Author: Henry L.

Stunning Business Christmas Cards Make Everyone Smile

When I think of Christmas cards, or more specifically, business Christmas cards, I usually think of brightly colored designs with reds and greens…you know, something cheery and uplifting. What I don’t think of is black, as in a black stock card. I always thought of these cards as kind of dull and depressing. I’ve never ordered one before and thought I never would, but then I saw The Gallery Collection’s design #870CX, Golden Greetings Star Christmas Card. It made me re-think my opinion of these dark stock cards. It really is neither dull nor depressing. In fact, it’s a stunning Christmas card! It’s a beautifully rendered design of a magnificent golden star with gorgeous holographic foil and delicate gold filigree trim. “Season’s Greetings” is wished in lovely gold foil script. Take a look at this design. I know you won’t be disappointed! I just may break my own rule and order a box of these Christmas cards myself this year!

Design #870CX - Golden Greetings Star Christmas Card
Design #870CX - Golden Greetings Star Christmas Card

A wonderful Christmas card from The Gallery Collection is design #145CX, Hometown Holiday Die-Cut Christmas Card. I absolutely love this card! It’s perfect to send as either a Business Christmas card or as a personal one. If you’re into nostalgia, and who isn’t at Christmas time, you’ll love this card as much as I do! It’s a die-cut card, which means the front has a cut-out through which your two line imprint will appear. It’s a wonderful way to showcase your company or your personal name. This particular design depicts a charming vignette of pretty little homes and apartment buildings complete with a trio of festive Christmas trees. Balsam wreaths and poinsettias festoon the cozy homes. “Greetings of the Season” is spelled out in striking gold foil script. It’s so very warm and inviting…it makes me wish this were my hometown!

Design #145CX - Hometown Holiday Die-Cut Christmas Card
Design #145CX - Hometown Holiday Die-Cut Christmas Card

The Thoughtfulness of Sending Custom Holiday Cards

When greeting card companies advertise that they carry personalized holiday cards, it usually means that the buyer can pick out the verse he likes from the free ones offered, have a one or two-line imprint included in the signature area at the bottom of each card, and also to have an imprint on the envelopes. This type of holiday card is pretty standard in the industry.

What can separate the usual from the unique is when cards become customized holiday cards. Rather than use standard or “stock” wording for the inside writing, cards can become custom holiday cards when a message pertaining specifically to the sender and/or the recipient is used. For instance, let’s say a professional football team decides to send out holiday cards to its new season ticketholders. By incorporating the name of the team along with some kind of good wishes for the upcoming holiday season, the team has customized their thoughts in a way that combines the spirit of the season with the sport of football. Any similar idea would work as well.

The main idea is that rather then a recipient receiving the usual typical, traditional message, you would think there would be a sense of excitement when a customized holiday card that is tailored specifically toward that relationship is received. And the recipients receiving these customized cards will certainly appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Design #158CX – Little Tree of Thanks

“More Thanksgiving cards,” you said, and we have added several new designs at The Gallery Collection. We are seeing more and more interest in sending seasonal cards to convey best wishes during the fall and winter holidays. Among our newest cards is Little Tree of Thanks Holiday Card, design #158CX, by Marla Shega.

At first glance the front of this Thanksgiving card looks like a line drawing of a tree, just right for autumn because the leaves have fallen. But then you see the spectrum of colors in the branches, from purples to gold to red, with a few shiny bronze leaves completing their descent. Under this delicate embossed tree is the message, “Happy Thanksgiving” in a gorgeous script font in gold foil.

Design #158CX - Little Tree of Thanks Holiday Card
Design #158CX - Little Tree of Thanks
Holiday Card

This business Thanksgiving card communicates your appreciation for the season. At the same time it lets your customers, friends, and colleagues know that you care about them and want to extend your good wishes at this time of Thanksgiving. Complete your message with one of our Thanksgiving greetings inside followed by your two lines of personalization in gold foil and you will be sending a striking card. The gold foil lined envelopes complete the feeling of understated elegance.

Enhanced by Zemanta

September Monthly Finalists

We’re pleased to announce that 3 Monthly Finalists were chosen for September! Each monthly finalist will receive a $75 Amazon gift card. Be sure to tell us what you think of the monthly winning designs by leaving a comment below; we’d love to hear from you! **And don’t forget, even if you weren’t chosen as a Monthly Finalist you may still be in the running for the $10,000 scholarship.

If you haven’t submitted a design yet for our $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest, why wait?

Make it easy for your friends and family to view the Monthly Finalists by posting the following link to your personal or school website: https://www.gallerycollection.com/greeting-cards-monthly-finalists4.htm

Or, pass on the code below to your school webmaster or someone you know with a website or blog:

Congratulations to…

Rachel Herman of Cicero, New York,
a sophomore at Cazenovia College		 September Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #9636
Sarah Stites of Reston, Virginia,
a junior at Thomas Jefferson HS for Science & Tech		 September Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #9322
Denise Arbuckle of Peru, Illinois,
a freshman at Illinois Valley Community College		 September Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #9301

Design #143CS – A Christmas Celebration Holiday Card

If you’re looking to purchase bucolic personalized Christmas cards, design #143CS, A Christmas Celebration Holiday Card, is a beautiful card for any and all country lovers. This is an updated Currier and Ives type of a card designed by one of our very own artists. Anyone who loves winter in the country is going to love this artwork done by Robert VanSteinburg. It really makes you feel like you are there; riding in the horse drawn sleigh and hearing those Christmas jingle bells as the horses gallop along the country road. You can almost feel the cold air as it rushes by your face, and the snowflakes as they land on your cheeks and eyelashes.

Design #143CS - A Christmas Celebration Holiday Card
Design #143CS - A Christmas Celebration
Holiday Card

The artwork used for this card is a hand painted watercolor piece, lending itself to a very soft and peaceful scene. It also has beautiful silver foil snowflakes falling in the background, which gives it a touch of rich sparkle. The name of the card is very fitting name because it speaks of a happy family enjoying a wonderful crisp winter day and the celebration of a beautiful Christmas holiday season.

Quality and Service Matter when Ordering Corporate Holiday Cards

When you send corporate holiday cards to business associates, you are saying more than just “Season’s Greetings.” You are representing your company with the card you choose. The Gallery Collection has always taken great pride in the quality and beauty of the holiday cards we offer. Not only do we offer exceptional designs, but we also offer exceptional service. This makes our holiday cards a top choice for your business, but you don’t have to take our word for it.

We received an email from Diana Smith, who wrote:
“Your cards are the best. I was stupid enough to try a different company and was very very displeased with their product. Let alone, they cost more for less quality. I will never steer myself in that direction again no matter how good the other cards look in the catalog. Silly me!! I should know better.”

Needless to say, we were all very happy to receive such an email. We take great pride in our product and the services we offer. Hearing that a customer is very satisfied makes everyone at the company feel good.

Our Chief Marketing Officer was very pleased to get such positive feedback. He wrote to Diana to ask if we could use her comments as a testimonial. Her response thrilled us just as much as her original email:
“Sure, you can print my comment. Why not, your cards are the best. Diana Smith owner of Topiary Gardens, Marcellus, NY”

Diana even wrote back one more time to give us a little more information:
“Hello again, I also neglected to put the following in my comment. I am a seasonal company and don’t see my customers until late April and they all comment on the beautiful card that I had sent for Christmas. They are very memorable and make a great impression.”

Having high quality products and great customer service are trademarks of The Gallery Collection. As you can see from our satisfied customers, we strive to give you the very best corporate Christmas cards and holiday cards available. These cards make a great impression on everyone who receives them, which makes a very positive statement about your company.

Don’t settle for less. When the time comes for your company to send holiday cards, you need to look no further than The Gallery Collection.

Tired of Being Politically Correct During the Christmas (Holiday) Season

“It’s beginning to look a lot like the season of the year that generally brings snowwwwww.”

Sound familiar? Of course not. Bing Crosby is probably turning over in his grave. “It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS” is the way it should be. It should also be the way it is in December. Personalized Christmas cards have gone the way of the dinosaur over the last few years. Everyone is trying to be PC (politically correct is the term).

Christmas used to mean carols playing on the radio, trees being sold on street corners, and everyone wishing each other a “Merry Christmas.” What happened? When did Christmas turn into a dirty word? Everything now seems to be geared for the “Holidays.” When was the last time a shopkeeper wished you a Merry Christmas? Quite a while, I’m sure. While I respect everyone’s religious persuasion, I do feel like I am being short shifted.

Christmas is more than just a religious holiday; it is a feeling of happiness and goodwill. If I wish you a Merry Christmas, I just want to share my joy of the season with you. Likewise, if I were to receive a Happy Hanukkah or a Kwanza card from a friend or co-worker, my thought would be “isn’t that nice that they took the trouble to include me in their holiday wishes.” I guess what I’m trying to say is, there is no hidden agenda. I’m just happy and want to share my happiness with those around me. If that’s politically incorrect, then that’s what I want to be.

Keeping the Peace with Winter Scenes Holiday Cards

With the United States becoming a melting pot we realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas. The days of wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” are all but gone. Now we say “Happy Holidays” and refer to the Christmas tree as the Holiday tree. In New York City the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is now “The Tree” – no Holiday or Christmas. We are seeing an influx of winter scenes holiday cards also; a winter scene makes no statement of religious affiliation. Winter scenes are a safe bet for businesses to send to their clients – there’s no chance of offending anyone! With that being said there are some very beautiful winter scenes on the cover of holiday cards. Babbling brooks and deer in the snow make a serene picture that is so nice to see and one can dream of being there to witness Mother Nature at her best. Skating in Central Park is also a delight to see. Winter scenes bring back fond memories of youth when snow meant no school instead of shoveling out our cars to get to work.

When I order my holiday cards, I like to order personalized holiday cards to make sending cards easier, not to say that it is a chore but I always seem to wait until the last minute to send my cards. Each year I promise myself to start earlier but I never do. So again personalized holiday cards are the way to go. I like to sign my cards also and try to dash off a quick note but if I don’t have too much time I don’t have to because I ordered personalized holiday cards! I get the envelopes personalized too…what a time saver! I read that about 20 billion holiday cards, letters, and packages are post marked in the U.S. between Thanksgiving and Christmas so I can’t be alone by ordering personalized holiday cards to save time!

A Business Christmas Cards Display that Caught my Eye

Last December while Christmas shopping for my Mom, a business Christmas cards display caught my eye. But first things first. It all started with my usual quandary of what to get my Mom for Christmas. At her age (88) she pretty much has everything she needs. So rather than wrack my little brain for a decent idea, I called her to ask her what she wanted, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t give me her usual reply, “Oh you don’t have to get me anything; as long as we’re together, that’s all I need.” How many times have I heard that?

But wait, right then and there she surprised me with an actual answer! She said she needed a reading lamp for her bedside table. Alright! I am going shopping! So I headed to the lamp megastore which, luckily for me, was practically in my backyard. Living three minutes from Paramus, New Jersey – the mall Mecca of the world – has its perks. I entered the store and was dazzled by the endless variety of lamps. They had floor lamps, table lamps, hanging lamps, huge lamps, tiny lamps, brass lamps, ceramic lamps, stained glass lamps. It was a lamp lover’s heaven and in no time I found the perfect brass bedside lamp for my mom. So I headed for the cashier, lamp in hand.

While waiting on line, I noticed that on the wall behind the cashier was a display of Christmas cards that the store had received from customers, vendors, etc. There must have been about 25 or so cards. The cashier noticed me looking at them. (Since I started working for The Gallery Collection, I seem to pay more attention to greeting cards wherever I may find them!) Anyway, I said to the cashier “Your Christmas cards look really pretty there.” She agreed and proceeded to point out her favorites. There were five that she and her co-workers agreed stood out from all the others. I wasn’t a bit surprised when she pointed to the faves and every one was a Gallery Collection card! Sweet!

I walked out of the lamp store that day with a smile on my face and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with knowing that I work for the best of the best when it comes to business Christmas cards! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and order your Christmas cards from the Gallery Collection. You’ll be glad you did – I guarantee it!

Design #157CW – Holiday Toy Shoppe Christmas Card

My children are grown and gone, but I still want to go into that toy shoppe featured on design 157CW, Holiday Toy Shoppe Christmas Card, and buy toys galore! I mean, just look at the inviting striped awning and peppermint stick frame. The wreaths on the second floor windows are probably hiding all the elves who are working hard making toys. If that isn’t quaint enough, the bows on the gaslights and gaily trimmed snow-covered trees guarding the store are sure to elicit that old time Holiday spirit many of us remember and everyone wishes will be with them at this wonderful time of year.

Design #157CW - Holiday Toy Shoppe Christmas Card
Design #157CW - Holiday Toy Shoppe
Christmas Card

The unique feature of this personalized Christmas cards design is that it will appeal to the old and the young. Children will immediately identify with the wonderful holiday decorations, and the words “Toy Shoppe” alone will be enough to spark their imaginations. As for the adults, the design will amuse all of them, but those in the “senior” category will remember the days when little shoppes like the one on this card were sprinkled throughout the towns and cities of their childhoods.