Tag: holiday cards

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!

My Dad’s Favorite Holiday Cards Inspired by Mother Nature

Once the Christmas season rolls around, we all come across plenty of holiday cards in stores or our own mailboxes. Some greeting cards are beautiful, others are funny, and then there are some holiday cards that bring back memories and truly hit home. Whenever I see winter scene cards, I’m reminded of my dad.

My dad was a real nature lover, preferring to be outdoors whenever he could. Growing up on a dairy farm in a small town in Pennsylvania, he spent his boyhood days taking care of the barnyard animals, fishing, swimming, and just enjoying the countryside. On snowy winter days, he would put on his skis and set out for school, trekking across the meadows to a one-room schoolhouse. My dad had an endless assortment of stories about growing up on the farm with nine brothers and sisters. When he spoke of those long ago days, it brought to mind the beautiful Currier & Ives paintings of winter scenes and I thought about how nice it must have been to grow up in such a place, surrounded by so much natural beauty.

My dad left the Pennsylvania mountains when he married my Mom. They moved to New York City, where my mom was from, and then to the suburbs when they started raising a family. I could tell that he missed country life. He lived in the suburbs, but his heart remained in the mountains of Pennsylvania, a place that would always be home to him.

One Christmas while shopping for holiday cards to send to family members, I came across some really wonderful Christmas cards. I picked out one of these pretty holiday cards for my dad, a greeting card with beautiful snow-covered mountains, a babbling brook and a family of deer in the foreground. He never mentioned the greeting card to me, but after the holidays I stopped by his house to take him out to breakfast at his favorite place, IHOP. He was crazy about their buckwheat pancakes! Anyway, I noticed that on his bedroom dresser was the holiday card I had sent him. The Christmas card was propped up in front of all his other stuff, so he could see it each time he passed by. He saw me looking at the holiday card, came over and picked it up. “You know,” he said, “This is the best greeting card anybody ever sent me. It reminds me of home. “

My dad’s been gone quite a few years now and I’ll always miss him, but I smile each time I think of that one little Christmas card and how happy it made him.

Christmas Cards and their Lasting Beauty

It’s February and I just put away the Christmas cards that were sent to me this past holiday. You may wonder why it took me this long. Yes, I know it’s been a month and a half since Christmas but I was enjoying the artistry of the holiday cards and didn’t feel the need to take them down immediately. Or maybe I’m just lazy!

During the Christmas season, I display all of the holiday cards that my husband and I receive on the back of our front door. With a little tape and strategic positioning, the door quickly turns into a collective masterpiece of Christmas trees, ornaments, snowmen, and landscapes. Photo cards showcase the smiling faces of our nieces, nephews, and friends’ children, who all seem to grow up faster and faster every year. Also included are business Christmas cards extending season’s greetings from our employers and colleagues. It’s nice to pass by the colorful display and admire all of the well wishes sent to us by friends and family.

All good things must come to an end though, so I relented and decided it was time to take down the holiday cards. I don’t throw them out because I like to reuse the designs in creative and eco-friendly ways. Greeting cards are perfect for making decorations or adding some style when wrapping gifts. Keeping our Christmas cards also ensures that we include each sender on next year’s mailing list. I look forward to seeing new cards next Christmas!

Patriotic Cards at Christmas

Even though I appreciate the fact that I live in the United States and that this privilege affords me the freedom other countries do not, it never made me feel that I had to send patriotic cards as business Christmas cards. I guess being just like thousands of other Americans, I took all my advantages for granted and never gave patriotism a thought when buying any type of business Christmas cards, or any holiday cards for that matter.

Then, unfortunately, September 11th happened and forever changed the way I think about our country and how I convey my feelings to others using patriotic Christmas cards. Whenever I can, I try to convey these feelings along with my pride for our country by using patriotic themed cards for Christmas and other occasions. It makes me feel so proud when I can send greetings using a patriotic Christmas card with our beautiful flag on it. I’ve also sent invitations to friends and business associates for my 4th of July parties using a card with red, white, and blue on it hoping to remind others what the holiday is really about.

I hope my efforts make others stop and think about all the things this country has to offer, and maybe they too will send patriotic greeting cards.