It's that time of year again when millions of people eagerly look forward to getting something other than junk mail each night.

Every year, almost 2 billion holiday cards inundate the postal system to bring holiday wishes to friends and family.

The tradition of holiday cards is an important for many since it is often the only time of the year when friends and distant cousins catch up on a year's worth of life changes.

American Greetings Christmas expert Heather Bentley offers these tips for making the tradition of sending holiday cards an easy task that's still full of personality.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Plan ahead to ensure timely delivery. Bentley suggests allowing enough time for your holiday cards to arrive anywhere between Dec. 10 and Dec. 24.

The post office recommends allowing between three and seven days for cards and packages to arrive around the holidays, with additional time required for international mail. Make sure you have appropriate postage on hand ahead of time, too. That will allow you to send them as soon as they are done.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Take note of blended families and households that do not observe Christmas. Make sure you have cards that say, "Happy Holidays" and other general wishes, and consider using "and family" to include everyone in the home, even if they have different last names. It's easiest to make note of these special circumstances as you're updating your address book.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Tailor card choices to recipients. While close family and friends might appreciate a photograph of your children sitting on Santa's lap more formal "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" messages are more appropriate for business associates. Individual cards, with their more personal sentiments, are the best choice for parents, spouses, siblings and close friends, while boxed holiday greetings work well for others.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Divide up filling out cards and addressing envelopes into a few short chunks of time. According to a survey for the Greeting Card Association, more than half of card purchasers will send up to 25 cards, but nearly 15 percent will send more than 50 cards. Writing out 10 cards a night for a few nights makes the job much more manageable.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Enlist the family to help out. With your spouse printing computer labels, you writing personal messages inside and your children applying stamps and decorative envelope seals, sending holiday cards becomes a family tradition.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Make notes on personal items to reference: Bentley suggests taking 30 minutes before you start to jot down a recent vacation, anniversary, a favorite hobby or the family pet to reference for each household so the recipient knows you thought of them.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Take advantage of downtime to complete cards: Keep three to five cards in your purse or work bag to fill out while waiting to pick up children from practice or while on an appointment. If you typically eat lunch at your desk, use this time to also complete a few cards each day.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Always reciprocate cards you receive: Keep a few extra boxes of cards on hand to respond to cards you receive from folks not on your original list. Put them out on the kitchen counter or desk with labels, stamps, a pen and your address book handy so you can respond quickly and add the new recipients to next year's list.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Remember, there's always New Year's. If you just can't fit in time to send Christmas or Hanukkah cards before the holidays pass, there are plenty of beautiful New Year's cards that extend the deadline another week, noted Bentley.