the CS community gets larger with each year, the list grows as well. We've had everywhere from 20-60 members sign up in previous years. Unfortunately, my crystal ball hasn't been working lately like it should, so I can't tell for certain how many of you will sign up this year.
We've been using our new sign up method for a couple years now and it works pretty well. The best part is that it features an "Opt Out" period. Sign Ups close on November 1st, but the Opt Out period is available until November 8th, so if the list swells to an amazingly large number of people and it is no longer feasible for you to participate, you have the option of dropping out before I finalize the list. Once I finalize the list, however, you're in it for the long haul. Also, I can't change your information in the system, so please, please, please make sure your address is complete and correct before hitting the submit button (please?). (PLEASE NOTE: You will NOT be able to submit your sign up unless your address and email information is complete. Please be thorough! And hey! Now’s a great time to make sure your email address in your profile is correct, because that is the email the list will be sent to. Go to the UserCP link at the top of the CS page to update.)
How much is postage?
It depends on where you live, how many people have signed up, and how many of the cards you send will be international. In the past, the majority of participants have been in the US, plus a handful in Canada and the UK, and occasionally a few other far-flung places. As a courtesy, we have provided links to the US, UK, Canadian, NZ, Australian, and South African post offices on the official sign up page. If you are signing up from somewhere else and think we should add your country’s postal service, please send me a link.
Suggestion from our resident Postal Worker: If you are in the US, please go to USPS.com and get your +4 zip code. This makes the zip code 9 digits long and looks like 12345-6789. This should help stop some of the missing ones we get every year from going missing because the computer has more info. If you go to that link and enter your street address, it will give you the complete, standard format for your address. Use that format when you sign up and things just might go that much more smoothly. (Thanks for the suggestion, Aethian!) If you have already signed up, you can log back into the signup tool, click on "2014 Christmas Card Exchange," and there should be an option to update your address as long as the signup period is still open.
It's asking me to login with a username and password. Are those the same as my CS user name and password?
Yes.
I tried to sign up, but didn't get the "activation" email/The final list never showed up in my mailbox!
Check your spam box. If you still have trouble, let us know.
How do I share my joy in having received a card from someone?
When you get a card, log into the card page, click the Tally up! link, and check off that person’s name to let us all know you’ve received their card. This also lets me see if anyone has not sent their cards, so please make sure you tally all your cards and give your fellow CSers the credit they are due! You’ll have until the end of January to get your tallies in.
I sent all of my cards! Why aren’t they all reflected in the tallies?
Don’t freak out if you don’t have the full number of cards sent next to your name by the end of things. Some always slip through the cracks or get lost in the holiday shuffle. As long as a reasonable number of people have tallied your card, I will assume you did indeed send them. (Don’t take this as an excuse for not tallying the cards you receive, however.)
Did I mention that you have until November 1st to sign up?
So sign up! It’s fun!!
CLICK TO SIGN UP!
Please make sure all your information is correct! The list will be sent as a pdf that can be printed on standard address labels, so please make sure your address is formatted correctly (proper postal abbreviations, etc.). Have I said this enough times? If you make a mistake, I can’t fix it for you! Proofreading is your friend!
Every year, a number of us exchange Christmas Cards with fellow CS members across the globe. We collect sign ups from people each year, compile a list, send it out in early November, and then we flood the hell out of each other's mailboxes with Christmas cheer.
So, the timeline: You have until Saturday, November 1st to sign up, and then you'll be able to see how many people are planning to participate, and if you decide you can't handle that many, you’ll have until November 8th to opt out. The list will then automatically be emailed to everyone once the opt out period closes. Sound good? Then click the link at the end of this post and sign up!
Now, for a quick FAQ List...
Can I make my own cards, or do they have to be store bought?
Either way. Whatever jingles your bells.
Religious Themes: Yay or Nay?
Again, it doesn't matter. This event is about friendship and holiday cheer.
If I sign up, do I have to send a card to EVERYONE?
YES, and in a timely manner too. I cannot stress this enough. It is selfish, rude, and seriously unfair to sign up and get cards from everyone else and not send any of your own. If you wish to only send cards to a select few members of the CS community, please make such plans on your own.
Are e-cards allowed?
No. Once the final list goes out, this becomes a snail mail event. Postcards are allowed, however, if you wish to save a few pennies on postage.
What happens if I sign up and don't send out my cards/don't send out my cards until after the Easter Bunny has visited?
People who sign up and don't follow through make Baby Jesus cry and thus, are automatically placed on Santa's Naughty List for the next year. Oh, and on my naughty list as well. No-shows are banned from participating in future events. This is why tallying the cards you receive is so important – it makes sure everyone gets credit and no one gets banned when they don't deserve it.
But what if an emergency comes up and I can't?
I'm not an unreasonable person, and we’ve found that most members of CS that participate are very accommodating. If an emergency comes up, all I ask is that you PLEASE let me know. I will handle things accordingly and you will not be penalized in any way.
How many people will sign up?
It varies. As the CS community gets larger with each year, the list grows as well. We've had everywhere from 20-60 members sign up in previous years. Unfortunately, my crystal ball hasn't been working lately like it should, so I can't tell for certain how many of you will sign up this year.
We've been using our new sign up method for a couple years now and it works pretty well. The best part is that it features an "Opt Out" period. Sign Ups close on November 1st, but the Opt Out period is available until November 8th, so if the list swells to an amazingly large number of people and it is no longer feasible for you to participate, you have the option of dropping out before I finalize the list. Once I finalize the list, however, you're in it for the long haul. Also, I can't change your information in the system, so please, please, please make sure your address is complete and correct before hitting the submit button (please?). (PLEASE NOTE: You will NOT be able to submit your sign up unless your address and email information is complete. Please be thorough! And hey! Now’s a great time to make sure your email address in your profile is correct, because that is the email the list will be sent to. Go to the UserCP link at the top of the CS page to update.)
How much is postage?
It depends on where you live, how many people have signed up, and how many of the cards you send will be international. In the past, the majority of participants have been in the US, plus a handful in Canada and the UK, and occasionally a few other far-flung places. As a courtesy, we have provided links to the US, UK, Canadian, NZ, Australian, and South African post offices on the official sign up page. If you are signing up from somewhere else and think we should add your country’s postal service, please send me a link.
Suggestion from our resident Postal Worker: If you are in the US, please go to USPS.com and get your +4 zip code. This makes the zip code 9 digits long and looks like 12345-6789. This should help stop some of the missing ones we get every year from going missing because the computer has more info. If you go to that link and enter your street address, it will give you the complete, standard format for your address. Use that format when you sign up and things just might go that much more smoothly. (Thanks for the suggestion, Aethian!) If you have already signed up, you can log back into the signup tool, click on "2014 Christmas Card Exchange," and there should be an option to update your address as long as the signup period is still open.
It's asking me to login with a username and password. Are those the same as my CS user name and password?
Yes.
I tried to sign up, but didn't get the "activation" email/The final list never showed up in my mailbox!
Check your spam box. If you still have trouble, let us know.
How do I share my joy in having received a card from someone?
When you get a card, log into the card page, click the Tally up! link, and check off that person’s name to let us all know you’ve received their card. This also lets me see if anyone has not sent their cards, so please make sure you tally all your cards and give your fellow CSers the credit they are due! You’ll have until the end of January to get your tallies in.
I sent all of my cards! Why aren’t they all reflected in the tallies?
Don’t freak out if you don’t have the full number of cards sent next to your name by the end of things. Some always slip through the cracks or get lost in the holiday shuffle. As long as a reasonable number of people have tallied your card, I will assume you did indeed send them. (Don’t take this as an excuse for not tallying the cards you receive, however.)
Did I mention that you have until November 1st to sign up?
So sign up! It’s fun!!
CLICK TO SIGN UP!
- Look for the Login button on the top right side (see attached image #1), sign in with your CustomersSuck! username and password.
- Click on "2014 Christmas Card Exchange" (see attached image #2)
- Click "Sign up!" (see attached image #3) If you don’t see these words, make sure you are actually logged into the signup tool. This is separate from the CustomersSuck site.
- You will receive an activation code in your email within a few minutes; enter it in the box on the next screen (see attached image #4)
- Enter your name and address, double-triple-quadruple check that it's right, click the "Save" button, and you're done!
Please make sure all your information is correct! The list will be sent as a pdf that can be printed on standard address labels, so please make sure your address is formatted correctly (proper postal abbreviations, etc.). Have I said this enough times? If you make a mistake, I can’t fix it for you! Proofreading is your friend!
Just signed up. Mrs. TGK gets a kick out of all those cards from all over.
As long as you don't have a ridiculously long address, that should work.
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