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Many people think that job hunting and career planning stop in December, but that's not the case. In some ways, the holiday season can be the best time of year for job seekers. Check out this week's "College to Career" podcast for five holiday career tips, including:

Send tons of holiday cards. Celebrate a new networking relationship or reconnect with a friend, internship colleague or other contact by sending a thoughtful holiday card. Be sure to choose a non-denominational greeting if you're unsure of someone’s religion.  In fact, I always send “Happy New Year” cards to be safe and a bit unique. If you're on a tight budget, send e-cards with a personalized message to each recipient.

Ask for career-related gifts. If anyone asks what you want for the holidays this year, think about gifts that could help your career or job search, such as an inspirational business book, an attractive business card holder, a laptop bag, monogrammed stationery, a session with a career coach or a pre-paid coffee card. These are truly gifts that keep on giving, especially if they help you land a paycheck!

Relax and regroup. Give yourself the gift of rest and relaxation this season. Take some time to destress and analyze your job hunting efforts to see if you want to make some changes in the new year. You can also congratulate yourself on making it through the challenging economic climate of 2009. Soon we’ll be flipping our calendars to January and you'll want to be ready to make a fresh start and hit the ground running in 2010.

For more tips and advice, listen to this week's podcast. If you have additional holiday career tips, please share in the comments!