Lisa2014_1(Choosing the Right Words, in Greeting Cards)

Hallmark is a household name in the greeting card industry, and quite expensive to boot, but one must admit here… some of them are very beautiful, it’s just that they  don’t always say what we might want them to say. “I know I have this problem.” I can spend hours in a gift shop looking at nothing but greeting cards as I feel the need to pick up one after another and read each individual card. I believe that when I go to choose a specific greeting card for an individual, there are multiple factors that go into my thought process. For instance; my current relationship with that person, is it a close relative, friend, acquaintance… or what is the circumstance surrounding my purchase? There are happy celebrations, thank you notes, sympathy and get-well cards… and let’s not forget those that are for the Holidays; which we are fast approaching, like right now.

So what do you want your greeting card to say, does it matter? For most of us, I believe it does. Searching for the right card that says those perfect words… you know the ones that you just can’t seem to find yourself. I look forward to holiday greeting cards, as I absolutely love reading and writing someone I care about, whether they are close or distant, it’s a time to let them know how I feel… and usually that would be warm and fuzzy at this time of year… Christmas has a way of making me feel this way. However, it is not like that for everyone, in fact… relationships become more distant and words become fewer, as technology has had its way with that as well. Grandparents sit by and watch kids play on their smartphones texting or playing games and extended family is sometimes forgotten when moved away, so finding those right words for relatives does not always come so generously for all. Changes in relationships within the families also prove to be a bit challenging when choosing the right words for a card, as many have remarried… not once, twice or even three times, but now have same sex relationships; those cards are far and few in-between yet.

Ultimately, choosing the right words in a greeting card just doesn’t come that easy, as it’s about identifying how you feel and what is important to you. So this is my opinion; if you cannot find the right words, you can search out phrases online under www.hubpages.com , greetings of course, or simply write your own words on a blank greeting card (purchased or computer generated), and you may find beautiful phrases or poetry for free online or in your local library. Don’t purchase a card …. For the ‘sake’ of sending a greeting card; say what ‘you’ want… not what someone else wants you to, or maybe even share a memory such as a picture or write your own personal experience you may have shared together at one time; this makes it special. It doesn’t always have to be a purchased greeting card with words already written; make it your own. Times have changed and so have the lives of many. Finding those special words in a greeting card are not always the ones you would choose, so don’t. Make your own, and remember… it’s about what lies in your heart and how you feel; “Happy Greetings and good luck.”

Make your week count.