Need to talk? Send an email! Not sure how to spell a word? Spell check! Ah, the wonderful age of technology. Now don’t get me wrong – we have come a long way with the help of computers and other digital gadgets. But where does it end? Is it possible we are using technology a little too much these days? It’s sad that even a simple practice like sending birthday cards is slowly diminishing. I recently received an automated email (the kind you cannot reply to) wishing me a happy birthday from one of my business associates. How impersonal!
While I can’t stop the rapidly-changing world we live in, I can pick and choose the traditions I’d like to preserve. I pride myself on the fact that I still send high-quality birthday cards to my employees, family and friends. Besides, it’s quite an enjoyable process. At the beginning of each year, I buy a box of assorted birthday cards from The Gallery Collection and keep them at my office. As birthdays roll around, I pull out the box from my drawer and select the perfect design (this is my favorite part). After jotting a note inside, I hand-address the envelope, slap on a stamp and off it goes. The responses I get are overwhelming! I think it reminds everyone that a touch of humanity every now and then is still very much needed and appreciated.
I know what you mean. My friends send me birthday wishes on facebook. I rarely go on facebook so my birthday goes by and I wonder why no one acknowledged my birthday. Weeks or months go by before I see their good wishes. Then I feel bad for thinkijng they forgot about me. But really – there’s nothing like getting an actual birthday card in the mail. Much more personal and memorable.
I admit, I’ve become kinda lazy when it comes to sending “real” cards. It just feels so much easier to shoot out an email or use Facebook for birthday wishes. But on the flip side…I absolutely love getting birthday cards myself via snail mail! I always hope my friends and family aren’t like me and continue to mail me cards!
I don’t really care about recieving birthday cards. I guess that’s bad but they just don’t mean that much to me. I do, however, make sure to give cards to people who I know enjoy recieving them.
Don’t even get me started on Facebook. I’m glad Zuckerberg’s a zillionaire and all, but I feel like people take the opportunity to be lazy by expecting me to keep up with their lives via an ever-changing feed on “The Social Network.” Even birthday wishes on that thing don’t seem sincere to me. I’m with you; let’s keep the greeting card tradition alive!
OMG. I know exactly what you mean!!!! Ever since that one incident that happened to my 2 years ago, i don’t even go on my Facebook anymore! There i was sitting in my living room on a “sick day” from work. Eating an Oreo cheesecake from my favorite place ever!!!! Cheesecake factory! (Love it). NeWayz i check my Facebook wall and i see i received a birthday wish from someone named Alexis from another country. Knowing it wasn’t my birthday (duh i would know since its my birthday) i wrote back saying it wasn’t my birthday. Next thing you know this person tells me that it is my birthday because she was my long lost sister who was separated from me at birth. Next thing you know we start talking and i am convinced she is my sister after a few picture exchanges. She tells me that if i can send her some money she will fly over and meet me and we can finally reunite. So of course i send her money (she is my sister right?) and just like that i don’t hear from her again. I tell my friends about this and they say i might have been scammed. So i look up her name that she used with me and sure enough….. I WAS :(. Moral of the story you ask? Only accept birthday wishes in card form!
I have to admit I am one of those who has pretty much stopped buying birthday cards except for immediate family (and even then I’m running to the store the day of!). But it is a personal touch that I would be sorry to see go. It’s a nice feeling to receive a card where it’s obvious that someone put some time and thought into the selection and a personal note is just icing on the birthday cake 🙂
I can’t remember the last time I got a birthday card. I actually can’t remember the last time I celebrated my birthday. Wait, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning… wait… I have dementia. That’s why I can’t remember anything.