Tag: imprinted holiday cards

My Holiday Greeting Cards Dilemma – Imprint or Hand Sign?

Some things were just simpler when I was single – I knew everyone I was sending holiday greeting cards to and could just take care of writing and addressing them when it suited me. I have traditionally hand signed my annual cards and very often – depending on the recipient – added a personal note. I didn’t have to consult anyone when picking out a design or deciding on the greeting for the inside. Some years I wanted a winter scene or snowflakes while other years I’d gravitate towards one with a beautiful ornament – a personal favorite of mine. With so many gorgeous cards to pick from, it’s always a challenge to choose just the right one.

You’ll notice the overabundance of “I” so far?   Well up until last year, I only had to consider “I”.  Now that I’ve been fortunate enough to find the most perfect-absolutely-fabulous man in the world and was smart enough to marry him, many, many things have changed.  While some adjustments are obvious, some are less so.  All of a sudden my (now our) mailing list just about doubled in size.  The chosen design has to represent both of us – no longer just me.  We also have to agree on the greeting and of course, how do we deal with who signs which cards?

Luckily, friends of ours (also recently married) made a great suggestion which eliminated this problem. Over a leisurely lunch, laptops at the ready, we were able to agree on our first design together along with which greeting we wanted to send to our friends and families.  Now for “who’s going to sign them?”  Imprinted holiday cards solved this for us.  We had both of our names and a short message printed at the bottom of the cards and there was still plenty of room if either of us wanted to handwrite something.  They looked great and our problem was solved.  We also decided to include our new address on the flap of the envelope so everyone would have it.   As a couple, we were really happy with the cards we sent out and intend to do it again this year.

How Unique Are Your Holiday Greeting Cards?

Every year, starting around Thanksgiving, our mailbox starts filling up with lots and lots of holiday greeting cards. Several of our friends also send ecards but somehow it’s just not the same as getting one in person. It’s always fun to open them and see what delightful design our friends and family have picked out this year. I like to guess who sent it by looking at the card itself, so I try to not look at the return address. Sometimes it’s easy to tell who sent it – a festive Christmas tree is the customary choice of one of our favorite neighbors. My husband’s business partner often sends a very distinctive winter scene while his secretary almost always chooses a beautiful ornament. I’m constantly amazed at the variety we receive. There are casual, light-hearted, fun cards as well as beautiful, time-honored traditional designs. Of course, there are always surprises when someone picks out something totally out of the ordinary.

My sister’s card is usually the most colorful and glitzy of all and she has her six kids’ names, along with their ages, printed inside. Over the past few years, we’ve received more and more imprinted holiday cards and we’ve decided we’re going to be smart this year and have ours imprinted too. Now, if I could just decide on which design! We actually have it narrowed down to five or six – we’re getting there!

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.

Imprinted Holiday Cards are a Business Time Saver

I began pondering this question when I received my holiday cards last year. First, I received a holiday card from a salesman at a car dealership I had visited with an unintelligible message and signature written inside. A few days later, a holiday card from my dentist’s office showed up; this one with an imprinted greeting but an equally baffling scrawl below. These well-intentioned efforts to express holiday cheer got me thinking… wouldn’t it be better for businesses to order imprinted holiday cards to send to their clients?

Now I understand the thinking about adding a personal touch to holiday cards to make it seem like more time and thought was put into your selection, but if the person receiving the holiday cards has to struggle to read it or if things just aren’t pleasing to the eye, it’s kind of a moot point.

Having your holiday cards printed with a greeting of your choice and your business name will not only save you time, but will present a neat and professional image. Choosing a greeting to imprint that is appropriate for all recipients is an efficient time-saver, and the professional printing will leave an elegant and tasteful impression with your clients.

So consider having your holiday cards imprinted. Just think of how much your hand and wrist will thank you. And if you continue to get that uncontrollable urge to make things more personal, there’s still plenty of room inside to jot down your own comments (just try to write legibly!).