Greeting Cards and Writing Something Worth Keeping

GIFTS · GLOBAL

Greeting Cards and Writing Something Worth Keeping

Why the message matters more, humour and tone, occasions and recycling

Cards are chosen carefully and written in four words, which is the wrong way round, because the message is the part that gets kept.

The message does the work

Something specific beats something eloquent. A detail only you would know, a thing they did that you were grateful for, a memory. Three or four sentences is plenty.

People keep cards that say something about them and recycle cards that say happy birthday from everyone.

Humour

Rude and funny cards work for people who will find them funny and land badly with everyone else. Age jokes in particular are risky beyond the friend who will laugh.

When in doubt about tone, a plain card with a warm message is never wrong.

Difficult occasions

For bereavement, say the person's name and something specific about them. People who are grieving generally want the person spoken about rather than avoided, and a card that says nothing is a missed opportunity.

For illness, avoid instructing them to stay positive. Offering something concrete — a lift, a meal, a specific day — is worth more than good wishes.

Timing

A card that arrives late is better than none, and a card sent for no occasion is remembered longer than one sent for an obvious one.

Practical

Write the card before buying the stamp, since an unwritten card in a drawer is the most common failure. Check postal deadlines in December.

Keeping track

A list of birthdays transferred each January, with a reminder a week ahead, is the whole system. Almost every missed card is one that was never written down.

Buy a few blank cards to keep in a drawer, which covers anything unexpected.

Cards for children

Children keep cards with money, stickers or a drawing in them, and money is best given by transfer to a parent rather than posted. Check postal rules before sending anything valuable.

A card addressed to the child by name matters more to them than the design does.

Alternatives

A letter, a voice note or a photograph posted are all remembered longer than a shop-bought card, and cost less.

Sending abroad

International post takes considerably longer than people expect, particularly in December. Check the deadlines and allow extra, since a card arriving in January is a small disappointment.

Avoid anything bulky inside an envelope, which attracts a surcharge and frequently arrives damaged.

Recycling

Glitter and foil make a card unrecyclable. Plain card and paper envelopes recycle, and many shops run card recycling schemes in January.

Cut the fronts off and reuse them as gift tags.

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