Category: Holiday Cards and Tidbits

Don’t Lose Your Holiday Greeting Cards

It was a beautiful Christmas Eve day with just a hint of snow falling, enough to enjoy the spirit of the holidays but, thankfully, not enough to cause a traffic calamity. As we were getting ready to leave for our annual Christmas party I was sure I had planned everything that was necessary to make this day complete. As I was going over my checklist, the first item to cross off was gifts. They were all festively wrapped, something in which I take great pride; making sure the lid of the box and the box itself are wrapped separately so that only the lid needs to be removed to reveal the surprise inside. Although this takes “talent” and time (chuckle) it saves a lot of wrapping paper and the boxes can be reused with the same wrapping paper. After checking each name, one by one, and placing the appropriate tags on the presents, it was time to carry them to the car, and, luckily, the snow at that time had stopped completely. The next items to be crossed off on my list were the hors d’oeuvres I had prepared for the party along with my famous, absolutely delicious, baked lasagna. This, too, takes “talent” and a lot of time to make. (Chuckle again). After carefully covering the lasagna with heavy duty aluminum foil, and arranging an array of appetizers on trays, these goodies were also carried to the car. I was almost finished, so back to my checklist. There was one item left to check off. Holiday greeting cards. Where were they? After checking my desk drawers, night tables, credenza and every other place that I thought I may have put them, to no avail, I could not find them. I was grateful that there was still time to go to the store and purchase holiday cards. Fortunately the stores were still open and I was able to select individual cards for everyone on my list.

Is there a lesson to be learned? Yes, indeed. I now have a supply of holiday cards on hand at all times. There is an assortment box of holiday cards that I keep in my desk, ready for me to sign and send. What a pleasure to know that it will no longer be necessary to have to rush to the store at the last minute to purchase cards. These include not only Christmas cards, but an assortment of holiday cards. I now have on hand cards for thanksgiving, birthdays, sympathy, thinking of you, thank you notes, congratulations and more. Merry Christmas to me; this was a gift I gave to myself.

Holiday Greeting Cards Can Keep The Boss Happy

The holiday season is meant to be peaceful and joyful; travel to any mall, however, and I can assure you that “peace” and “joy” are not the adjectives you would use to describe the chaotic scene. While Christmas is for enjoying time with family and friends, there seems to be a certain level of stress that goes along with it. I felt this stress firsthand at my new job, and all over something as simple as holiday greeting cards!

I was hired in October, mostly as an assistant to the general manager. About two weeks into the job, my boss says, “I’m thinking of sending out Christmas cards this year. Get on that.” That was it. No directions. No follow-up. His directions were simply, “get on that”. Being new to the job, I didn’t want to let him down. But I had no idea where to begin! I thought I’d just head to one of those mall stores and buy cards, but my company was comprised of at least 300 clients. There was no way I could buy all those cards, and then write a personal message in each one! (I knew that was the direction this project would take; I was sure “get on that” meant my boss would in no way actually be touching or addressing his cards). So, left with no other recourse, I turned to the one place that had never failed me: the Internet. And there, I found the answer: imprinted holiday cards!

Imprinted holiday cards saved my job! I may be exaggerating, of course, but I was so eager to please my boss in those first early weeks that I really saw these cards as a miracle. I was able to choose a design and personalize a message inside; this saved me loads of time having to write something in each card. I imprinted the company name, as well as my boss’s name underneath. The cards were beautiful, and the imprint really shimmered and stood out in the gold foil I had chosen. Fortunately, my boss approved of the cards with his characteristic nod of the head. He’s not one for words. But the cards were a hit in the office; everyone loved them, and they kept commenting on how happy they were that they didn’t have to sign 300 cards! I loved how elegant and professional these cards looked, that I even decided to order some holiday cards for myself! I’ll be sure to “get on that” by ordering these cards again next year.

Holiday Ornament Cards are a Beautiful Way to Spread the Christmas Cheer

My favorite part of the holiday season is getting together with my family and decorating the tree. I have always put much time and effort into the placement of the ornaments so that the tree would look perfect. I also like to buy one or two new ornaments every year and have a big unveiling of the new additions. Since this tradition is so important to me, I thought it would be fun this year to send holiday ornament cards to all of my friends and family.

Everyone who knows me understands my deep love for ornaments. I’m always on the lookout for my next great piece. Whenever I am in a store, or on a trip, or when I receive a catalog, I can spend hours browsing for just the right thing. So this year I spent hours browsing for just the right personalized holiday cards. I wanted something stunning, with a beautiful ornament to represent my love for the holiday season and the traditions that I hold so dear.

I went to The Gallery Collection’s website and I browsed all of the ornament cards. I was shocked at all of the choices I had. There were ornaments in gold, silver, and all sorts of different colors. There were cards printed on green stock and cards printed on blue stock. I could have spent all day on the website trying to decide which ornament would be perfect for my personalized holiday cards. I was like a kid in a candy shop! I could barely narrow my choices down. I knew my decision to send out holiday ornament cards this year was a good one. Everyone would think of me the moment they opened the envelope.

I finally made my choice among the vast amount of cards that I loved, although I have to say, it was tough! There were so many different designs that I wanted; I know I’ll be ordering my personalized holiday cards from The Gallery Collection again next year. I just wish that I could be with everyone when they open the cards I’m sending. A bright, sparkling ornament is the best way I know how to spread the holiday cheer!

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.

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!

21 Card Salute

Here are some holiday cards personalized by young students in New York for Operation Gratitude’s “Letters to Heroes” program. These cards will be stuffed in care packages and shipped to deployed service members stationed overseas. There are 21 personalized messages in total, and we strung them together for our rendition of a “21 Card Salute.”

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Custom Holiday Cards and New Christmas Gift Traditions

I recently began cooking and baking as a hobby. Last year, I started a new tradition by baking Christmas goodies and making fudge and other chocolate treats as Christmas gifts. It was such a success that I would like to extend this tradition even further, and be able to send homemade goodies to my family and friends both near and far. That is why I am going to include my favorite recipes in the custom holiday cards that I send out this year.

I had never made gifts before, so I was nervous as to how the recipients of these gifts would react. Would they think I was just cheap and/or ran out of shopping time?! My fears were all unfounded, as it turned out that all the recipients were overjoyed, or at least seemed to be! Cooking or baking something special for someone can show how much you care for them, and taking time out during the already-busy holiday season to do so is an even more meaningful gesture.

I would like to send this sort of gift to more distant relatives and friends this year. I thought of perhaps baking the items myself and shipping them, but for the sake of freshness and quality control I thought better of it! Besides, sending the recipes themselves rather than finished products would allow me to tailor the “gift” more to the individual recipients. While I don’t really have time to make 50 different things for 50 different people, I can certainly pick 50 different recipes to share! Custom holiday cards are so convenient and afford me some extra time – time which I can use to select the special recipes to enclose in my cards. I’ll have the time to dig through my recipe box, or just to dig through my memory to figure out which recipe to send each person. Also, they then hopefully keep the card and the recipe and think of me whenever they prepare the dish.

Holiday Photo Cards Put a New Spin on Greeting Cards

While I was sorting through my Christmas cards earlier this year, I put all the delightful holiday photo cards to the side as keepers. It took me quite a while to return to the photo cards but since it was raining this weekend, I decided I would spend some time putting the greeting cards in my photo album.

In this world of digital cameras, printed photos have almost gone out of style. It was such a pleasure to look at the photo cards that I received last Christmas. There were photo cards of family and friends from near and far; some of children that I have yet to meet in person. What a wonderful way to keep our friends and family close though the miles separate us. Digital photos are a great way to keep us up-to-date but how often do we keep these holiday greeting cards to look back on over the years? There is nothing like photos to bring loved ones to mind and to watch young ones grow as the years go by. Whether the photos are included in photo cards, albums or even in a box, they become treasured keepsakes.

Most of the photo cards I received were the traditional pictures of the children of friends and family. However, two of the holiday greeting cards opened my eyes to other uses for photo cards. How often do we say to ourselves “I wonder what that person looks like today?” One of the photo cards was a picture of a couple I had known as a teenager. What a great idea! I no longer have to wonder what they look like today.

Another one of the great personalized holiday cards I received came from friends who live across the country. It was a photo card of a picture of my friends with their new grandchild. I haven’t seen them in 20 years so it was a thrill to admire the new addition to their family and put this photo card in my album along with photos of the child’s father when he was young.

Custom Holiday Cards and Puppies Go Paw in Hand

I have to say, people have gotten pretty creative with their holiday cards and messages over the years but how many people have gotten creative with who delivers those holiday messages? I always look forward to the variety of custom holiday cards I receive as the holidays approach, with one favorite in particular.

For over 10 years, I received a holiday card from Ben, one of my favorite creatures. You might be thinking “creature” is an odd word to describe a close friend or relative but Ben was my cousin’s dog and I always playfully referred to him as her first born, considering how much he was babied over the years. What can I say, I babied him too since I was the go-to person for dog-sitting Ben while I was in high school. We were all attached! Every year as I received holiday cards from friends and family, this unique holiday card would arrive with his info in the return address and a paw print signature. Enclosed in the holiday card would be a detailed newsletter describing the happenings of his favorite “pets” from the past year, my cousin Sheila and her husband Greg, and in later years his “kid pets,” Anna and Danny.

Now you and I both know that Ben was not writing the letters but it made his greeting cards stand out amongst the other holiday cards. This tradition was something the entire family looked forward to every year. Ben’s perspective had a spin to it that everyone enjoyed reading. However, 2007 was a very difficult year for my cousin’s family and the unpleasant and emotional decision of putting their 13-year-old adored pet to sleep had to be made. It is not easy putting your pet’s pain and suffering to an end knowing it is going to be the beginning of your own.

It was difficult for the couple who had spoiled a dog for the nine years of marriage prior to the arrival of their first child. The kids had taken over the focus of attention for four years but Ben was always a beloved member of the family and his loss was deeply felt. The house was quieter, free of the black dog hair and the endless trail of chew toys and stuffed animals. Everyone felt something was missing. The most trying moment came when it was time to send out that year’s holiday cards. Who was going to account the happenings of the family this Christmas? Ben was definitely missed.

One day when I got home from doing some Christmas shopping, I casually rifled through the day’s mail, which included some Christmas cards. I noticed a greeting card envelope with two small paw prints on the front. Curious, I opened the greeting card to see a great photo of our Ben and additional photos of my cousins’ family (the kids were cute too!) Enclosed was a newsletter similar to what I had received for all those years but with a slightly different perspective. This holiday card was from Jackson and Sawyer, two lab puppies (one chocolate, one black) being given to the “kid pets” on Christmas Day. The letter ended simply: “With love from Jackson and Sawyer, in loving memory of Gentle Ben 1994-2007.” I had a good cry after reading the letter. A new pet can never replace a pet that is no longer with you, but it can be a great way to honor their memory. Well, that and the tattoos but we’ll save that story for another day!

Are Custom Holiday Cards Worth the Extra Money?

Should I buy a box of business Holidays cards and fill them out myself? Or is it worth it to spend a little extra money for personalized Custom Holiday Cards? Are personalized holiday cards perceived as being more professional or do they come across as being too impersonal? These are the questions that fill my head when purchasing Holiday cards to send to my clients and vendors. One thing that’s for sure is personalized holiday cards will certainly save time. Hand signing over 200 Christmas cards is just not something I want to do, and I don’t think there’s anyone I dislike enough to ask to do this for me either.

Do personalized holiday cards seem too impersonal, though? I suppose I could hand write a note on the cards of those extra special customers. That will make my holiday greetings seem even more personal since I took the extra time to write a note in addition to having the cards personalized. That could work.

Personalized holiday cards can really make an impression and show how professional your company is. It’s rather impressive to receive custom holiday cards that are personalized. Custom holiday cards should be the way to go for any business. The extra money for the custom imprint is definitely smart investment. It’s really just a few extra dollars…a few extra dollars well spent. If it helps to set you apart from your competition and emphasize your professionalism, then it’s worth it!