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Saying Hello to Sending Greeting Cards
In spite of the growth of technology in society, and explosion of social media, American Greetings and Hallmark cards are alive and well in our shopping malls and outlet stores. The last time I was at Target, K-Mart or CVS, I’m pretty sure I saw a few aisles of greeting cards, from birthday to anniversary to Thank you cards to funny cards.
The past few months, I’ve been on the receiving end of lots of kindness. That came in many forms, such as people bringing me food, running errands, calling, texting, emailing, and visiting. And people sent cards. I love getting cards, and it gives me warm and fuzzy feeling to read them. The knowledge that the person took the time to find the right card, fill it out and mail it, is very special to me.
A card takes a certain amount of effort. Let’s say you want to buy a wonderful birthday card for your favorite mother-in-law. Unless you have a stack of Hallmark cards filed away in your home, and you know exactly where they are when you need them (I know some people are annoyingly organized…ahem!), you will likely have to remember to buy a card when you’re shopping for milk or juice. Now, if you’re like me, you don’t exactly think of going down the greeting card aisle when you’re thinking about eggs and cheese (in my store, the greeting cards are not far from the eggs, but still..)
So chances are you have to make a special trip to get said birthday girl a perfect card. Then, you have to pull out and read through the various types of cards and figure out what fits the person you are buying one for. Not too mushy, not too serious, not too funny. Just nice. Simple. To the point. If you are really buddy-buddy with the person (we’re not talking about the mother-in-law anymore), you might opt for one of those really corny cards. You know the ones that have strangely exaggerated illustrations and somewhat in-your-face humor.
If you’re cutesy, you’ll buy a Peanuts characters cards or a Ziggy (remember those?) card or some other cartoon strip. And if you think your person is extremely serious, you’ll buy one of those long winded poetry cards with flowers all over the cover and inside, and long, flowery messages.
Then, the question is whether to put your own message in the card. Hello, you can’t exactly send a card and just write, “Dear Mom,” (should you say, “Dear?” or just “To,” or just “Hi?”) and then sign off under the printed message. You just can’t. That would be really insulting, wouldn’t it? You have to write something like “Happy Birthday, Mom!” Now, that’s very personal. Right? Better than leaving all that blank space.
Finally, you have to decide how to sign the card. Should you write, “Love,” or “Sincerely,” or “Yours truly,” Or xoxoxo… or “Love and kisses…” I mean these are important decisions. Really crucial. You really don’t want to mess up, do you?
So after all that, you have to look up the person’s address and zip code, find a stamp (again, if you’re organized that’s a cinch), and get to one of the 2 mailboxes that exist in your entire neighborhood (because the USPS has ripped out those friendly blue corner mailboxes, which are now few and far between). Otherwise you drive by the post office and mail the letter there.
Now you’re done. Hopefully you’re pleased and proud of what you’ve done. You’ve accomplished something amazing, especially in this era of text, emails, and singing e-cards. Yes, you’ve risen above the temptation to send an e-card, and you’ve gone the old fashioned way of sending a greeting card.
You’ve made someone happy by thanking them, wishing them a Shana Tova or Happy New Year, a Get Well, Happy Birthday, or whatever occasion. And that’s something to be proud of.
How about you? Do you send greeting cards? Or do you use e-cards, texting, or emails. Or do you sing Happy Whatever on the telephone message machine?
What is your mode of greeting carding?
Very cute article! I do love it when I find just the right card for someone but when I’m under pressure to hurry up and find something on my way to the party or whenever, I find it very hard!
Keep up the good writing. It’s encouraging to have you categorize all the types!
Thanks Joanie, I agree that it could be tricky when we’re in a rush. Buying cards is not exactly on our daily schedule, it has to be squeezed in. LOL. Thanks for that great comment.
Hi,
I try to keep up with cards– and have too much stationary on hand. I buy in bulk from Trader Jo’s and recently bought a book to keep track of the family birthdays and anniversaries. I hate phone singing- and still love receiving cards. Glad you got a bunch and are on the mend! A blogger friend of mine nearby just broke her ankle and has the same scooter you had. Oi vey!
Oy vey is right! I hope your friend heals faster than I did… I know the feeling of too much stationary on hand, but Trader Joe’s sounds like a great place to stock up. Thanks, Lisa!
I’m bad. I like to use note paper and just write notes. But thinking of something to write will often stop me. That and trying to find the note paper, stamp and a pen that still writes.
Haha. Hey, notes are good too! Anything written is a lot better than using computers all the time!!
I do send cards. Not as often as I wish. Everytime I get one I think, “I should do more of that.” It’s so very nice to get a card amongst all that rubble that’s usually in the mail.
I know, whenever I see a yellow or pink envelope peeking out from all the boring bills, I get excited! So true!
Is that a picture of all your get well soon cards on the top? That’s quite a collection. No wonder you’re thinking about cards!
I LOVE making cards with my kids…I have a stack here on my desk for Rosh Hashana ready to go out. Shopping for cards for a while was a headache, because I still had little kids and the card isle with a toddler or preschooler is just about the most hellish situations ever.
Now that the kids are in school, it’s more of a pleasure again. Picking out the right card is an opportunity to think about the person: their likes and dislikes, and so on.
Absolutely, it’s pretty hard to shop for cards when in company of little ones. Enjoy your alone time with the kiddies in school!
Enjoyed discovering your blog today! Receiving a letter or greeting card is so rare that it carries so much more weight. It’s thrilling and special. I am heartened to read that you and your followers are continuing this form of communication. You can’t hug a tweet, email or SnapChat. I have an online stationery boutique and my mission is to keep the art of letter writing, sending invitations and mailing greeting cards alive. If you’re interested, please follow me on https://www.facebook.com/playapaper. xx – Vikki at Playa Paper
Wow – sounds like you have an innovative thing going there. Good luck with that! Thanks for your comment!
Signing the card is where I freeze up. My spouse is so good at it, but he doesn’t offer his services to me; how rude. LOL.. Also,how long should you keep a card, I get a guilty feeling when I am decluttering.
Haha…I also feel guilty throwing them out. I read somewhere that for us sentimental types, taking a picture of the cards is a good idea…then throw out with no guilt?
Miriam,
I stumbled upon your Saying Hello To Greeting Cards post this morning, and just wanted to say hello.
My partner Zoë and I started our company, greetabl, with the exact purpose of reinvigorating card sending so it’s a real pleasure when I read articles like yours by people that truly get the value of sending a personal note.
Cheers!
Joe
Hey Joe, Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck with your company! I’m glad that paper greeting cards won’t become extinct!!