The Warm Feeling Of the Perfect Greeting Card!

Are you a sender, receiver or both? What makes you smile? Do your spirits lift when you receive or send a greeting card? I for one am a sender, but I also love to receive them. For such a small and relatively inexpensive gift note, the humble card packs a mighty punch!

Dating back to before 1400, the ancient Chinese and Egyptians used wood and papyrus to shower loved-ones and friends with messages of cheer and goodwill. No doubt, the Europeans with their relentless travel, came across this form of communication and by the 1800, with the advent of the postage system, cards and notes became a popular way to send a message of cheer to others.

Now, all around the world, cards are used as a way to keep in contact with loved ones, friends and colleagues. No one can deny the impact of E-cards as an alternative to a physical greeting card, but the physical version still tops very high on the list of items sent in the post. To touch it , hold it and display a greeting card are all part of the underlying basic thrill of receiving a card.

There has been a revolution! You can find a greeting card to suit most people and designers are always coming up with new and unique ways to make cards more appealing and exciting for the recipient and buyer.

Do you design and make your own greeting cards? What has inspired you to do so? What impact do your cards have on others?

Feelings are so important when we buy a card. Emotions run high as we try to pick the best greeting card for that individual person. It does not matter if it is a close friend or colleague at work, most people really want that card to be special, even if they don't realise they do.

I recently observed a lady endeavouring to find a 50th birthday card for a friend. She considered her friend to be young at heart and in body and mind; consequently, she was emotionally drained by all the stereotypical ageist greeting cards that were on display. She really did not feel they were in line with what she knew about her friend. She stated that the birthday greeting cards made him seem old because of all the old jokes and clichés. I believe she had a valid point. But , aside from the lack of suitable cards for her friend, this highlights my point that emotions and heart strings are pulled when people all over the world purchase a greeting card.