Tag: greeting cards

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.”

For the Love of Sending Greeting Cards

My friends will all tell you how much I love sending greeting cards. I’m the type of person who has been known to read half the cards in the store before selecting the perfect one (which is why nobody I know will go to a card store with me). I don’t just send birthday cards or Christmas cards; I love sending thinking of you cards or even “Today is Wednesday” cards. Whatever the occasion, I’ll buy cards in advance so I have them on hand when needed. Naturally, when I started working for a greeting card company, my friends laughed and said I must be in heaven now.

I am in heaven because not only are there new and beautiful cards to admire every year, I am surrounded by people who continually chat about greeting cards. “How do you like the new birthday cards?” our Creative team wonders. “Which Christmas cards are your favorites?” asks our Chief Marketing Officer. “Did you see the new assortment box?” questions a coworker. The all-things-greeting-cards atmosphere combined with the enthusiasm of our employees are surefire ways to produce a quality product that I personally love to talk about.

So when my boss asked me to write for our greeting card blog, I decided that my love of greeting cards was the perfect topic. Greeting cards are a wonderful way to connect with people, and I’ll share a tip…I save and reuse cards too. I cut up the cards with great pictures and use them as gift tags or presents. This is a terrific way to reuse a paper product, and anything friendly for the environment can’t be a bad thing.

Business Greeting Cards…A Golden Opportunity

Holidays and Special Occasions come and go…very much like an opportunity. Some opportunities are often very obvious while others may be somewhat obscure. As a business, whether small or large, the use of greeting cards can offer a golden opportunity to keep your company’s name and image in front of your customers throughout the year, strengthen relationships with business associates, and foster goodwill amongst employees. Here are some tidbits for a properly executed business greeting cards program:

Holiday Cards – extend your good wishes of the holiday season. But keep in mind that the card design and greeting should reflect the holiday that the individual celebrates.

Birthday Cards – can be sent to employees as a form of promoting goodwill and adding a personal aspect to these relationships. Birthday cards sent to business associates or customers can be a means of building relationships and offers the opportunity to express your gratitude for their valued business. In either case, be mindful of the type of card that is sent. For instance, a humorous card may not be appropriate for everyone. Birthday cards can be sent to the office or to the home depending on the type of relationship. If the relationship is one that is more casual and personal, then it is appropriate to send to the home. If the relationship is more formal, then it would be best to send to the office.

Thank You Cards – provides a way to thank a customer for an order or a business associate for a sales lead or referral. Thank you cards can also be a means of offering a promotion or discount to customers and clients as a special thank you for their continued business. Thank you cards may also be used to provide encouragement and thank an employee for a job well done. These greeting cards can be customized with your message and company name but should be hand signed and hand addressed. If the card is blank on the inside, at least three sentences should be written with the first sentence specifically mentioning the specific item or deed which you are thankful for. Remember to check for any spelling and grammatical errors.

Get Well, Sympathy, Thinking of You Cards – can be sent to an employee or business contact who is ill or has experienced a loss. Thinking of You cards can be used interchangeably with either of these occasions in which you may not want to specifically mention an illness or death. A hand written note should be included and the card should be sent to the home.

Keep the above in mind and your business greeting cards will surely turn into a golden marketing opportunity.

Keep an Assortment of Birthday Cards on hand – someone will really appreciate it!

One of my fondest memories from childhood was celebrating my birthday each year. Because I was a child, of course the presents mattered most, but I always enjoyed receiving birthday cards from my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. The enjoyment has carried on through out my adolescence and into adulthood.

In today’s fast-paced world, there are many ways to wish someone in your family, a co-worker, or a client a happy birthday. In my opinion an e-mail, phone call, or electronic birthday card takes a big back seat to getting the real thing…an actual birthday card. I think everyone should have a box of assorted birthday cards on hand to reach out and brighten up that special day of those around you.

I am always happy to open birthday cards from family members, friends, or business associates. I believe the time it takes to wish someone a happy birthday is time well spent. Your recipients will enjoy your warm wishes for sure, and what an easy way to keep in touch and let them know how important they are, just by sending greeting cards! I think this gesture requires just a bit of effort, but will be rewarding for both the sender and the card opener. And naturally…this all hit me when I was reading my birthday cards this year!