Holiday Cards With a Stamp of Approval

'TIS THE SEASON for more than just credit card bills and catalogs swooshing through your mail slot: The U.S. Postal Service delivers an estimated 20 billion pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas. What with traditional cards, photo cards, newsletters and e-cards, choosing a format can be overwhelming. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus or nothing at all, here's how to get a stamp of approval with your season's greetings.

EDIT YOUR ROSTER: "There's no prize for having the most people on your list," says Anna Post, etiquette expert and author of "Emily Post Wedding Parties." "It can be a little weird to get a card and wonder who the person is. It also leads to being a little too slapdash and making mistakes, like spelling someone's name wrong."

Of course, you don't need to play holiday-card "Survivor" and ditch everyone who's not your best friend or parent. "Some people will send out 10 cards, while others may send out 200," says Post.

"It's a good opportunity to reach out to someone," says Sue Kim, 32, a homemaker in Vienna, who mails about 50 cards each year. "That's what the holidays are about. I send them to anyone who crosses my mind and I have an address for."

For Kim, that includes friends from her husband's days in the Navy, college buds and former co-workers (but definitely not ex-boyfriends).

BE INCLUSIVE: If you're sending holiday cheer to business colleagues, keep it secular — and non-ideological. No photo cards of you with Barack Obama!

For personal cards, err on the side of caution when it comes to spiritual beliefs. "While many people might not be offended to receive a religious wish, they might think, "Don't they know I'm not Jewish or Muslim or Christian?'" says Post. "It just shows a lack of awareness, and some people might be offended." This means "Peace on Earth" or "Happy Holidays" is OK, but "Jesus Be With You" probably isn't, unless your message is destined for a church pal.

KEEP IT BRIEF: Newsletters should stay short and sweet. "People are busy, and you want them to actually read it," says Post, who suggests adding a personal note. But "have that 'Too Much Information' flag raised," says Post. "You don't want to make someone uncomfortable."

AVOID BEING OVERLY BOASTFUL: For instance: "Dudley is excited to be heading to Cornell next year" is fine. "We're not at all surprised Dudley is off to Cornell, given his 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT score!" is not. At the same time, there's no need for a warts-and-all approach. No one needs to know the gritty details of Nana's gallbladder surgery

GO VIRTUAL: There's an e-card Web site for nearly everyone, which makes going virtual much easier than in years past. "There's a certain etiquette where e-cards are appropriate for some things and traditional cards are appropriate for others," says Brook Lundy, who launched the snarky Someecards.com this year. (Sample greeting: "I cheat at dreidel.") "For me, it's hard to find printed cards that say the right thing." Other sites include Americangreetings.com (the most popular), Hipstercards.com and Egreetings.com.

Remember to consider your audience, not just what you're trying to say. Kim has sent both traditional cards and virtual cards, with e-cards going to co-workers and the Hallmark stuff going to kith and kin.

"I think e-cards are the way it's going," says Kim. "I just got one from my alumni association, and it had video in it, which was cool. At the same time, I like the traditional cards. They're more sentimental. But when it comes right down to it, everyone has such hectic lives that any way you show you care is good."

Written by Express contributor Kelly DiNardo