Is there such a thing as a 'greeting card test for relationships?
When you care enough to give the best....
The holidays are here and that means eating lots of food, exchanging gifts, and purchasing greeting cards!
When couples first begin dating or fall in love there appears to be a million great hallmark cards you could give your mate which honestly expresses how you're feeling.
However years later it seems to take more time to find "the appropriate card".
A few years back a male friend of mine went to several stores before finding the "right Valentine's card". He wasn't overjoyed with his marriage at the time.
Ironically his wife gave him the same exact card! LOL!
He went on to tell me, "I know what I was thinking when I bought the card for her and now I know she must have been thinking and feeling the same way."
In some way the card exchange served as a wake up call for their relationship.
A card is after all nothing more than another form of communication.
Next year they will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.
On a personal note in my previous relationship my ex live-in girlfriend of 6 years did not bother to give me a Christmas card! Was this a sign of things to come? LOL!
A year later we were done. (Our problems were bigger than selecting greeting cards).
Naturally there are those of us who just grab any card to give their mate regardless of whether the prose accurately describes our feelings. I imagine these are the same type of people who subscribe to the "tell them what they want to hear" philosophy.
The following questions are for those people who believe what's in the card should express their genuine feelings.
If you're having a difficult time finding "the right greeting card" does this mean there are underlying issues in your relationship?
If you gave your mate a card which read "For The Love Of My Life" and in return you got a card that read "For Someone Special", would you feel disappointed?
Would you read anything into a pattern of your mate giving you only (joke or humor) cards while you were giving them cards containing romantic heartfelt prose?
Would it bother you if your lover or spouse didn't give you a Valentine's card? or Birthday card? Would it bother you if your children didn't buy you a Mother's Day or Father's Day card?
According to an article published by Forbes Magazine in 2005 there were 3000 greeting card publishers in the U.S. compared to 100 in 1941. http://www.integrainformation.com/forbes/overview01.htm
" These companies, ranging in size from small family businesses to large billion-dollar corporations, realize more than $7.5 billion from the sales of greeting cards each year "
"More than (90 percent) of all households in the country purchase greetings cards, in fact, the average household buys 30 individual cards a year "
Nine out of ten households buy on average 30 cards a year???
Maybe we have all been duped by some very smart business men and women into thinking we need their words to express how we feel and if we don't get a card from our loved ones we have somehow been slighted.
After all a card only cost $1-$3 in most instances.
So what does that tell you when your "special someone" does not buy you a card?
How's that for psychological marketing?!
What a racket!
It's time I wrapped up this hub.
There's a major sale on boxed Christmas cards at my local mall.
Happy Holidays
