Category: Business Birthday Cards

My 30th Birthday – Fun, Food, and Birthday Cards

This year, my twin brother and I hit a significant milestone…the big 3-0! Some people hate getting older and dread the attention that often comes with this sort of milestone birthday, but I’m cool with it. As the old cliché goes, age is just a number, right? Besides, birthdays are perfect excuses to have fun with friends and family…and be showered with gifts and personalized birthday cards…and eat!

I usually wind up celebrating my birthday for an extended period of time. It’s not that I clamor for the attention – in fact, I hate being in the limelight! That’s just the way it works out with the different plans that are made. This year was no exception.

The festivities started a week before my actual birthday when my husband and I threw a party at our house. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. It being our 30th birthday, my mom wanted to do something special in honor of my brother and I, so she displayed a poster board collage of photos from our younger days. She even attached one of our baby photos to wine bottles as favors for our guests. My sister, the jokester that she is, gave me a gift bag full of various items – 30 to be exact, and all of them pink! Even the birthday card she gave me was pink. You see, when my twin brother and I were younger, we were of course clothed in blue and pink respectively. After years of having the color pink forced upon me, I rebelled and refused to wear it!

The next week brought more fun activities, as well as mailed birthday cards from friends and family who live farther away. At work, my department brought in delicious goodies, beautiful flowers, and business birthday cards for me to enjoy. Then my real birthday finally came! My husband and I met up with three of our closest friends to go to a Global Green Expo at Liberty State Park. All of us are environmentally conscious and we enjoyed seeing the different exhibits and demonstrations. That night, we also went out for dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant. We rounded out the weekend with yet another birthday party at my grandparents’ house, where we also celebrated Orthodox Easter (my dad’s side of the family is Russian Orthodox).

As a birthday present to myself, I decided to take two days off from work to relax and do whatever I please! After finally cleaning up the last of the lingering aftermath from our party the weekend before, sloth was the name of the game: I lounged on the couch, watched TV, read a book and did mostly nothing. I also treated myself to a massage, which was bliss!

Alas, all good things must come to an end and it was time for me to go back to work and return to my normal routine. I’m a few pounds heavier from all the wonderful food I indulged in, but all in all it was a fantastic birthday. It felt good to receive so many birthday cards, some of the greeting cards filled with money or gift cards (nice!) And I still have one more birthday gift to enjoy: my best friend is taking me to a glassblowing class in a few weeks, so I guess my birthday will be extended just a bit longer!

Business Birthday Cards with a True Lasting Impression

I am told that my friends no longer enjoy shopping with me when I need to buy a birthday card. I can’t imagine why. I work for a greeting cards company and one of my responsibilities is to do quality control while our many business birthday cards are being manufactured. Apparently, I continue to carry on my quality control duties while shopping for birthday cards with my friends. I seem to care more than they do about how each birthday card we are looking at was produced.

Last year, when I celebrated my birthday, I was told that I continued to quality control each birthday card that I received. I felt slightly embarrassed while sitting at the table opening each and every birthday card, immediately realizing what was wrong with each greeting card. Well, maybe not that embarrassed. Talk about occupational hazard…my mind just automatically checks each greeting card.

However, there was one birthday card that did not need my quality control. When I got home from work the day before my birthday, I was shocked to discover that my company had sent me something in the mail. When I opened it, I was delighted to discover a business birthday card from the executive team of my company! This was the first time I had ever received a business birthday card and was truly impressed to receive one, as I hadn’t yet been at the company for a year and did not even work in the actual office! But because of this nice gesture, somehow receiving that birthday card meant more to me than the other birthday cards I received from the people whom I had known forever.

Birthday Cards Can Reap a Lot of Respect

At a glance, the subject of business birthday cards probably strikes you as pretty dry and boring. It probably did for me, too…if I had stopped to think about it, which I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. Then I saw something really creative that captured my attention in an upbeat way.

I had gone to a friend’s office to meet him for lunch. A red, white, blue and gold birthday card was posted on the bulletin board just outside his door. Since my friend’s birthday was in January and my luncheon visit was in July, nosey me tipped open the birthday card to look inside. Inside of the birthday card below a handwritten “Dear Jeff,” was a Happy Birthday greeting, and below that, in all capital letters, it read, “Happy Birthday, America!” Below that, a company name was imprinted, plus a little handwritten note and signature. Of course I had to ask for Jeff to tell me more.

It seems this birthday card was sent by a business associate with whom Jeff has had many political debates, usually ending in agreement to disagree. I have always known my friend to be a politically minded and very patriotic guy. He described his business associate in much the same way, except for holding views about 180 degrees from Jeff’s. The handwritten note said, “I may not be very good at sending birthday cards and remembering the birthday of each person who I know and respect, but I know we’re all proud to celebrate this very important birthday.”

What a classy gesture!

The Day the Company Birthday Cards Went Missing

This is a story about the missing company birthday cards. You know I love greeting cards and better than that, I work for a greeting card company. You spend a third of your life (give or take) at your job and you should enjoy what you do. How much happier can someone be than to work with something they love? Well, you could get wonderful company birthday cards. We do have a lot of company birthday cards hanging around, but sometimes the mischief fairy misplaces the greeting cards on you.

It was a beautiful sunny day for my birthday two years ago. I was having that “it’s my birthday and I feel wonderful” kind of feeling. You know, that everyone’s going to treat me great and I will just eat it up kinda feeling. I danced downstairs and my husband had breakfast on the table and I got personalized birthday cards and wishes from the family. What a great day it’s going to be.

I trekked off to work and smiled at the traffic. I knew I would have a pile of greeting cards on my desk, including the company birthday cards. The owner, the president, the manager of my department and the supervisor all sign birthday cards. Then they come around and personally wish you well.

I walked in smiling at everyone. Nobody said Happy Birthday, and there were no birthday cards on my desk. What was happening? I didn’t know how to react. The president went by and said “Good morning, Dolly.” No “Happy Birthday?” No shaking my hand? How should I handle this? I didn’t want to pout like a child, but this was a really big let down. We are never too old to want people to remember our birthdays. It is a monumental occasion in a person’s life. My smile drooped a little, but I made it through the day and went home to the people who love me. They remembered how important my birth was. Oh well, I still love greeting cards.

The next day when I went to work, there was a stack of business birthday cards on my desk. There they were…all the birthday cards from my coworkers. There was the “Happy Birthday, Dolly.” There was the handshake. I told everyone that yesterday was my birthday. The company had written it down as the seventh and my birthday is the sixth. Of course, we all laughed and they changed it so they didn’t make that mistake again.

My faith in human nature was restored. My smile is bright again and all is well at the greeting cards company.

An Employee Birthday Card Finally Made This Worker Feel Appreciated!

Employers may wonder whether it is a good idea to send employee birthday cards to their workers. I’d like to relate the tale of the first time I received one of these birthday greeting cards and how much it was appreciated.

To begin with, let me state that my previous employment history consisted of less-than-stellar circumstances. It started in high school when I was employed as an indoor helper in a large garden center. The store micro-manager would stand with his hands on his hips analyzing my floor sweeping technique, occasionally snatching the broom himself to show me the “right” way to sweep the floor – from the perimeter to the center of the store in a symmetrical pattern. You can trust that he never cared enough to give me an employee birthday card!

Then there was the summer job I held in college at the office headquarters of a large grocery store chain. The executive that I worked under spoke to me three times all summer and called me “Byron” instead of “Brandon” each time. And finally, there was the rather sadistic pharmacist I worked for whose only interaction was to thrust a feather-duster into your hands if he saw that you didn’t have any work to do for all of five seconds, or to run outside screaming and shaking his fist at you if you returned from deliveries after 32 minutes when he thought that you should have been back after 28.

After these experiences, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I received a personalized birthday card on the occasion of my first birthday with my current employer. The employee birthday card was signed by my manager as well as all of the members of the executive committee. And best of all, everyone got my name right! What I learned is that my company gives birthday cards as a classy way to show appreciation to their employees. So I would say to any employer that it is well worth the time, money and effort to send employee birthday cards. Your thoughtfulness is likely to be paid back many times over.

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 Temperature: Cold or Warm?

Are business birthday cards more like business cards or more like birthday cards: discuss amongst yourselves.

But seriously, if you get a birthday card from someone with whom you do business, let’s say a vendor, are they sending you an advertisement or genuine focused-on-you good wishes? Do you care? It’s great to have your personal special day remembered and acknowledged with a birthday card. Whether they’re personal birthday cards from friends and family or business birthday cards from associates, you can’t help but feel good that these people think of you highly enough to send birthday cards.

With that said, I do note the differences in the styles of business birthday cards. There are so many different types of birthday cards available, some casual and others more formal, and the styles of the greeting cards can sometimes make a difference in how well the sentiment is acknowledged by the recipient. If I get a greeting card picturing a cartoon tow truck hauling a smashed sedan, I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy when I open it to see “Joe’s Garage” reminding me of their location and phone number and, by the way, “Have a nice birthday!” If I get a birthday card, from let’s say my doctor or financial advisor, and if it pictures something actually nice to look at and maybe wishes me good health and success, it does give me a bright “maybe you really do like me” feeling.

When my co-workers and company executives take the time to handwrite little personal notes to me on employee birthday cards, that really does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling! And, not to forget one birthday card that I especially like – my favorite local restaurant sends a lovely birthday card every year, with a wonderful discount coupon enclosed! Guess where I like to enjoy my birthday dinner with family and friends? There’s that warm and fuzzy feeling again!

Personalized Birthday Cards – Better Late than Never

Even in the electronic era that we live in today, it’s hard to deny the warm feeling that personalized birthday cards bring. It’s a treat to get a piece of mail that doesn’t require a trip to the bank. I always look forward to my birthday for this reason; I get to come home and see brightly colored greeting card envelopes addressed to me. It is exciting to see who remembered my birthday (and who didn’t), and on rare occasions, birthday cards will come from people I haven’t spoken to or really even thought about in almost a whole year! These days, my birthday cards hardly ever contain cash anymore, but the beautiful sentiments inside make up for that.

Last year, I was so upset at my friend Anthony. We basically grew up together, first meeting in middle school. We remained friends all that time, playing video games, going for drinks, trips to the zoo, everything. For my 23rd birthday, I got nothing from Anthony; no birthday card, no phone call, not even an email! I was very upset with him, though I knew at the time that it was a petty thing to get upset about. I know he didn’t forget; my birthday is the title of one of his favorite songs! I wrote him an email message that had some subtly scathing undertones and got no reply. I couldn’t believe it!

A few days after my birthday, my best friend Rhonda threw me a surprise party at her house. I was so shocked and so happy! Anthony was at the party and told me that the reason he didn’t reach out to me on my birthday is because he was afraid he would spill the beans about the party. I still gave him a little grief about it, but the joke was on me all along. Anthony gave me a personalized birthday card with a heartfelt note inside. “Better late than never!” he said to me as he handed over the birthday card. He was right, that was the best birthday I have had to date. I took Anthony outside, threw him off the balcony and laughed.

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.

Birthday Cards Picked by Those People

Are you one of those? You know…one of those greeting card people? I think you know the kind I’m talking about. The ones who say: “I just have to pick up a few birthday cards. I’ll be back in 5 minutes!” Then they leave someone waiting patiently (or maybe not so patiently) in the car while trying to find that perfect greeting card among thousands at the local stationery store.

That’s when it hits you – all of those choices! Should I pick birthday cards with balloons or gift packages? Flowers or scenic views? What about the verse? Simply stated? Humorous or serious? Maybe I shouldn’t get a verse and just go for one of those blank greeting cards. That would be more personal, no? I’m sure I could come up with something intelligent to say, or is there some level of poetic genius expected? Oh and I almost forgot, I need to pick up business birthday cards for a few people I work with. This could take some time.

After much thought, I decide to play it safe and go with the brightest, most colorful birthday cards I could find with simply stated verses. Nice contrast I thought. Wait a minute, what do I see here? A greeting card sale! I must have missed that on the way in. I can’t pass up a sale on greeting cards, now can I? Back to the drawing board I go.

In the meantime, approximately 30 minutes later and counting, my significant other is still waiting or is that him stomping through the entrance? He just doesn’t get it. Choosing the right personalized birthday cards is not easy. I need to convey the right message to the right person in the right way. It could make or break a friendship and possibly means the world to the person that receives it! So I admit, I lied when I said I’d be back in 5 minutes. I suppose I should also admit that I too am one of those.