December, 2011 - Occasionally Thoughtful

Looking Forward to the New Year

Mindy on December 30, 2011

Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay –
Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.
—A Song for New Year’s Eve, William Cullen Bryant

The Greeting Card Universe family wants to thank all our customers and partners, as well as our highly valued artist community, for their help in achieving our goals, and their contributions to our successes in 2011. We look forward to serving you and working with you, and achieving even greater success, in 2012.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year!

What Are People Saying About Greeting Card Universe?
“Got my card just a few days after ordering. I really like being able to personalize it. I am extremely happy with the job they did on the card and the very reasonable price of it. I will definitely order more in the future.” — Beverly, Witchita, Kansas, December 29, 2011

Happy Holidays!

Mindy on December 22, 2011

The Greeting Card Universe family
would like to wish
all of our customers, partners,
and our artist community,
a wonderful, magical holiday season
celebrating with friends and family,
and a happy New Year!

“Bah, humbug!”

Mindy on December 16, 2011

Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Christmas Carol, contains one of literature’s most recognized characters, a man whose name is synonymous with miserly curmudgeons everywhere: Ebenezer Scrooge. His catchphrase, “Bah, humbug!” used to declare Christmas a fraud in the novel, has lent itself to a very modern invented holiday… Humbug Day.

Invented by Wellcat.com, Humbug Day “Allows everyone preparing for Christmas to vent their frustrations.”

For many people, Christmas is a very stressful time of year. Buying presents (and not forgetting the wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tape), making presents, preparing for holiday parties and dinners, family gatherings, special events, more work piled on top of more work, last minute shopping… it’s no wonder folks feel the need to let of a little steam!

Greeting Card Universe can take one worry off your shoulders – we offer fast, easy Internet ordering of all your holiday cards including Christmas photo cards, Hanukkah, Kwaanza, and lots more. And don’t forget Chinese New Year – our selection of unique, custom cards will carry your wishes for peace, prosperity, and good health to all your family and friends!

What Are People Saying About Greeting Card Universe?
“I have difficulty finding nice Chanukah cards and other Jewish themed holiday cards even in card stores, and Greeting Card Universe always has a beautiful assortment.” Mona, December 14, 2011

The “Real” Rudolph

Mindy on December 9, 2011

We see it every year around the holiday season – someone forwards an email or makes a post on Facebook about how “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was created by a father hoping to comfort his daughter while his wife was dying of cancer. It’s a beautiful, sad story… but unfortunately, it’s just a story, albeit it with grains of truth. Rudolph may be an extraordinary reindeer, but he’s got a somewhat more ordinary origin.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.”
—Johnny Marks

In 1939, one of the Montgomery Ward Company’s copywriters, Robert May, was assigned to create a Christmas character for a booklet to be given away to customers in a promotion. May had a knack for children’s stories, and eventually came up with a version of the familiar tale of Rudolph, a reindeer ostracized because of his glowing red nose.

For the whole story on the true origin of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and to learn what happened to Robert May, check out this page on Snopes.com.

Reindeer are a popular part of the holiday season, drawing Santa’s sleigh as he delivers toys to all the good boys and girls of the world. At Greeting Card Universe, we have lots of fun, custom holiday cards featuring reindeer that will bring lots of color, light, and good humor to your friends and family!

What Are People Saying About Greeting Card Universe?
“I purchased three cards for someone who just received their PhD…impossible to find anywhere else. There was a large assortment to choose from and I was extremely pleased at the quality when they arrived.” – Evelyn, December 7, 2011

Benefits of Sending Patriotic Christmas Cards this Year

Mindy on December 2, 2011

There are scores of benefits to sending a traditional Christmas card or other holiday photo card each and every year. But, what about sending a patriotic Christmas card this yuletide season? Would it have a significant impact on those that receive it? It most certainly would since there are a quite a few people who would appreciate receiving such a heartfelt card that promotes a sense of love of country.

The most obvious benefit is that you would be sending a custom greeting card. Uniqueness does show you are thinking about the person whom you are sending the card to. If you were to send a card that was guilty of being too similar to all the other cards mailed out during the holiday season, your card just might come off as little more than an afterthought. Rather than send a card that is dull and the same old, same old, sending a patriotic Christmas card would be the much better option.

Another benefit to sending cards of this nature would be the fact you would be contributing to promoting an overall sense of patriotism through sending such a card. On the surface, this may sound like an overstatement. How could something as simple as mailing a Christmas card with a patriotic theme have such an impact? The answer is that minor touches like this can set a sentiment in motion. Any promotion of anything patriotic will have a solid impact on how the sentiment expands. Sending something as seemingly minor as a patriotic Christmas card ceases to appear so minor when you look at it through this lens.

Similarly, sending such a patriotic card can create an overall sense of positivity. Patriotism can be considered a very positive attitude and belief to present when it is rooted in the goodness of a country. When such a wholesome attitude is combined with the overall positive nature of the Christmas holiday, a card of this nature can aid in delivering an upbeat sentiment that will not be lost on others. In many ways, this can contribute to a sense of community that is sometimes overlooked.

For that matter, a lot of the benefit associated with sending patriotic Christmas cards might end up being overlooked. You will not make such an omission this year since you now know a few of the innovative benefits sending such cards presents.

Yes, there are quite a few more than you would ever have initially thought.