Comfort on Paper

Greeting cards are one of the easiest ways to let someone know we are thinking of them and wish them the best. We give greeting cards to comfort those who have lost a loved one, when someone is sick and a multitude of other reasons just to give another person cheer. Greeting cards comfort because they let us know that someone is thinking of us and cares enough to let us know.

Greeting cards are always an unexpected surprise in our mailbox or inbox leaving us with uplifted emotions even in the hardest of times. Greeting cards allow us to express ourselves on paper in a way we might not have been able to do with spoken words alone. You can send greeting cards anytime of the year for any reason, even just to provide comfort to someone you care about.

Staying Connected with Greeting Cards

In today's society, we all lead fast-paced lives making it difficult to stay connected to those we care about. Sometimes we aren't even sure what the best way to reach out to others could be, but staying connected with friends and family doesn't have to be complex or hard at all. Simply sending a greeting card can keep you connected with others and show them that you are thinking of them. This not only attributes to boosting the emotional well-being of the person you are sending the card to, but to your own emotional well-being, as well.

Greeting Cards Heighten Emotional Well-Being

Greeting cards are not just a precious keepsake or a nice surprise in our mailbox or inbox. Greeting cards actually heighten the emotional well-being of the sender and receiver!

Greeting cards help us to reach across generation and cultural gaps to show someone we care. Greeting cards mean that someone has taken the time to send us a message and show they care for us, thus brightening our day.

Greeting cards also provide comfort during difficult times in our lives, reminding us that we are not alone in our pain or grief. Using greeting cards can help us put into words what we can't quite say aloud.

Greeting cards are a wonderful way to show someone you care and in turn, make you feel good inside because you have made another person feel good, as well.

Greeting Card Do's

There are some things you should do when sending cards, whether they are paper cards or e-cards.

• Do send greeting cards often to friends and family as a way to stay connected and keep in touch.
• Do personalize your greeting card to make them even more special and memorable.
• Do save greeting cards you've received to remember cherished memories and events, to use in scrapbooking or to use in creative crafts.
• Do send greeting cards for special occasions, holidays, and just because you care!
• Do send e-cards anytime, for any reason as an alternative to greeting cards!

Greeting Card Don'ts

While there are certain things you should do when sending a greeting card or e-card, there are also some things you shouldn't do:

• Don't forget to put a return address on the back of your greeting card envelopes.
• Don't forget you can send thank you notes in greeting cards for an added touch.
• Don't forget to place the year in the bottom right hand corner of your greeting cards to remember when it was sent or received.
• Don't throw out old greeting cards! Keep them to remember cherished memories and events, to use in scrapbooks or for use in creative crafts.
• Don't ignore or forget to use the Internet for its wide variety of e-cards that can help you keep in touch and stay connected with family and friends!

Spreadin' The News

Sometimes it is hard to keep up-to-date with what is going on with family and friends in this fast-paced world we live in, which means it's just as hard for them to stay abreast of what is going on in our own lives.

One way to reconnect and touch base with your family and friends when you send out your greeting cards is by sending a family newsletter inside your card.

You can create this newsletter on your computer and print off as many copies as you need. In this newsletter you can tell everyone what is going on in your life, your children's achievements and milestones or anything of importance that you would like to share.

At the bottom of your newsletter, add a line or two letting everyone know you would love to hear their news, as well. This is a great way to start a new tradition with friends and family. You get to keep in touch and stay on top of noteworthy events in everyone's lives, while sharing your own with them as well!

Five Reasons for Sending a Greeting Card to a Child

You may think that a child will not appreciate receiving a greeting card or letter through the mail, but you would be wrong! Children love to receive mail! Sending a letter or greeting card to a child can help to foster a love of writing and communication in them from an early age.

Here are five great reasons to send a greeting card or letter to a child to get you started.

1. Just to say, "I appreciate you!" Do the children in your life know how much you value and apprecaite them?
2. The child received an "A" on their report card or aced a really difficult test. This can make the joy of a good grade last a while longer and help foster a love for learning.
3. Send a child a greeting card or letter to remind them of some special event that is coming up. This can re-create the excitement of a trip or special event you've been planning to take them to.
4. Send a child a greeting card for their birthday or any holiday. Children like to receive their own holiday cards and it makes them feel special!
5. Send a child a greeting card or letter to let them know you are thinking of them and love them. Is there any better reason than that?

You can send a child a greeting card for any reason or occasion: good grades or a winning game. Children appreciate the greeting cards they receive and treasure them.

Laughter is Great Medicine

Laughter can have amazing health benefits ranging from lowering the risk of heart attacks to affecting diabetes. In this day and age of so many medical breakthroughs, who would have thought something so simple like laughter could be so beneficial to a person's health?

If you know someone who is sick or chronically ill, send them a humorous greeting card! You will be amazed at how much this can improve their overall health and your own. By sending a funny card to anyone, whether they are sick or not, you are boosting their emotional and physical well-being and at the same time, doing the same for your own well-being.

So giggle, belly laugh or laugh until your sides hurt and you are out of breath! Send funny greeting cards and e-cards to everyone you know on occasion and be assured that you are boosting your own health, as well as those you love!

Create a Gift from a Greeting Card

Are you looking for a unique way to give someone a greeting card? Turn that simple greeting card into a gift! Here are some creative ways you can turn your greeting card into a special gift that can be treasured for many years to come.

• Origami, the art of paper folding, is a great way to create a unique gift for young children. You can even add your sentiments right onto the paper, and save money by not purchasing a traditional greeting card. This greeting card is a gift at the same time, both personal and creative.
• Purchase a copy of the Dr. Suess book, Oh, The Places You'll Go! Hide little gifts like money, coupons or gift certificates in the pages of the book. Add in your greeting card, as well. This makes the perfect, unique gift for the graduate in your life!
• Add a small, hand-made coupon book to your greeting card! This is a great little craft for children to make for Mother's Day or Father's Day, but can also be given any time of the year!

Use your imagination when turning your greeting card into a gift or adding a surprise to your greeting card. Everyone loves surprises and by adding a small, personalized token, you are creating special memories that can last a lifetime!

Together With Kids: Thank You Cards

Parents have always taught their children the importance and value of saying "thank you" for gifts received, assistance they've been given and as a general rule of thumb when someone does something nice. It's important for families to do activities together, as a way to stay connected to one another and stay close. Children want to be like their parents, so when they see their parents taking the time to write thank you notes in cards, they are more likely to get excited about the activity and join in! Here are some tips for making thank you card writing a family event.

• Use thank you greeting cards that are kid-friendly. When shopping for your thank you notes, take your child(ren) along with you and allow them to help in the decision making process.
• Make home-made thank you greeting cards with your children. Use crayons, markers, paint, stickers, stamps, etc. to make unique, personalized thank you notes together.
• Help your child if they get stuck on spelling a word, but don't do the spelling for them! Help them sound the words out and praise your child when they spell a bigger word on their own!
• Praise your child for doing a great job once you've finished with your thank you notes and don't give up when you child(ren) aren't interested in writing thank you notes. You want to instill this value in them, so you have to keep at it!

Greeting Cards: A Link Between Family & Friends

For many of us, traditions become ingrained from a very early age. This also includes the tradition of sending greeting cards for holidays like Christmas and special occasions.

Whether it's the ritual of sending the same greeting card back and forth between two friends over many years or a certain kind of card each year for many years, these traditions strengthen our relationships with friends and family, providing cherished memories that last a lifetime.

Keeping old greeting cards and sharing them with family, like a greeting card basket at Christmas time, can be a great way to reflect on the continuity of family and bring families closer together as they look through a tangible presence of how so many things change, yet so many stay the same.