The Beginning of the End for Christmas Cards?

Too funny, I posted about this on my blog over the weekend. http://www.whatchannelareyouwatching.com/archives/446

I agree with sending cards out to the people you love, but I think it’s time for us human beings to try to make some human connections (face-to-face) again.

No pickled onions to loved ones this year? For Twilight fans, how about giving fresh cloves of garlic to ward off vampires?

I also blogged about this same subject http://areason2write.wordpress.com/?s=hallmark

We all spend a lot of time and money are cards – and I love getting them – but there are better outlets for our resources….

Here is one beautiful animated ecard for Christmas. It is free. The quality is amazing. You can send to 50 people at time.

http://www.ojolie.com/index.php?ec_id=29

I don’t agree that only paper cards are appropriate for greetings. It is the quality of the ecards that result in the bias against ecards. The beautiful ecards from sites such as http://www.jacquielawson.comand http://www.ojolie.com are good choices for sending greetings when you want to reduce waste. Sending paper cards is bad for the environment. It is more than the actual paper. It is the energy involved in making the paper, delivering to the stores, buying the cards, and sending the cards. So even sending recycled paper cards are not great either. Yes, it is just a card. But all the cards sending during the holiday add up.

@pondering: I agree. Those cards are beautiful, and sending them says much more about the thought behind the greeting. There’s also a new e-vite site I saw (don’t remember the name) that featured beautiful “paper-like” e-invitations. The ability to send high quality e-greetings means that the method we choose to send our greetings doesn’t have to sacrifice the meaning and thought behind it. Thanks for sharing those links.

[...] The Beginning of the End for Christmas Cards? It’s not only the Grinches out there who are saying no to the holiday card tradition. [...] [...]

I just posted this comment on a similar article (that referenced this one) on Social Media Insider (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=119262#comments), so pardon me if this is not specific to this article, but the thought is in the same vein:

This is truly a sad indicator of the times, but I can’t say that I’m surprised and I can’t even say that I blame you. I have never been good at sending Christmas cards, but I can tell you that I definitely enjoy receiving them.

This post is very much from the perspective of the lazy, social media entrenched professional who probably doesn’t have much time to deal with Christmas cards. And I can say that my response is from someone who is equally as lazy and entrenched in social media marketing, but is invested both in social media and in the greeting card industry (shameless plug: check out http://www.rossettidesigns.com/holiday.html). And here’s where I think anyone who opts for an “ecard” or social network greeting instead of something tangible is missing the boat:

When was the last time you shared an ecard with a friend? Can you put your ecard or social network greeting on the mantel? Maybe you don’t have a mantel (or any friends) so it doesn’t matter to you, but there is something to be said for tradition and there’s something to be said for tangible things like greeting cards during the holidays.

Are our Christmas card traditions contributing to the destruction of rain forests? I don’t think so; not compared to other uses of paper. Especially when many small card companies like ours are trying to be environmentally responsible and printing on FSC post-consumer recycled paper.

And in the case of our company, you’d be hard pressed to find e-greetings with colorful, warm original art by an artist who feels strongly about her designs.

So keep on embracing the traditional greeting card, I say. Paper cards last longer and help us stay connected in ways that electronic greetings cannot.

Embrace email and social media marketing when ROI and measurement matter most. But when communicating heartfelt greetings to family and friends during the holidays, don’t contribute to the erosion of time-honored traditions.

For where are we when all our traditions are lost? No where, and truly lost as a society, I would have to say. And ask your self: what kind of greeting would your mother prefer to receive?

[...] Seems to be an indication that people really are sending fewer Christmas cards in the mail. [...]

@chansen i couldn’t have said it better myself

Thanks, Stephen! And it’s @twistoflime and @rossettidesigns if you’re interested in following.

Happy Holidays!

[...] Read more: http://money.blogs.time.com/2009/12/14/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-christmas-cards/#ixzz0Zz7mgpCt [...]

[...] my head hurts. Maybe that's a little too deep for what's supposed to be a slow, extremely leisurely time of year. But it does bring to light something that everybody knows: A lot of holiday gift-giving is not [...]

[...] More Christmas Cards? The argument against is that they're wasteful, impersonal, and costly, not to mention that everyone is in touch with friends via social media all the time, meaning [...]

[...] that? This week I’ll send out my Christmas cards, too. Time Magazine suggests we’re all shifting to e-cards this holiday. The Chicago Tribune’s Mary Schmich (@maryschmich) noticed she got fewer real [...]

[...] downturn. Trends all over the map such as: Decreases in Halloween spending (the horror!) and in the sending of Christmas cards. Obesity (specifically "recession obesity"). Suicide. Rises in hot waitresses and Appalachian Trail [...]

[...] long been predicted that the end of paper greeting cards was near. According to the Greeting Card Association, [...]