Sending thank you cards or notes is a wonderful tradition to show appreciation for the gifts or experiences offered by family and friends over the holidays.

Having received some truly thoughtful gifts this year, I wanted to find some beautiful notecards and scoured Pinterest for inspiration and discovered a plethora of delightful printable designs which we can use for free!

Here is a hand-picked selection of my favourite Christmas thank you printables, including designs suitable for both adults and children. If you've not already organised your post-holiday stationary, you're sure to find your something ideal for your needs in this list!

A "Thank You" list to get you organised, by The Orchard Playground This is perfect for keeping track of who-sent-what, with tickboxes so you'l be sure you've posted your notes.

Adorable Elfie Cards from Jenny Allsorts This PDF prints four single-sided cards that fit into 5.25" x 4.25" envelopes. Ideal for children and adults too!

A colourful printable aimed at younger children who may need assistance with their notes from  The Same Difference. Be sure to read the accompanying post, it explains perfectly why we should encourage our children to send thank-you notes for the gifts they receive!

A calligraphic postcard printable from Mellissa Elpin. The reverse can be handwritten with the recipient's address and your own personal note. (Scroll down the page a little to find the PDF link).

This pretty card design from Anna and Blue is ideal for both adults and children. Two designs are available: one with the apple green font shown above, the other with chocolate coloured writing.

A set of four bold and colourful thank-you printables from Pumpkins and Posies

These adorable printable cards for children were designed by Fun.kyti.me for Today's Creative (download them here). These are so cute, and could easily be used all year round!

These "fill-in-the-blanks" colouring pages from Kids Activities Blog double as colouring pages for children to personalise. Princess particularly likes these as our current printer will only print with black ink!

I adore these gorgeous thank you card designs from My Life Abundant! These would look wonderful presented in frames for festive decoration net year.

This bold and beautiful thank you card design was created by Jennifer Ferguson for How About Orange.

Another offering from the talented Melissa Esplin, this time in the form of a calligraphic letterhead which can be personalised with your own handwritten message.

Although designed for Thanksgiving, these elegant monochrome cards by Oh My! Handmade could be sent year-round. Simply print on card stock in your chosen colour, fold and print.

74 Lime Lane designed this simple bunting-themed card, which you can also find in a pink colour scheme.

These elegant and unusual cards are available for download from Ruffled.

Organising Homelife has designed a set of four thank you notes with children in mind, complete with matching envelopes.

Printed red on white card stock, this design from Sweet Muffin Suite is bang on trend for the festive season.

These sweet candy-cane notelets are available for download from Disney Family.

These lovely cards from A Crafty House have designs on the inside too!

These printable postcards from Melissa Elspin are so versitile. Print off a few sheets and you'll always have a stack to hand!

Although "Thank a Mailman Day" isn't until February 4th, you might consider gifting this printable and candy bag a little early to thank your postie for their hard work over the holidays. Courtesy of Who-Arted, I think this printable is a genius idea!

I saved my personal favourite for last. Although not specifically designed for thank you notes, I think it can be perfectly re-purposed for such an occasion. Get the download as a PDF or JPEG from Design Editor.

Which are your favourite designs?

Will you be printing any of the thank you designs featured above to send in gratitude for your holiday celebrations? Let us know which you like best, or suggest other free printables which others may like by leaving your comments below.

Photo credit (post banner): Lachlan Hardy, via Flickr.

Here is a beautiful poem by Sharon Jaynes which I would like to share with you. It is based on the Bible verses from 1-13 of Corinthians, and was originally posted on A Girl Called Jack.

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator. 

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook. 

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing. 

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on love, I have missed the point. 

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. 

Love doesn't envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. 

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t. 

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

Photo credit: Jenny Downing, via Flickr 

It's the most wonderful time of the year... But even the most organised among us need a little extra help from time to time.

To make your festive frivolities run a little more smoothly, here is a selection of clever Christmas tips to get you through the season, from last-minute gift-wrap ideas to fun ways to keep the kids entertained on Christmas eve.

I hope you all enjoy these tips, and wish you all a verry merry start to the holidays!

Gifts, Cards and Wrapping

Use inexpensive brown paper, jute string or ribbon and festive embellishments for wrapping gifts. The results are stunning and it costs far less than store-bought paper! Photo credit: Lorna Watt, via Flickr.

Pretty Christmas tree decorations make great gifts for teachers: each year they will remember your child when they hang the decoration on their tree. Photo credit: Brian Fagan, via Flickr

Removing cable ties and other hindrances, plus adding batteries if required, saves time and reduces stress. It also means children can play with their new toys right away. Photo credit: meddygarnet, via Flickr

Wrap and label gifts as you buy them to save time (and stress!) closer to the big day. Photo credit: pedhapti, via Flickr

Buy a few extra gifts to wrap and keep under the tree, such as soaps, chocolates and sweets. Then if you are faced with unexpected guests, you will have an instant gift, ready-wrapped, to offer. Image by Soapylovedeb, via Flickr

The average family needs 6 rolls of wrapping paper to get the job done. Still not sure? Err on the side of caution: it's better to have too much (which you can always save for next year's wrapping) rather than dashing to the nearest petrol station on Christmas eve in the hopes there is still a tatty roll available. Photo credit: torbakhopper, via Flickr

Wrap gifts for babies and young children in tissue paper - they will be able to tear open their gifts more easily (and will probably enjoy the sensory experience too!). Photo credit: stevendepolo, via Flickr

Recycle last year's Christmas cards to make inexpensive, decorative gift tags. Image credit: amy.gizienski, via Flickr

Or cut festive shapes from paint swatch cards as a simple, stylish alternative. Via Fair Share

Christmas decoration

Food and catering

Buy Brussels sprouts on a stalk from a farmers market or greengrocer - they will keep for up to two weeks (far longer than cut sprouts) and can be stored in your shed or conservatory to save valuable space in your fridge. Photo credit: H. Michael Arrighi, via Flickr

Save yourself time and energy on Christmas Eve by cooking a stew in your slow-cooker. This will free you up to run errands or visit loved ones, and your meal will be ready to eat once you get home. Photo credit: LizMarie_AK, via Flickr

Christmas morning can be chaotic, so prepare a simple breakfast the night before. Fruit and pastries are excellent choices, and help avoid the temptation to fill up on gifted candy. Photo credit: Joe Osterloh, via Flickr

Put coloured icing in condiment bottles for icing cookies - so much less mess than piping with a bag! Via Patricia Nice Recipe Blog

Build a Gingerbread House using Graham Crackers for a fast and easy treat. Via Kelley Moore Bag

If you've overcooked your turkey, it can be rescued by soaking in a pan of warm chicken stock. Use a skewer or narrow blade to pierce the flesh, and place it breast down in a pan of warm chicken stock before the turkey cools. After a few minutes, remove and cover with aluminium foil and leave to rest so the juices can be absorbed by the meat. The turkey won't be perfect, but will still taste delicious and can be carved at the table. Photo credit: stepnout, via Flickr

Organisation and clearing up

Everything else

Sending greetings cards is a great way to get to know your neighbours if you've recently moved house. Jut sign your names and write the first line of your address inside. Write "Merry Christmas" on the front if you don't know your neighbour's names. If you receive cards in return, you will know your neighbours' names and they will know yours! Photo by a.has, via Flickr

On Christmas morning, have a pencil and envelope handy. Swipe up gift tags as children unwrap their gifts (making a note on the tag of what it is from) to make and keep in the envelope. This makes writing thank you cards much easier later on as during the chaos of unwrapping gifts it's easy for children to forget who gifts were from. Photo by Jonathan_W, via Flickr

Keep prying eyes away from your gifts by storing in a locked suitcase until they are ready to be wrapped. Photo by The Vintage Nest Blog, via Pinterest

Create a free personalised letter from Santa to print for your little loved ones as a Christmas Eve treat...

...Or keep them occupied while you tend to last-minute preparations by tracking Santa's progress around the world with Norad Tracker.

What are your favourite tips for Christmas?