Tag: greeting cards

Birthday Cards Help Celebrate an Unforgettable 50th Birthday

My 50th birthday will be remembered forever and not only because of the birthday cards I received! We have a tradition in our office of taking out the “birthday girl” on all major milestone birthdays. There is a group of 15 or so people who belong to this special birthday gathering. We go to the same restaurant year after year to celebrate, gossip, drink and generally have fun.

My 50th birthday started out rather routinely except for the excessive “over the hill” gag jokes which included Depends, a silly cane, and some not-so-nice gags I won’t mention (I often say “with friends like mine, I don’t need enemies!”). I did receive some lovely happy birthday cards though and I enjoyed reading through each of the greeting cards my friends gave me.

Soon after dinner arrived, I noticed my friend Dolly looking at me with bug eyes, face turning red and not saying anything. I continued to look at her with a blank stare until the woman next to her said, ”Oh my gosh, she’s choking!” Not even thinking, I jumped up, grabbed her from behind and started doing the Heimlich maneuver. It was not working and I felt her going down to the floor. Getting panicky, I thought if she falls on the floor it’s over. I gave one last frantic squeeze and out popped the lodged piece of steak. Dolly sat down and I collapsed in my seat thinking I was going to have a heart attack due to the adrenaline rush and die on my 50th birthday!

Well needless to say, this event has been mentioned every year since my 50th as my birthday draws near, and in every birthday card I receive from Dolly. It will be my most memorable birthday ever, not because of the happy birthday cards I received, but because both of us survived the ordeal. In the future, please just send the personalized birthday cards and skip the excitement! My heart’s getting too old to handle it!

Birthday Cards Can Say More Than Happy Birthday

Corporate birthday cards are a part of my daily life because I work at a greeting cards company.  I love each and every birthday card we sell and lately, I’ve been comparing every birthday card I see in stores to our own premium quality greeting cards. Every time I go to a stationery store to buy a birthday card I cannot help but notice that most of the birthday cards are not as high quality as ours.  I compare everything from the greeting to the designs to the foils and the envelopes, and in my mind, GalleryCollection.com birthday cards always prevail.

Of course, the purpose of sending a birthday card is to wish someone a happy birthday.  But besides that, the quality of the card can send another message.  To me, one of the most important features on any birthday card, but especially corporate birthday cards, is the paper the greeting card is printed on.  Thick and beautiful paper says so much about the high standards of the company producing the birthday cards.  Sending recycled paper cards or greeting cards printed on FSC certified paper also sends a message to the person you are sending the greeting card to that you care about keeping our planet as healthy as possible. That is perhaps the most important message we can send to anyone, but saying “Happy Birthday” with a quality, unique birthday card design also says quite a lot whether it is on a personal or business-related basis.

What Does a Pickle Have to Do with Get Well Cards?

I was sitting here eating a pickle and thought: “I should send get well cards to my brother-in-law.” I know…what does a pickle have to do with greeting cards, or for that matter my brother-in-law? Are you thinking that I want to say my brother-in-law is sour? Or are you thinking that I get a scrunched up face when I think of him? Actually, I really like my brother-in-law. He’s a little guy with a great sense of humor, but he doesn’t really resemble a pickle. Isn’t it strange how one thought will trigger another?

Here’s the story of get well cards and Bobby, my brother-in-law, and how I found out he loves greeting cards as much as I do. A few years ago, I was at my sister’s house in New Mexico and she said, “You have to see Bobby’s collection of greeting cards from you. He has them all arranged on the windmill.” Sure enough there were birthday cards, thinking of you cards, and a few just for laughs cards. He saved all of the greeting cards I sent him and right in front was a card with a pickle on the front, which he claims is his favorite.

Unfortunately, Bobby recently had a stroke and is in rehab doing physical therapy to regain use of his left arm and leg. I like to send him a few greeting cards a week to encourage him and keep him cheered up. So I sent off the get well card, but regrettably, I couldn’t find one with a pickle.

Business Anniversary Cards Used for Personal Gain

It seems that each year my wife and I keep buying more anniversary cards to send out to friends, family and clients. I think we sent out around 15 anniversary cards last year and this will only increase over the next couple of years.

So to alleviate the stress of having to find the perfect greeting cards each time we need to send them, we decided to place a bulk order for 25 business anniversary cards. While these business anniversary cards are normally used in a corporate environment, we liked them because the greeting cards were elegant yet simple. When placing the order, we purposely did not include a personalized imprint on the inside of the anniversary cards. By doing so, we are now able to personalize each greeting card by writing our own little note to the individuals it was being sent to.

Buying business anniversary cards is very convenient for us, as it has saved us on time and stress. In fact, I have a funny story on how the convenience of the anniversary cards affected my own personal life. A few weeks ago, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary. I was so focused on finding the right gift that I totally forgot about buying greeting cards. I remembered this at the last second and reached for one of the anniversary cards we recently purchased. I figured this greeting card (along with a personal note) would be better than no greeting card at all.

About an hour later I gave my wife the anniversary card and was eager to see her reaction. When she opened it, she started to laugh hysterically. When she finally gained her breath, I asked her why she was laughing. She then reached behind her back and gave me her greeting card…it was the exact same one!

Assorted Greeting Cards Will Get me Organized!

I start out each year with the same thought: “I am going to get organized! This is the year that I will be the person I want to be.” Who is that, you might ask? I want to be the person who has a place for everything, and everything in its place. Not the person who has small piles of papers, laundry, magazines, bills etc. all over the house. I want to be the person who quickly and efficiently accomplishes all of those items on her to-do list. Not the person who loses her to-do list! I want to be the person who remembers all of her family and friends’ birthdays and sends them birthday cards that arrive either on or before the actual day. Not the person who remembers the day before, the day of, or let’s face it, more often than not the day after (okay, I’ll admit it, sometimes it’s been the week after).

This year I’m going to be armed with assorted greeting cards so that I am never caught off guard. Whenever I realize that I need to send birthday cards or thank you cards, I can go and find the perfect greeting card from my boxed birthday cards. My aunt recently came to a family get-together and went around asking everyone their birthdays and writing it in a book she had received as a gift called “The Book of Birthdays.” I thought it was the coolest thing. I thought I had found just what I needed to get organized and be on top of sending greeting cards, which obviously is no small feat. It’s basically just a book like a journal with all of the days of the year so you can write everyone’s birthday, anniversary, etc. in it and be ready to mail out assorted greeting cards. No more transferring birthdays and anniversaries to the new calendar year after year. Especially since last year I threw away the old calendar and didn’t realize until a week later that I hadn’t copied over all those very important dates! Of course, then I realized that I would actually need to remember to go pull out the book each week to see if there were any special occasions coming up that I needed to send greeting cards for, and I lost my enthusiasm.

Now I’ve signed up at one of those websites that will remind you via email or text message when you have an important occasion coming up and need to send greeting cards. You can determine when you want the reminder sent and if you need a second reminder, they even do that too. So I’m all set. Now, I just need to find my to-do list!

Congratulations Cards for Ecstatic Sports Fans

Certainly, it makes one feel terrific to send congratulations cards to friends or acquaintances who have special, personal events that are causes for joy; for instance, the birth of a child, a graduation, the purchase of a new house, a promotion or new job. To be the recipient of such greeting cards at happy times in life can provide memories that are hard to forget.

A few friends actually sent me congratulations cards for a non-traditional kind of event –when the New York Giants won the 2008 Super Bowl. For me, the Giants’ victory over an obviously superior New England Patriots team was one of the high points of my life, since I have been a die-hard Giants fan as far back as I remember. So it was pretty cool to receive greeting cards for this occasion.

In my office, there are two coworkers whom I consider good friends, and who both happen to be devout Patriots fans. None of the three of us actually believed that the Giants really could win but, when it happened, my two buddies were distraught. I, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

Now I consider myself to be a pretty upstanding, honorable guy. In a competition of any type, if I do not have the good fortune of coming out as the winner, I make it my business to make sure I shake my adversary’s hand and give the proper verbal kudos to their victory. Back at work the next morning, one of these coworkers was kind enough to murmur a half-hearted congratulations while the other not only was MAD AT ME (like I had thrown the winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress), but he refused to even acknowledge that the Giants were even good enough to be on the same field as the Patriots. Had I received congratulations cards from one or both, I would have made sure to frame them and put them on the wall of my newly-refurbished basement as a fond remembrance of an unlikely victory for my favorite team. But it was not to be. Maybe for the fun of it, next year I’ll send these two friends anniversary cards commemorating the day the Giants won the big game!

Personal Birthday Cards Kept as Treasures in Grandma’s Scrapbooks

My vivacious grandmother, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday last November, kept a busy social calendar. In the Roaring Twenties-era storage trunks that she secured with worn brown leather belts – buckle and all – I recently came across a set of her beloved scrapbooks, which she had begun in high school and continued to fill throughout her life. What struck me was that in each book, amid the newspaper clippings, letters, and photographs that meant so much to her, she had dedicated several pages to personal birthday cards that had been given to her and that she especially treasured.

As attractive as these assorted birthday cards were, I knew this wasn’t why she had held onto the greeting cards. She was touched by how the birthday cards were personalized. All of the birthday cards were inscribed with a loving, handwritten message from one of her friends or family members. “A friend no finer could I find; while I’m no poet, I hope you love me enough not to mind…” reads one in flowing script. Another, from her father, expresses how proud he is of the “strong and resolute young lady” she has become. I found a few poignant business birthday cards from coworkers, one of whom wished her “a birthday as gorgeous and inspiring as you are,” this in the midst of Grandma Tjo’s grueling cancer treatments.

For most of these greeting cards, it likely took the senders only a minute or two to write good wishes to my grandmother. I wish they all knew what that meant to her.

Get Well Cards: Nice to Receive, Even if you’re Not Sick!

I enjoy working for a company that makes business get well cards and other types of greeting cards, but there comes a time when every person needs a break from her job. Finally, a vacation! After a year of not going anywhere except occasionally to upstate New York, I decided it was time that I kick up my heels on a sandy, warm beach in the Caribbean and forget about my work in the world of corporate greeting cards for a week. I decided it best to go at the end of winter, my least favorite season, to rejuvenate myself and try to regain that healthy glow I once had months prior. April seemed like the perfect time. Everything was planned, my vacation days were approved, and I was ready to go! But in the hullabaloo of preparation and excitement, I forgot to tell one person that I would be out of the office…an outside business vendor.

It didn’t even cross my mind that I had forgotten to mention my vacation to Holly, my off-site vendor whom I speak to almost daily on the phone, until I came home. I was rested, tanned and relaxed, trying to catch up on “real life” by going through my mail at home. I came across a few envelopes for greeting cards, which I assumed were for my upcoming birthday. We often exchange business birthday cards with our vendors so I thought the envelope with the Kansas return address contained a birthday card from Holly. Instead, when I opened the envelope I found a beautiful get well card. “A get well card? Who is sick?” I wondered to myself. I opened up the greeting card and found it was addressed to me! Normally, I’d be touched to receive get well cards from colleagues or vendors but since I wasn’t ill, I was a bit confused. The message inside the greeting card read:

Dear Janine,

I have not received any calls from you in a week, and figured you were out of the office. At first I thought you were on vacation, but knew you would’ve told me, and assumed that you were sick. I hope you feel better and are back at the office soon!

– Holly

Now what was I to do in this situation? I thought it strange to assume someone is sick, but her action of sending me a get well greeting card was really thoughtful, even if unwarranted. I was stuck. Should I play it off like I really was under the weather to save her the embarrassment? Should I be truthful and apologize for forgetting to tell her? I returned to work the following day and showed my coworkers the beautiful greeting cards I received. I thought it best to tell Holly the truth, and we both had a good laugh. The next time I take off from work, I’ll be sure to remember to notify Holly and save us both the embarrassment!

Birthday Cards are the Right Choice for Both Colleagues and Friends

Business birthday cards let you share inspiring messages with employees, coworkers, and customers on their special days. Keeping a variety of business birthday cards on file at your desk means you’re always prepared with perfect greeting cards whenever you may need one. Taking that extra step by sending greeting cards to people you work with could turn out to be a vital part to your company’s success and retention of employees and vendors.

Everyone wants to know that their clients and associates are thinking of them. Exchanging greeting cards is an easy and unique way to stay in touch with these valued individuals. If you keep assorted birthday cards on hand at work you will always be ready to send greeting cards when the occasion comes along. To stay organized, I keep a simple spreadsheet with all of my Gallery Collection coworkers’ and vendors’ birthdays listed, so that at a glance I know when to send out corporate birthday cards or any type of greeting cards.

After I select greeting cards for each person, I write a short but personal message. Sending out birthday cards to people you know gives them a reason to pause and think for a few minutes about the person who sent the greeting card. When they receive the birthday cards and realize you have been thinking about them, it helps to nurture that relationship, whether it is personal or business related.

Sender of Greeting Cards (a.k.a. The Thoughtful One)

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.”