I dare say we’ve all been guilty of it. Dropping off a quick text or email to remind someone you’re thinking of them, for a birthday, wedding, anniversary or other special occasion. Even, *GASP* sending a card that’s been written by a computer and printed out with your heartfelt words inside. I sell my own cards and even I’ve done it (mostly when I’ve remembered far too late about someone’s birthday). I mean it’s convenient, easy to do and can get you out of trouble if you’ve got the memory retention of an amnesiac goldfish.
It might even be that it’s not because you’ve left it to last minute to wish Great-Aunt Mabel’s dog a happy birthday. Maybe you have trouble leaving the house for one reason or another. Maybe your local post office is only open three mornings a week. Maybe SOMEONE has used your last stamp to post off their work receipts (James, I’m looking at you here).
However. Let’s take a little trip down memory lane. Christmases and birthdays with a nice pile of cards stacked up on the mantelpiece waiting for you to open them that morning. Remember that feeling? Arranging all the cards so that they could all be viewed. That card that dropped glitter everywhere and you were still hoovering it up weeks later. That person with the undecipherable handwriting, so it didn’t matter which way the card was, you still couldn’t make head nor tail of it. And remember when you used to get MONEY through the post? Frantically checking the envelopes in case you’d missed it and it got thrown in the bin.
I’m sure most people would agree, we all spend far too much time on technology these days. Whether that’s at work, home or school, we spend a third of our lives glued to screens, according to BBC News. People are having to use different lenses in their glasses to combat headaches from staring at the computer monitor.
So how about changing that. A return to snail mail to mark an occasion. It doesn’t have to be an easily disposed card now. With the beautiful cards produced from original artwork these days, maybe this is your chance to own a small piece of artwork. My 5x7” cards were deliberately selected so that they could be easily mounted in a picture frame. Or stick it on the fridge or a noticeboard to keep as a memento. If you prefer the uncluttered life, recycle it, either in a bin or scrapbooking. But let’s make an effort to go for the more heartfelt and personal touch, even when it involves a little more time and planning. I have a selection of countryside greetings cards with prices starting from £2.75, and am making the move into all cards being in biodegradable cellophane wrappers.
And the best bit? Drop a note with your message on your purchase and I will post it direct to the recipient for you. I promise I’ll use my neatest handwriting.