Happy Thanksgiving Cards

I was living in Seattle, 2500 miles away from my nearest friend or family member (outside of my husband and toddler) having a Thanksgiving meltdown. I was 7 months pregnant, so we couldn't fly home as we always did to share Thanksgiving parades, football games and dinner with our families in Michigan. This year I had to prepare a whole Thanksgiving dinner on my own for the first time.

And it was not pretty. Pies overcooked, a turkey refusing to cook, chewy gravy. Hubby tried to help and salvage stuffing-turned-to-mush, but I was getting upset. And it was so depressing to watch the parade on a TV screen instead of from the stands.

Then I looked up at the Happy Thanksgiving Card my family sent me with a top ten list of what I wasn't. (The number one on the list was Aunt Georgia homemade cranberry sauce-she always has stems in it). I would have rather been home for the holiday, but the card gave me a laugh and everything was better that day. Who knew the power of Happy Thanksgiving Cards?

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and spending time with the ones you love. Sometimes, however, we live apart from some of our loved ones or not everyone can make it to a family gathering at one place. That's why Thanksgiving cards are a nice and thoughtful touch to see those family members and friends you don't get to see at Thanksgiving. It shows that you were thinking of them and that you took the time to send them a card during a normally busy time.   

Thanksgiving cards are not essential, but they are a nice touch to stay in touch, even with people who live in the same city, but whom you don't talk to often.   

And in recent years, businesses have realized that it's also a great way to connect with clients and create a friendly atmosphere for employees. In this economy, a small business can't always afford to send gifts for Christmas, but they can consider sending Happy Thanksgiving cards, as well as Christmas cards, to stay in front of the customer with a thoughtful touch. 

And Thanksgiving cards are even a unique approach for invitations to your Thanksgiving dinner.

You'll get your Thanksgiving Day card out by hand, by mail, or via an e-card.  

Giving Them Out - the obvious choice for anyone who lives nearby or whom you will see in person before Thanksgiving.

Mailing Them - You generally have time to mail up until the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

1. Create a mailing list including all of the family members, friends and/or business associates and employees to whom you want to send a Thanksgiving card.
2. Create your own Thanksgiving message to convey a personal touch. You may wish to have one sentiment for friends and neighbors, one for family, one for clients and one for employees.
3. Shop online for bulk Thanksgiving cards. Sites like Blue Mountain and American Greetings offer bulk cards at reasonable prices and fast shipping. They do try to cater to the last minute card-sender.
4. If you don't need bulk, still consider buying online to save. Many online greeting card sites help you design personal cards that are really nice looking,, that you can then print yourself on your printer. You can buy special greeting card paper, or just paper in a heavier weight (a nice weight for greeting cards is 80lb or more. This number lets you know how thick the paper will be).
5. If you can, include a picture.

E-Cards - If running short of time, send an e-card greeting. You don't need as much time as if you were mailing them, and the cost is comparable as if you purchased one, got a stamp and drove to the mailbox to drop it off.

E-cards have moved beyond just a picture. For instance, American Greetings has some hilarious video ecards (better than the singing greeting cards that are sold in the store) with MC Turkey singing and dancing to "Can't Stuff This" (to the tune of "Can't Touch This") or the Zac Brown band singing "Chicken Fried". Sites like this have a free membership trial so you can send off a few cards, but if you use it more for other greeting cards, you can get a yearly membership for under $30.

Surprise your friend, collegue, family member, neighbor, or client with a Happy Thanksgiving Card and let them know you are thinking of them.