Category: Business Christmas Cards

A Healthy Dose of Business Holiday Cards

The popularity of sending business holiday cards is increasing in leaps and bounds as more companies begin to realize the real value of doing so. Working for The Gallery Collection has taught me a few things, among them being the importance of remembering all the people in our lives during the holidays. What might seem like a small gesture can be quite meaningful to the person who receives a business holiday card.

Case in point is my mom, who called me one fine day in mid-December of last year, elated that her doctors had sent her Christmas cards (and beautiful ones at that!) She described one of the Christmas cards in detail, oohing and aahing over the lovely winter scenes card complete with snow-covered evergreens and personalized in elegant gold foil. She couldn’t wait to show the Christmas cards to me.

That Thursday night I joined her for dinner as I usually did once a week. She loves the thin-crust pizza that I always order for us, since they never serve it at her assisted living facility. She always complains about the food there, but that’s another story. Anyway, as soon as I walked in she said “Before we eat, I have to show you the wonderful Christmas card that Doctor B. sent me. It really is special and you know, I’ve been to lots of doctors in my 87 years and this is the first time I ever got Christmas cards from one of them.”

She handed me the Christmas card and all I could do was smile. I recognized the Christmas card as soon as I saw it! It seems that Doctor B. had excellent taste, since the greeting card he sent was from The Gallery Collection. It was one of my favorite winter scenes holiday cards!

As I looked at the Christmas card, I wondered if the good doctor realized how much happiness he brought, not just to my mom but to all his patients. That one little Christmas card was the best medicine my mom could have gotten from him!

Christmas Cards or Holiday Cards? Decisions! Decisions!

A well-meaning office faces a quandary: send clients best wishes for the holidays and appreciation for their business all year with good old-fashioned Christmas cards. Or expand the warmth and gratitude in greeting cards that say “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” instead, to show respect for the culture of each of its customers.

It’s tempting either way. Christmas evokes tradition, comfort, and the times when we lived so similarly to our neighbors and the folks at the office.  The Christian faith, the feasts, the gift-giving, and the colorful decorations – these make Christmas a special and irreplaceable time of year for everyone who celebrates it.  Christmas cards have been part and parcel of the season for over 150 years. Can you imagine a year where you saw not a single Christmas card all December?  Christmas cards for the Christmas holiday…of course!

When all or most of your clients celebrate Christmas, the choice to send business Christmas cards is easy.  However, a growing percentage of today’s workforce and clientele observe something other than Christmas in the fall and winter:  Diwali, Hanukkah, the New Year, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Eid al-Fitr, to name but a few.  The globalization of our world can be reflected in holiday cards.  While it would be difficult to identify every holiday in a single greeting card, it’s easy and thoughtful to leave the holiday open with a seasonal, non-religious sentiment inside of your greeting cards that lets your recipients know you wish them well, regardless of their religious or non-religious affiliations.

Holiday cards that refer to the “Holidays” or the “Season” give you greater latitude when winter greetings are appropriate and the holidays being celebrated by your recipients vary.  Nevertheless, whether you send Merry Christmas cards or greeting cards that wish Peace on Earth, Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings, any holiday cards you send will surely be appreciated.

The Pioneer of Corporate Christmas Cards

John Calcott Horsley was an English narrative painter living in London from 1817 to 1903. Some of his better known commissions are two frescoes, painted in the Houses of Parliament and most notably, the holiday card his friend Sir Henry Cole asked him to paint. His friendship with Horsley came from their shared enthusiasm for art and working together to organize The Great Exhibition in 1851.

In 1943 Cole decided that he would surprise his friends with a novel and colorful holiday card at Christmas time instead of the usual Christmas letter. At that time letters were time consuming to write and were hand delivered. Cole’s idea meant that from the lithograph John painted, personalized holiday cards could be printed and mailed in pre-printed penny post envelopes. You could say it was the first form of corporate Christmas cards.

The card measured 5-1/8 by 3-1/4 inches. It was printed in a dark sepia ink and hand colored.  The design is framed by a trellis of vines forming three panels. The side panels depict figures representing two of the acts of charity, “feeding the hungry” and “clothing the naked.” In the center is a picture of a family party, including three generations, from grandparents to grandchildren, drinking wine. Below is the greeting, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.”

1st Business Christmas Card
Within ten years, Christmas cards were the rage of England. Of the 1,000 original personalized Christmas cards printed, only 12 are known to still exist. This card came to be known as the first commercial Christmas and New Year’s card.

The Gallery Collection Featured during the New Jersey State Opera’s “Destination: Opera!”

A business Christmas cards advertisement for The Gallery Collection was recently featured in the souvenir program and guide for Destination: Opera!, a three day celebration which took place from September 12th to the 14th in Ocean Grove at the Jersey Shore. Our company President is an opera enthusiast and serves as Chairman for the New Jersey State Opera. His daughter-in-law is a distinguished soprano who also serves as the Managing Director for the NJSOpera.

Here is our ad that was featured in the souvenir program and guide:

NJSOpera Advertisement

The three day Destination: Opera! celebration included a presentation of “A Century of Opera at the Jersey Shore,” which was held at the Bishop Janes Tabernacle; a walking tour of Ocean Grove’s renowned historic streets; and the Grand Opera by the Shore concert, which took place at the famous 6,500 seat Great Auditorium built in 1894. The concert showcased several international operatic luminaries with the New Jersey State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, all led by Maestro Jason Tramm.

Under the direction of Alfredo Silipigni, the Opera Theater of Westfield was established in 1964 and renamed the New Jersey State Opera ten years later. The NJSOpera had several decades of success followed by many years of debt. Silipigni died in 2006 and the company entered a temporary period of reorganization. Mentored by Silipigni, Jason Tramm was named his successor as Music Director earlier this year. The Grand Opera by the Shore concert was the first performance by the New Jersey State Opera since Silipigni’s death two years ago.

Hats off to the NJSOpera’s effective reformation. We wish them many years of success under the direction and musical genius of Maestro Tramm.

The Benefits of Sending Corporate Christmas Cards

Working for a business Christmas cards company has made me more aware of the importance of corporate Holiday cards for businesses. Customers will frequently say how well their gesture of goodwill has been received by their clients and vendors.

New clients are impressed when they receive quality greeting cards thanking them for their past year’s business. Vendors appreciate receiving a thank you for a job well done.  Old clients are reminded of the services that were performed for them in the past. Many customers who send business greeting cards to those who have inquired about services reap the benefit of orders in the following year.

Decorating with Christmas cards has become an integral part of holiday season. They are displayed on doors, walls, desks, and mantles. When quality Christmas cards are selected, people’s eyes are drawn to each card, and they will open it to see who had the good taste to send it. Corporate Holiday cards are the perfect way to keep a business’ name in view throughout the holiday season.

All businesses would benefit by sending corporate Holiday cards from GalleryCollection.com to those who have made their progress possible.

Keep Customers in Mind with Corporate Christmas Cards

Today’s businesses are struggling just to exist! They have to save money wherever they can because of increased fuel costs, higher material costs, and tighter consumer expenditures due to the recessing economy. As a consumer, I would like to commend the companies that still send business holiday cards. They have not forgotten the people that are keeping them in business. There are certain areas in which a business could save money, and cutting back by not sending business holiday cards should not be one of them.

I received some very high quality corporate Christmas cards this past holiday season, despite rising costs. It is very important to thank your customers. Businesses have to go the extra mile to keep their customers happy so they will come back throughout the coming year, especially considering the status of our current economy. The companies that have taken the time to thank their customers are the businesses that I will use and recommend to others. So despite all of the economic setbacks that just about everyone in the U.S. is experiencing, I recommend that businesses keep us consumers in mind with corporate Christmas cards and we’ll keep you in mind the next time we open our checkbooks.

Fond Memories of a Business Christmas Cards Contest

Are you thinking about your business Christmas cards? I know…it’s September and the holidays seem far away. Here at the Gallery Collection we think about corporate Christmas cards all year long and are ready to fill your order right now.

One of my memories of business Christmas cards goes back to a job I had at a software company. We really got to know our customers because of the lengthy sales cycle, which could run up to six months and sometimes longer. Being friendly with our counterparts on the customer side often led to an exchange of business Christmas cards through the years.

Our central office always ordered attractive corporate Christmas cards imprinted with the company name inside to send to our customers. We would add a personal note to the people we saw almost on a daily basis. A highlight of the season was receiving personalized holiday cards back from these customers. In our branch office, we displayed the cards on our office doors for instant festive holiday decorations.

And what was the Business Christmas Cards Contest? Not surprising for a sales branch, there was a prize for the employee who received the most Christmas cards from customers. But there was another prize for the best looking display of the cards. One year I won with a winter scene that included a ski slope, all made of cards from my customers. It still makes me laugh when I think about how intently we all worked on our doors (it was the slow time of year).

Now I work with customers who select their business Christmas cards with care. I really understand the importance of just the right message in a beautifully made Christmas card.

Sending Christmas Cards that Actually Say Merry Christmas

I recently started a side job working in a neighborhood doctor’s office. I’ve worked in many different jobs over the years and the skills used are all pretty similar. Typing letters and transcribing notes is all the same except for the terminology used. However, after a few months it became very apparent that this job was very different from others. The doctor sends out Christmas cards to his patients…ALL of his patients, whether they celebrate Christmas or not! You may be saying to yourself, “So what? Our office sends out holiday cards too.” You may be right, but the difference is that our doctor sends out company Christmas cards.

There is a distinction. In this day and age of everyone being politically correct, we actually pick out Christmas cards that wish everyone a “Merry Christmas.” Not holiday cards that wish “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays,” but Christmas cards that say the often forbidden words “MERRY CHRISTMAS.”

The doctor’s philosophy, which I happen to agree with, is that there is nothing wrong with sending Christmas cards wishing people a Merry Christmas, whether they are Christian, Jewish or Muslim. He feels that he is sharing his holiday joy with everyone he comes in contact with and how can expressing his thoughtful message with Christmas cards be construed as wrong.

So if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, our office wishes you the best of the holiday season, peace and the love of family. And may you receive plenty of Christmas cards yourself!

Self Proclaimed Holiday Greeting Cards Snob

Working for a greeting card company has turned me into a snob when it comes to holiday greeting cards! Whenever I see greeting cards in stores, I judge them! First, I critique the design on the front of the card. Second, I have to feel the greeting card to check the quality of the paper stock. Is it matte, glossy, textured, thick, or thin?

I have seen many of our competitors’ business Christmas cards and can’t help but compare them to our own company holiday cards. It seems I am constantly keeping an eye out for greeting cards and how their quality measures up. When I am in the doctor’s office I examine all of the greeting cards they have on display. When I received a flimsy holiday greeting card from my dentist, I asked her why she ordered her Christmas cards from Company X. I then hand delivered a Gallery Collection greeting card catalog to her!

I often stop in stationery and gift stores to check out what’s new in the world of greeting cards. While many of the greeting card designs are quite pretty, the quality is a whole different story. I can’t believe what some companies sell! Some of the greeting card stock feels like construction paper. Other paper is so thin, and sorry, I must use the word “cheesy!” The printing in some of these holiday greeting cards looks like a rubber stamp was used. Oh and touch a greeting card with sparkles and glitter and you’ll be wearing it on your clothes and face well into the New Year!

I know our customers appreciate the quality of our holiday greeting cards. They buy their company holiday cards with confidence. I know OUR (capitalization = pride) holiday cards are the highest quality material and our printing is precise. Certainly a great value for the money!

Business Christmas Cards Can be Appreciated by Everyone

It’s not something you’re likely to think about until a personal experience arises. I wasn’t really aware of sending business Christmas cards until I worked in a small office where the owners were not Christian and didn’t celebrate Christmas. My attention was drawn to exclamations of delight as my bosses opened company Christmas cards sent to them from both clients and vendors. The greeting cards were happily tacked to office bulletin boards and stood up on credenzas and desktops.

I’m reminded of this when I hear debates about whether or not it’s “politically correct” for a company to send out business Christmas cards. The gentlemen I’d been working for recognized that the holiday cards were a celebration of the sender’s joy and goodwill and they felt honored to be remembered and included in these festive greetings.

Another company at which I worked considered company Christmas cards to be so important that the employee with the most attractive handwriting was selected to set aside other work in order to hand address all the envelopes for the greeting cards. At first, they were struck with the dilemma of guessing which holidays each intended recipient might celebrate. The dilemma was resolved by using holiday cards that expressed “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” in order to be inclusive of all their clients.

The preparations for sending these company Christmas cards somehow transmitted a positive attitude through everyone on staff, making this office’s end-of-year busy season less stressful and more cooperative. In every instance, I’ve noticed that the sending and receiving of company Christmas cards is a bright way to end a business year!