Everyday, besides Sunday, at 2:30pm, a little old man opens the front door to my house. There is a lot of banging, clanging, and eventually a thump as items fall on my hardwood floor. He is my mailman, and the thump is from the variety of bills, magazines, and sometimes the occasional card from a friend!
I’ve talked before about my love for handwritten cards (see post here) and I have been on the receiving end of card giving for the past month and a half. My birthday was in early May, so I was given a flurry of birthday cards, and at the end of the last month I gave birth to our newest tiny baby – our little lass!
I adore cards, and often keep them displayed on our mantle above our fireplace. Sometimes I place them up on a little shelve at the bottom of our staircase, so they can bring me a smile each time I enter or leave our home.
Sometimes I feel like birthday greetings and cards are a dying art. So frequently social media sites like Facebook “remind” us that today is so-and-so’s birthday. We take five seconds out of our day, write on our friend’s wall, and feel a sense of accomplishment. Granted, these online birthday greetings are nice, and they surely make me smile each year, but getting birthday wishes in person, a phone call, or getting a birthday card in the mail – make much more of an impression in my opinion.
Now don’t get me wrong, I sure do love fun birthday messages, however they are sent, but wouldn’t you agree that receiving greeting cards in the mail is much more fun than just your regular bills and junk mail?
I used to spend a great deal of time crafting homemade cards. I had stamps, various inks, and more glitter than Ke$ha! But once I started having children, my time became limited. Plus, my son would take my art supplies and turn my house into a giant glitter bomb-zone. So, after a whille – making my own cards became a headache, and I stopped sending mail to loved ones and friends. In the end, cards in general stopped being a priority for me. I was too busy.
Things got so backed up, that I still have a pile of thank you cards that need to be finished and mailed off for gifts that people sent for my little lass. A pile of cards sit on my bedroom mantle, just waiting to be addressed and stamped. What’s worse is that I started writing them before my daughter was born, but never finished thanks to the whirlwind that newborns bring. The cards are always on my daily to-do-list, but the past three weeks have been a bit chaotic, so mailing them out has been delayed.
After my birthday this year, and the birth of my daughter, my love for snail mail and cards reinvigorated my love for for this art. Sure, I don’t have time to make my own cards anymore, but that shouldn’t stop me from sending smiles to my loved ones, right?
On a recent trip to Walmart, I stocked up on a TON of Hallmark cards starting at 47 cents We have several birthdays coming up this summer, as well as weddings, and a few new babies are due to be born! I love stocking up on a bunch of cards because they are sure to bring a smile to someone’s face – just like they do mine.
I couldn’t beat the price! I honestly don’t know of anything that can be bought nowadays for less than 50 cents – aside from these Hallmark cards starting at 47 cents!
While I was picking out all of my cards, I pulled out my trusty iPhone calendar. All of the upcoming events and birthdays were clearly displayed on my screen. Quickly scrolling through the next few months, I tallied up how many events or birthdays were coming up, and began selecting cards. I also picked up a few spare ones, because you can never have too many cards.
How the recipient receives their card depends upon where they live. For example, if the person lives far away, like my niece in Florida who has a birthday in less than a month, I am sure to send the card via mail. I like finding fun stamps to use for occasions like this – right now I am using Harry Potter themed stamps for the cards I send out. Bills get boring regular stamps!
If the card is for a friend who lives nearby and I will be seeing in person, I often like to give them a little gift as well. Maybe a bottle of wine – or some pretty flowers for their home. If I don’t have time to stop by the market to get some flowers, because I’m home with the kids all day, I might give the card with a nice batch of homemade cookies or rice krispie treats. I’ve even given mom friends who have just had a baby a card with postpartum padsicles (I wrote a whole post about these amazing healing/soothing postpartum pads here.)
So today, at 2:30, when my mailman arrives, not only will be be dropping mail off, but he will also have a couple birthday and thank you cards to pick up. I’ll be sending out several smiles today thanks to snail mail!
Talk soon friends,
Yes, love the 47 cent cards from Hallmark! We recently stocked up and I let my kids all pick out their own cards to give family members for upcoming occasions. I agree, there is just something warm and fuzzy about receiving a note that someone is thinking of you.
Wow I didn't know they had 47 cent cards! I always cringe a little when I see that cards cost $4-5. I'll have to look for these!
I just love when I get mail that isn't bills or junk mail. I had no idea that they had 47 cent cards. That is a great price.
We still send birthday/Christmas/etc. cards via snail mail. It is a dying practice, but we're trying to keep it alive!
We are a snail mailing family and send a dozen or more cards out every month. From birthday greetings to get well cards. I can't wait to check out these cards!
47 cents for a card?! That's such a perfect amount where you can afford to give gifts and the card too! I'm heading out to stock up! #client