steal this idea: throw a “card party”
I’ve had a thing for snail mail ever since my days at summer camp. We lived and died by mail time, and to this day I’m still excited to see what lies in wait in my mailbox. Magazine subscription? Don’t mind if I do! Dentist Reminder? Thanks for thinking of me! Electric bill? I’ll pay it, eventually! But a hand-written note is to a mailbox what blue sea glass is to a beach: a rare, special keepsake. (Especially as both mailboxes and beaches seem to be filled with trash these days.) That’s why I love the idea of this “card party” that a friend from camp threw for her husband’s 50th birthday:
A few weeks before his birthday, she emailed a big list of her husband’s loved ones and asked them to drop a note in the mail wishing him a happy birthday or recounting a memory that would make him laugh. I sent a card, and it was just one of the many that poured in daily for him in the week leading up to his birthday. Emails and Facebook reminders be damned — this year, I want to be the life of someone’s card party! –Sarah C.
Photo: Nessy letterpress card from Egg Press
October 19th, 2009 at 7:24 am
I’ve long thought that the saddest thing about the rise of email and other electronic communication is that the youngest generation is missing out on the thrill of an actual physical handwritten note from a friend or family member.
My daughters are just old enough to remember how wonderful it was to get cards from relatives in the mailbox, but now they only get e-cards.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Couldn’t agree more! As a card publisher, we’ve sold over 100 million greeting cards in the past 10 years and truly believe you can’t short circuit sentiment. A handwritten card really means something to the receiver…and to the sender. It genuinely is a statement of caring and sincerity. While e-cards are better than nothing, you can’t beat a tangible reminder that someone is thinking of you. Americans exchange approximately 7 billion cards every year – we are the most prolific card senders in the world – that’s a whole lot of joy, sympathy and congratulations! – Robin Bradley, Phoenix Trading