I am a big fan of cards. Not e-cards. I’m talking about greeting cards – you know, the old fashioned kind made of paper, the kind that Hallmark makes, and those cards you find in bookstores and stationary stores. I love greeting cards. I think they are the best way to let people know how you feel and what you are thinking. Greeting cards are so personal. You can keep them in your memory box or shoebox for years to come. Can you do that with an e-card? I bet you can’t even find those e-cards from years ago.
I think greeting cards are a perfect way to bring back some nostalgia into this world. You don’t have to write much if you don’t want to, you can pick a card that already has something written for you. Or pick a card that speaks to you and your recipient with just an image, then all you do is write your name – they’ll get the message.
I give cards to people all the time for any and all occasions. I give one when I drop off a cutting of a plant; I give one for Mother’s Day, one for birthdays, Christmas, Diwali, Thanksgiving. When I drop off a dish I have made, I include a little card to say here you go, hope you like it. I love greeting cards. I even mail them occasionally if that’s the way it has to get to the person. I tell you, receiving something in the mail that is not a bill or an ad-paper is such a treat.
I’ve given cards to so many people over the years that once in a while someone will tell me, “You know I was going through some papers and came upon a card you gave me last year, and I read the note and it made me so happy – thank you, I love that card.”
When I last visited Kenya, Mom (my mom-in-law) showed me a card that I had sent her from Japan for Mother’s Day, 24 years ago! She still had it and showed it to me with a big smile. She asked me how come I stopped mailing cards to her. Well I stopped mailing cards to her because to mail a card to Kenya I had to go to the post office to figure out the right postage. I told her, “You know Mom, I send you e-cards now.” In response she just shook her head, and told me not to stop doing those things that makes people happy – in this case, mailing a greeting card.
I pick up greeting cards from all sorts of places. From the grocery store, from bookstores, from art fairs, and even from places I travel to. That way the next time I need a card, I can use one of the cards I picked up – wouldn’t you like to receive a card from another city or country?
I know a couple of people who like to make their own cards. Rani likes to make her cards and she is very creative. My friend Georgina likes to make her own cards too. I have a beautiful collection of hand-made cards from both of them.
Rani’s Hand-made Cards:
Georgina’s Hand-made Cards:
Here is a card that just spoke to me from the image itself. My friend Radhika gave me this card and I knew exactly what it meant! We used to go together to this lovely nursery called Half Moon Bay Nursery, it was our special outing, and we would be in heaven just shopping for plants in this nursery. This card conveyed that to me so beautifully, no words were necessary. I don’t know where she found it.
I love giving Thank You cards too. I know it’s easy to just drop a quick email or text to thank your friend or sister for that present she just gave, it’s faster and so much easier. I get it, believe me! You know what I do? After I send that email, I still write that Thank You card. It may not be as long as my email was (my fingers actually hurt when I write long Thank You cards, since even I don’t write as much as I used to). I just make the Thank You card shorter to say, “Hi, I just want to say thank you again. Looking forward to our next get together.”
Young kids get it 🙂 They love giving cards to people. We have even gotten a few cute cards from our little neices over the years too.
Cards from our little nieces:
Everyone appreciates receiving greeting cards, and most of us keep it forever.
Every Mom loves receiving a greeting card They save their kid’s cards from the time their kids could write. So what makes us think that just because we are older and adults now, that our Mom’s don’t want a greeting card – they do.
Mother’s Day Tip 💝
If your Mom likes greeting cards as much as I do, presenting her with a set of blank greeting cards, or a boxed greeting card set makes for a thoughtful Mother’s Day present. I received one year from my daughter Sri a box of Pierre-August Renoir’s paintings note cards from the Barnes Foundation Museum in Philadelphia, from when we visited Philadelphia together. Every time I open that box to use one of the cards, I think of her.
This year for Mother’s Day, instead of sending that e-card, go ahead and mail her a card, or give it to her in person. Or how about giving a card for any occasion, a greeting card that is. I promise you, they will cherish it for many years to come.
My mother inlaw who lives in Ghana keeps asking me when I’ll restart sending her cards like I used to. Like most of you commented I didn’t think she missed them over the years. We used to send her post cards from our travels. It just tells me that making the time to let people we love know that we are thinking of them is important. A simple card can send a message of love and care.
Reblogged this on Surreyfarms. A serene haven in the foothills of Northern California and commented:
With Mother’s Day in a few days I thought I would republish this article I wrote last year around Mother’s Day about the joy that greeting cards bring to not just Moms but to all of us.
Oh dear. I too collect cards, but not in a good way. My husband refers to them as my “Not Thinking of You” cards, because I buy them but they are rarely sent to the intended recipient. I get out a St. Patrick’s Day Birthday card every March to remind me not to procrastinate. I got it to send to my dear Aunt Carolyn who has been dead for nine years now. I never sent it. I did mail three much needed notes this week for the first time in months. I consider card little pieces of art. Yours are lovely.
I have a collection of cards that I picked up for friends and family and then forget to give them as well. I think I can open a tiny shop with how many blank greeting cards I have accumulated. Like you, I too think of greeting cards are little works of art ! In fact I have had a hard time parting with some of my blank cards because they are so beautiful.
i, too, LOVE greeting cards – fun post! i just can’t seem to part with cards i’ve received over the years and although i haven’t been as diligent, i also love to send cards. e-cards don’t have quite the same effect but it’s all good when you want to reach out to loved ones. thanks, kalpana, for sharing your thoughts and your beautiful cards!
Yes, I completely agree with you, when I am short on time and i want to send folks a b’day greeting right away, I do like sending an e-card, this way atleast they know I am thinking of them.
Love greeting cards as well!! Like you, I enjoy giving and receiving them especially when least expected. I, too, have a collection of cards I’ve saved from friends and family given to me over the years! Thanks for such a refreshing post!💌
Kalpana I love greeting cards! Going to Hallmark store was like going to Barnes and Nobel for me. I used to spend hours at the store just to pick one card. I used to make cards with dried flower petals, with grains, with vegetable and all kinds of stuff! I will tell you one secret, I have a black bag filled with cards from my childhood! My treasure!Thanks for posting this. I wish that the art of sending cards never fades away with this internet generation.
Basanthi, make a card for me with grains and flowers from your newly landscaped garden. I would love it! love, Kalpana
yes ! my preserved all the Cards that she received from my kids over the years along with photos and when i visited Delhi in the spring of 2011, i was amazed to see a “Side” of my kids of which i Know nothing about . My son’s was the most interesting because he appealed to the “Artistic” side of His grandma’s personality by sending photos of Art treasures or Travel photos of Mexico and Morocco etc …… The daughters had their own way of keeping their Patti entertained with kids ‘photos of various accomplishments My mom preserved all those cards/photos for years on end but she gave away all her jewelry and .expensive sarees etc …. On another note , i do want to congratulate Doll Baby – the Sun may not rise in the East on a Cloudy day , but my beloved Dolly has been sending New Year Greeting cards with family photos of Hitesh , Rani , Anjali, Sree Devi and herself every year .and they adorn my fridge like Art work . I specially love the 2016 Card in which both Dolly and Sree are looking gorgeous in Pink Sarees. Dolly is right – there is an Old world charm in drinking Tea out of a Fine China and from a paper cup ……
.
Vinatha Mami, you know what’s funny. When the trend of sending e-cards started I thought I would do the same. So for a couple of years I stopped mailing xmas photo cards. And then I remember you asking me if I was mad at you, as you hadn’t received a card in a couple of years. I really didnt think anyone cared whether I sent one or not. So it was enlightening to know that you did look forward to it every year :). Even Hitesh’s cousin in England made the same comment. He told me no matter what even if I am angry at them he said please dont stop sending your christmas/New year;s card. So now I just mail them out every year, it’s become tradition. I am so happy to know that all of you are appreciating it. love you – dolly
This is another one of your posts that is so heartwarming. Just this past weekend, kids and I wrote four-five birthday cards for a friend who is very dear to us. We love sending and receiving cards and letters by mail. In my younger days, I always painted and created my own card. Now, I mostly send a readymade card but one that conveys the mesaage that I want to convey. Lovely post yet again, Kalpana.
Wow Roli, did you save any of your painted cards? They sound lovely. You should start that up again as a hobby. And save one card for me 🙂
Thoughtful of u