Occasionally Thoughtful

Facebook is asking some of its users to create a new kind of birthday greeting, one with more of a personal touch. Rather than the generic repetition of brief text messages from hundreds of Facebook friends, this new option lets users create a video up to 20 seconds in length. This is only available for some iOS users at the moment, although other operating systems like Android are likely to follow (as reported by TheNextWeb).

Birthday videos may be the start of a new focus for the social site, a move toward more personal input. Creating videos takes a bit of added effort on the user’s part, and the clips hopefully would convey greater meaning than a text message, not to mention the chance for genuine sentiment.

For those able to test the feature, the page for birthday listings now has an icon of an old-fashioned movie camera, complete with double film reels on top — an interesting choice for a digital function yet easily recognizable. Just click the icon to record your message. You can also review the video before posting it to the recipient’s page.

This attempt to bring more feeling to Facebook birthday greetings could be a welcome change. It shows more input on the sender’s part and can certainly convey more than something like, “Happy Birthday, hope you have a great day!!” However, it won’t necessarily cut down on the considerable stream of greetings that users with high numbers of friends are likely to receive. Worse, those videos risk getting lost in that endless stream, wasting the effort put into them. Someone could also end up with a plethora of videos as meaningless as generic texts, video versions of “You’re the best, have a great day!” that require more time to review.

Traditional birthday cards (the paper kind sent through traditional mail) may seem old-fashioned to some, but they’re unmatched for conveying feeling. In a digital age where everything moves faster and faster, including the generic birthday greeting, sending a traditional card says so much more.

Life for many has become a harried, multitasked blur. Hurry along to the next thing or you might miss out. The problem is that such a pace doesn’t allow time to savor anything, to reflect or to truly enjoy. Imagine the surprise and appreciation when your most “connected” friend or family member receives a card in the mail. Whether funny or sentimental, a traditional card shows that you took the time to go to the store (online or brick & mortar), to pick out the perfect greeting and to write a message; even if it’s a brief message, it still involves more than a digital click. Taking the time to convey your feelings with a traditional card could make all the difference in someone’s day.

Every month, Greeting Card Universe hosts a Design Challenge for our artist community. Cards can be designed for any category so long as they incorporate a specified theme. Winners are selected by a panel of judges. The theme for September was: Costumes!

The winners for September 2015 are:
First Place: Barbara Schreiber

Second Place: Julia Bryant

These cards along with previous winners can be found on our Design Challenge Pinterest board.

Congratulations to the two winners and thank you to everyone that participated in this contest!

How would you like to receive a birthday card from the Queen of England?  Did you know that each year, Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth sends some 50,000 greeting cards celebrating citizens’ special birthdays and anniversaries. This royal tradition began in 1917, and Queen Elizabeth has sent cards since her coronation in 1953. In 2015, she became the longest-ruling monarch and achieved the milestone of sending the millionth greeting card to her country people (according to this announcement)!

If you’d like to join the ranks of the lucky million, you must be a current citizen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or one of England’s 26 realms and overseas territories. If you live anywhere from the Sandwich Islands to Tuvalu, the queen will send you a card, but it might take longer to arrive.

Congratulatory messages are only sent to citizens who are celebrating milestone anniversaries and birthdays. If you’ve been married for 60 years or more, you could qualify. Cards are sent by special delivery to those celebrating diamond and platinum anniversaries after 60, 65 or 70 years of marriage. Folks who have enjoyed more than 70 years of marital bliss receive cards annually. In 2006, one couple received a card for their 83rd anniversary.
If you have a special birthday coming up, you can request a card too. The Royal Household graciously sends cards to centenarians on their 100th and 105th birthdays and each year thereafter. With people living longer, your chances of receiving a royal birthday card are only improving. So many Brits are opening cards these days that the queen hired extra staff. Last year was the best yet with some 53,000 birthday and anniversary cards sent through the Royal Mail. In fact, the queen is mailing twice as many cards as she did 10 years ago.

Centenarians in the UK are automatically added to the list by the state pension office. Others may complete an application and submit it online or by mail. If you aren’t added automatically, you’ll need to send a copy of your birth certificate or marriage license.

Great care is taken when sending congratulatory cards. Twins have received royal birthday cards, and the queen has made sure that each one received a unique message. Likewise, recipients who have been on the list for several years receive a different greeting each time.

The cards display the royal coat of arms, the recipient’s name, a personalized birthday message and the queen’s signature printed on fine white stationery. A picture of her majesty adorns the front. One 109-year-old woman complained that four of her five cards had the same photograph. She was later visited by Prince William.

There’s no question that this is a very special tradition. Centenarians in Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Sweden and the United States receive recognition from presidents and prime ministers. Some countries even provide money or silver trophies, but none of these traditions are carried out with Queen Elizabeth’s class or style.