National Greeting Card Day
Sending a heartfelt message through colorful, expressive tokens that light up special moments in the lives of loved ones is a beautiful tradition.
Whether it is for a birthday, Valentine’s Day or Christmas, it can be such a delightful experience to open up the mailbox to find that it contains not a bill or an advertisement, but a colorful envelope with a greeting card from someone you love. And this is the time to enjoy and celebrate National Greeting Card Day!
History of National Greeting Card Day
The tradition of giving a card to a person as a show of affection can be traced back many centuries. In Ancient China, people would send messages back and forth to one another to celebrate the coming of the New Year and Ancient Egyptians would use papyrus scrolls to pass their greetings on in the form of “letters”.
In Europe, the idea of passing notes or messages back and forth to a beloved person in the form of a love letter probably started in the 14th century, in the early Renaissance and the Age of Chivalry. But it wasn’t until around the 15th century that the custom of giving and receiving handmade paper greeting cards really caught on in Europe. By this time, Germans were printing New Year’s greetings using woodcuts and, of course, the oldest existing paper Valentine dates back to the year 1477.
Greeting cards became more commonplace in the 1800s, especially for Valentine’s Day. And in 1843, the first Christmas card was published when Sir Henry Cole of London enlisted an artist to design a card he could send out to his friends and family. When advances in technology and printing processes came in the mid-20th century, sending a greeting card became a cost-effective and simple way to send messages back and forth to friends and family.
With the advent of the internet and electronic communication, the practice of sending and receiving greeting cards – and mail in general – may have dwindled in popularity a bit. But there’s still so much to appreciate about this delightful tradition and greeting cards can still be a special way of connecting with loved ones.
In light of this history, National Greeting Card Day is a great time to take a look at the impact that greeting cards have had on the world, and consider ways that these principles could be implemented going forward into the future!
National Greeting Card Day seems to have had its first observance in 2021 when it was established by Lovepop. This “disruptive” greeting card company was started in 2014 and made its way into the world by combining art with engineering in their creation of beautiful, intricate, laser cut pop up greeting cards. Not only are Lovepop cards sold in local retail stores, but they also can be purchased online and sent directly to the recipient.
So whether sending one special greeting card to a loved one or looking through a box of old greeting cards from cherished friends years ago, National Greeting Card Day offers a delightful opportunity to celebrate something so simple and enjoyable!
How to Celebrate National Greeting Card Day
Passing on greetings from one person to another through a card used to be an important and exciting tradition that has been handed down through generations. Even in this modern era, it can be fun to bring back the old days and observe a day like National Greeting Card Day. Check out some of these ideas for celebrating and enjoying the day:
Send a Greeting Card
Of course, the most appropriate thing to do in celebration of National Greeting Card Day is to go ahead and send a card to someone. In fact, send several! Head out to the local paper store or drug store and spend some time choosing a few cards that are just because you care.
Write some funny or sappy messages in them, then pop over to the post office, pick up a couple of stamps and pop them in the mail. Friends or family members will be so delighted to receive them and their day will certainly be a little bit brighter!
Learn Some Fun Facts About Greeting Cards
Have a delightful time not only sending greeting cards in honor of National Greeting Card Day, but also celebrating by raising awareness for the day! Perhaps it would be fun to learn a few bits of trivia about the day and then share them with friends and coworkers or through social media.
Check out some of these fascinating facts about greeting cards in celebration of the day:
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The tradition of greeting cards is believed to have been brought to the United States by a German lithographer named Louis Prang, who opened up a shop located in Boston in 1856.
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Some of the most expensive greeting cards in the world can be purchased through a company called Gilded Age Greetings. Made from silk and embroidered with real gold, the cost of these cards begins at $395 and can go all the way up to almost $5000.
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Each year, Americans spend around $8 billion dollars by sending more than 6 million greeting cards within the United States and all around the world.
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According to the White House archives, the first official Christmas card that was sent from the White House was from US President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. Today, millions of Christmas cards are sent from the White House each year.
Make Some Handmade Cards
A great way for creative people to get involved with celebrating National Greeting Card Day might be to get connected through paper crafting. Making homemade greeting cards and sending them out to friends and family might be a fun activity for engaging with children or adults. Whether it’s an artform like painting messages or pictures with watercolor paints or learning how to do origami paper folding, this is a fun and exciting opportunity for parents, school teachers, youth workers and others.
To honor other days throughout the year that are focused around the theme of greeting cards consider celebrating Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day in September or World Card Making Day in October.
