My Mother passed away recently so I had a few of her personal things I packed in boxes to go through at a less emotional time. Mom loved sending personalized greeting cards to family and friends. She had a greeting card for every occasion. It was a ritual for her to go to the store to buy cards all the time. She would always say it makes a person feel special to receive a card, and it was uncanny how she could whip out a card if you needed one for any occasion. As I was going through her things I found some greeting cards she had carefully put away. I came across an envelope addressed to her sister. I carefully opened the unsealed envelope and came across a lovely personalized birthday card she had gotten for her sister’s birthday, which was still a month away.

The personalized birthday card expressed how lucky she was to have her as a sister. It was so touching it brought tears to my eyes. I said to myself, wow she took the time to address and sign the card months ahead so it was up to me to deliver it to my aunt. I mailed the birthday card two days before her birthday and it did arrive exactly on that day. My aunt called me that evening to tell me about her special birthday card.

She was feeling down that morning thinking of her sister not being here to share the day with her as they’ve done in past years. She went to get her mail which came earlier than usual, and when she went through the mail and saw the card addressed in her sister’s handwriting she thought, “How could that be?” She opened the card and read the final loving words sent by her sister for her birthday. She told me how wonderful she felt and the birthday card just made her entire day because she did spend her birthday with her sister after all, and she will cherish her last birthday card from my Mom until they see each other again someday. My Mother was so right when she said “a greeting card of any kind will always make a person feel special.”

Personalized greeting cards, such as birthday cards, get well cards, and sympathy cards, can be taken for granted. But I can tell you from first-hand experience how important these greeting cards can be.

Losing a loved one can be such a tremendously devastating time. Not that sympathy cards can make this tragedy any easier, but to know that people are thinking of you and your family and are taking the time out in their busy day to buy and send cards can make a sad day a little better.

Get well cards can also make big difference in how you feel and how quickly you recover. Not to long ago I was out of work for approximately four months. I have to tell you that there was not one day of those four months that I did not receive a card in the mail from my co-workers, family, or friends. It was the highlight of my day to walk to the mailbox and find a new card. Most of the time they were funny get well cards, and laughter is great medicine.
In this economy it is often hard to buy presents for all the people we would like. However birthday cards can be a great way of telling friends and family that you are thinking about them and wishing them well on their special day.

Moral of the story - don’t hesitate to send different kinds of personalized greetings cards to all the people who matter most to you.

We’ve recently made a very special donation of 12,000 personalized greeting cards to Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey. For those of you who may not know, Gilda’s Club is named in honor of comedienne, Gilda Radner, who died in 1989 after battling ovarian cancer for several years. Radner was an advocate of community support for those living with cancer, and so the Gilda’s Club was established as a place where people who’ve been touched by this cruel disease can share and learn how to help themselves by helping others.

Our donation consists of 23 different greeting card designs appropriate for numerous types of occasions: sympathy, thinking of you, all occasion, thank you, birthday, season’s greetings, get well, and anniversary. Below are some of the designs we’ve donated:

Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey will have the 23 different designs on display in their clubhouse in Hackensack. Anyone who makes a donation will be given the option to send a card to a family member or friend whose life has been affected by cancer.

If you’re interested in making a donation or finding out how to get involved with Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey and the organization’s numerous cancer support programs, please visit: http://www.gildasclubnnj.org.

I had never considered myself a creative, crafty person. But years ago, I was planning a party for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I wanted to have party decorations and favors. With entertainment funds low, I went through my collection of “rainy day stuck in the house when we’re really bored this stuff will have a use” box. In there I found material scraps not big enough to make anything with…feather boas, lace, ribbons, and about 12 small stuffed teddy bears that I bought for ten cents each at a clearance sale, plus many jars of various shapes and sizes. That box also contained numerous personalized greeting cards that I had saved because the pictures were so pretty.

The box held birthday cards, thank you cards, holiday cards, and a few note cards that a charity had sent me in the mail. (Yes, I did send a donation!) I set everything out on the kitchen table and thought, “There has to be a party here somewhere!” I left out all of the pieces for a while, wondering what I would do. I’d look and walk away, look and walk away…hoping to have an epiphany. This went on for a couple of hours and finally the light bulb went off!

Girls love teddy bears, boas, ribbons and lace. I took a bear and gingerly pulled off its head, arms, and legs (It was more painful for me than him, I assure you). I took out my hot glue gun and attached the head to the lid of a jar. Then I placed the arms on the sides of the jar. And lastly, I glued the legs to the sides near the bottom of the jar. I shaped pieces of material into a party hat trimmed with ribbon and lace and wrapped a boa around the bear’s neck. My creation was really starting to look great!

Next, I took some of the birthday cards and thank you cards and cut out the words “thank you” and “happy birthday.” I glued the text to toothpicks and placed the signs in the bear’s hands.

I filled the jars with wrapped candies, and each girl who came to the party left with a teddy bear jar. These made the most memorable party favors. After the party, I got so many compliments on the favors that I started making clown jars and giving them as gifts.

I no longer need a “rainy day box” but I do still save my greeting cards in another crafty creation. Using a cardboard shoe box, I cut and pasted the fronts of birthday cards and thank you cards onto the box. The greeting cards turned a plain old box into a beautiful storage container. I even store my photos in these homemade greeting cards boxes, too.

Anyone need a jar?

I’ve noticed that among our family and friends, we seem to acquire labels. Perhaps among your acquaintances, you can name the best cook or the trivia buff, the gullible one or the cynic, the non-stop talker or the shrinking violet, the athlete or the know-it-all. In my family and circle of friends, I am known as “the thoughtful one.” This actually was an easy reputation to acquire; I’m a habitual sender of personalized greeting cards. I’ve been like this since early childhood, when I carefully made my own cards with construction paper and crayons. Later, as a stay-at-home Mom with a budget as small as my tykes, I sometimes got pretty creative with my homemade greeting cards.

As interests and activities multiplied, social circles kept expanding. My siblings, cousins, and friends acquired spouses, children, and eventually, grandchildren. Even my children and their friends acquired children! Alas, time flew and before I knew it, I had at least two full-time jobs and a list of birthdays a mile long, which now also included business associates who had become friends. And let me tell you, when you’ve “spoiled” people by always remembering their birthdays, they won’t let you get away with suddenly “not remembering.”

I had long since converted from homemade to store bought cards but found my shopping trips for greeting cards to be too frequent. I even missed an occasional birthday or anniversary mailing; I just couldn’t find time for the card hunt! A few years ago, I found my solution and salvation. I now keep on hand a beautiful box of assorted birthday cards. At a glance to the calendar or on a moment’s notice, having this box of assorted greeting cards means that I’m always prepared to send off happy birthday greetings…without delay!

I also started keeping a stockpile of assorted greeting cards for other occasions so I’m always prompt with sympathy cards, thank you cards, anniversary cards, and get well cards. I even have a supply of blank note cards for when I just want to let someone know that I’ve been thinking of them.

No one suspects how easy and economical it is for me to be so thoughtful. But I’ve heard some lovely comments over the years: “You always remember,” “Every year I look forward to getting your beautiful birthday card,” “It wouldn’t seem like my birthday without getting your cheery card.” And there it is, with so many less complimentary titles that might have been applied to me, I have been labeled as “the thoughtful one.”