There are numerous websites that offer free and not so free card templates to print on your home computer, most having the ability to personalize them prior to printing. While several types of free printable Christmas cards are available, remember that you get what you pay for in the terms of quality. Think of being in the store and comparing a forty-nine cent card with a $5.00 card and the difference you can see in design and message. Of course, if you are writing you own message, that becomes a moot point.

There are computer programs available for your home computer that allows you to design printable Christmas cards and print them out an mail them in envelopes usually included with the program. The paper that comes with the program is usually scored and ready to fold to fit into the envelope. The problem arises when you run out of the initial supplies. While greeting card paper is readily available through a variety of sources, the envelopes can be tricky to find.

Make Children’s Craft Out Of Card Maker

To get the children more involved in the whole greeting card exercise, you can print the printable Christmas cards in coloring book format, that is without color and have them color them with crayons before mailing them out to relatives and close friends. The personal touch of a child’s card is sure to bring a smile to the grandparents’ faces.

This will also make the children feel more involved by decorating printable Christmas cards than having their parents buy a card and mail it for them. They can also learn the importance of adding a person note or personal tough when offering someone a greeting, even for holidays other than Christmas.

Many times when you buy a new printer the company will include bonus packages of software such as a greeting card maker that will provide printable Christmas cards that you can use from your home system. These bonus buys usually include the greeting card program along with card paper and envelopes. Be sure to print your first few cards on plain paper to make sure you have everything set up correctly before using the more expensive greeting card paper.

Related posts:

1. Keep Away from Printable Birthday Cards
2. Christmas Cards: It’s The Thought That Counts, Not The Money You Spend
3. Photo Christmas Cards Add To Holiday Emotions

Make Your Own

If you really want the Christmas sentiment to show through in your Christmas cards, one great idea is to make your own. If you have a computer, a printing program and a good printer, you can personalize and print all the Christmas cards you need for each person on your list. Decorate your cards with photographs, such as one with your pet with a Santa hat on, or just a picture of you with your family. Not only does this look great on Christmas cards, but it gives the recipient something to hang up during the season for others to see. You can put anything you wish in the Christmas card, some people write a friendly note, some people like to put money, and some just like to sign their name. It doesn’t matter what’s in the Christmas cards you make because it came from you and it’s the thought that counts, and that’s what Christmas is all about.

You can also buy packs of Christmas cards. These are a very inexpensive way to get something for everyone on your list. These cards usually come with a design on them, such as a snowman or Santa Clause, or they may just have a Christmas tree on them, the point is that you can write whatever you wish inside to personalize it for each person and then you won’t have to worry that you didn’t get everyone on your list a gift.

Christmas cards make people feel good when they receive them. They are thoughtful, inexpensive and they’re perfect for when you have too many people on your Christmas list, but not a lot of money to get each of them something. This year, give Christmas cards and show everyone on your list that you’re thinking of them during this special holiday.

Related posts:

1. Photo Christmas Cards Add To Holiday Emotions
2. Printable Christmas Cards Part Of Mainstream Holidays
3. Funny Birthday Cards: Make Someone Laugh On Their Special Day

Since the photo Christmas cards are being sent to celebrate the holiday, they should be a holiday-theme picture. Perhaps everyone wears a holiday hat or the picture taken with a Christmas background. Sending photo Christmas cards with a picture of you on vacation in some exotic location may seem a little pretentious to some, and inappropriate. This, however will depend on whom you send the cards.

In sending photo Christmas cards to family and close friends, there is usually a positive reaction, but sending a family picture to acquaintances, who may not know your family, may be a waste of a perfectly good picture. Odds are it will not be saved at the end of the holiday season. Think before you send. If you wouldn’t want a picture of your friend’s family, they probably do not want one of yours.

Pictures Of Kids On Cards Always Appropriate

When children are in the picture, especially with a holiday background, they are always appropriate on photo Christmas cards. Or if the children have celebrated a life milestone within a reasonable amount of time to the holidays, a picture of that event is always acceptable and the card can also serve as an announcement.

The price of photo Christmas cards is rapidly declining, making them more affordable for everyone. Whether you use the ones that slip into an envelope or the ones that serves as a post card without an envelope, depends on your budget as well as your preference. Many believe the envelope is better for family safety issues.

One thought to keep in mind when choosing to send photo Christmas cards is that the card will last awhile and the picture on it that seems flattering or funny today, may not have the same effect later in the year. The person you send the card to may not have fee the same about the picture as you do, and choose to use it in the future for other purposes.

Related posts:

1. Holiday Cards Celebrate Specific Days
2. Christmas Cards: It’s The Thought That Counts, Not The Money You Spend
3. Printable Christmas Cards Part Of Mainstream Holidays

Whether you want to strictly send e-cards through Blue Mountain cards or create and print your own cards, you can use the 30-day free trial offer to make sure the cards fit your tastes and lifestyle before buying your membership. The membership is separate for both types of cards, but you do get a small discount if you purchase both memberships together.

One of the advantages of Blue Mountain cards is that when you are entering your personal message, there is no limit on the length of the message. It can be as short or as long as you need it to be to provide the desired message. Additionally, Blue Mountain cards offers a small selection of free e-cards for just about every holiday and occasion, available on their website.

Internet Hoax Causes Company Grief

Blue Mountain cards do not send cards as email attachment; rather the cards are animated web pages to which recipients are sent to retrieve their greetings. Recently, an email hoax was perpetrated against the company stating that when a recipient opened their card their computer was infected with a virus. This was never the case and with the way the cards are delivered, would not be technologically possible.

Started with the intention of offering free electronic greeting cards in 1996, Blue Mountain cards is now a highly popular commercial endeavor by AGInteractive, and even though the company offers paid memberships allowing members to send an unlimited number of e-cards and design and print cards, they still include free cards in their selections.

Another aspect of their business that keeps Blue Mountain cards that keeps on top of the e-card game is their continuing reminders about obscure holidays. It is just another way to help you stay in touch with people by send an e-mail greeting for a holiday they may have never heard about before receiving your card. Imagine someone receiving a card on Jimmy Durante’s birthday, celebrating Big Snoz Day.

Related posts:

1. Printable Christmas Cards Part Of Mainstream Holidays
2. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
3. E-Cards: Brighten Someone’s Day With A Personalized Card, Right To Their In-Box

Today’s History Lesson

Have you ever wondered about the origin of card games? Who was the first to call out “go fish!” or “gin rummy!”? When and where did playing cards make their grand arrival onto the historical scene? It is believed that playing cards were invented shortly after the arrival of paper in China. What they designed is a far cry from what you use today; there was certainly an evolving that occurred. Obviously card games did not gain much popularity, as Mahjong is one of the few games known to come from behind the Great Wall.

The next place you hear about playing cards is in England during the thirteenth century. Writer extraordinaire Geoffrey Chaucer was said to have mentioned what could be described as card games in his writings. Other sightings include Egypt and different places in Europe; like playing “Where’s Waldo” in the Middle Ages.

During the beginning of their history, playing cards were designed by hand and therefore rather expensive. Makers did not scrimp on artistry or size; the result was a deck of beautifully painted cards that were almost the size of small menus. It is reported that French King Charles VI was an avid card game player.

Favorite Card Games To Play

There are many very enjoyable card games that the whole family can enjoy. Some games, like gin rummy have different styles of play and a set of rules for each style; you may want to read up and avoid confusion once you begin playing.

Two or more players:
1) gin rummy
2) go fish
3) canasta
4) hearts

Spades is one of the few games in which you will need four people in order to successfully play the game. And, of course solitaire card games only require one person. Thanks to advancements in technology, you no longer need a deck of playing cards to play card games; many home computers have a sample of games installed, as well as games that can be played online.

Related posts:

1. E-Cards: Brighten Someone’s Day With A Personalized Card, Right To Their In-Box
2. Wholesale Video Games
3. The Virtual Credit Card — What it is and Why You Should Have It

You can send a birthday card to your mother, your father, your grandparents, a step-mother and/or step-father, cousins galore, best friends, and even your pet. You can be sentimental, romantic, funny, quippy, and even raunchy. And your choice of characters can range anywhere from Garfield to Winnie the Pooh to bulging-eyed cats and dogs.

Greeting cards allow people to express feelings they do not normally have the creativity and eloquence to say themselves. Even the most shy, introverted person can sound like Cyrano with a romantic Valentine’s Day card. Many a husband has offered an apology through the words of beloved Ziggy, and a bouquet of roses. During times of loss and grief, simple condolences are shared easiest without saying a word.

Greetings, And Hallmark, and Envelopes…Oh My!

Greeting card companies American Greetings and Hallmark have become the two major powerhouses in a once thought to be minuscule industry. This industry has, in recent years fused with current technology and created e-cards. There is no such thing as last minute cards when you can send anyone a quick “hello” or “Happy Birthday” at any time of the day. You can usually schedule an e-card to be delivered on a certain day. And may web sites offer this service at no additional cost.

Feeling artistic and creatively inspired? Add a personalized touch to your loved one’s greeting card by making it yourself. You do not have to pull out the sequins, glitter, and your trusty glue gun; ribbons and a one hole punch can help you create a miniature story book that will sweep your recipient down a wonderful trail of nostalgia and happy memories.

There is not any particular way or formula to choosing the right greeting card. If you are purchasing more than one card, it might be a good idea to make a list of whom you are browsing for.

Related posts:

1. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
2. How to Freelance for Companies like Hallmark Cards
3. Keep Away from Printable Birthday Cards

Arts and Crafts

If you’re in to crafts and feel like a printable birthday card will be more fun to embellish; leave that for your kids to do. Printing out a birthday card and letting the kids go wild with glitter glue, beads and sequins in fine for 5 year olds. If you are so inclined toward an artistic card, make it from scratch. Gather some supplies, some inspiration online or at scrapbook or crafts stores and really make your greeting stand out.

Ink

The other downside of printable greeting cards is that the good ones don’t really work out cheaper but they look it! Factor in the amount of colored ink that a nice card takes and you would have been better off getting something from Factory Card and Party Outlet for 59 cents! The price wouldn’t be at the back of the card unlike Hallmark and the others and you would still be saving some dough.

This holds true especially if one color is predominant in your printable birthday card. Say it has a beach theme and there is a lot of blue in the card. Your printable birthday card may run through the printer but the blue may get switched to another color if your color cartridge is low on ink. Good quality cartridges aren’t cheap, so you may have to replace the entire cartridge because you needed too much blue for a printable birthday card.

Apart from making it the base for your children’s art work, another way you can use printable birthday cards is just by copying and pasting a cute graphic, font or message and printing that portion only to put on your hand made card. That way you have something you spent time on plus a little help from a professional artist or writer.

If sending cards on time is one of your weaknesses; stock up on all-occasion blank cards or a few for every occasion and set up a reminder on your computer. This way, you will not have to resort to a cheap printable birthday card on the eve of your loved ones big day.

Related posts:

1. Printable Christmas Cards Part Of Mainstream Holidays
2. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
3. Blue Mountain Cards Offers Product Choices

If people do not have a holiday to celebrate, they tend to make them up such as Winter-een-mas, celebrated at the end of January, it is a weeklong holiday for electronic gaming. Although there may be no commercially available holiday cards for this particular celebration, there were comic books to commemorate the occasion.

While Friday the 13th is not an official holiday, the first one of the year is being called Blame Someone Else Day and a few electronic greeting card companies are doing their best to see it catch on. Many people place a lot of blame on the card companies for devising, or at least promoting some of the more obscure holidays in order to increase the sale of holiday cards.

Holiday Cards Sizzle On Certain Holidays

Mother’s Day is the number one sales day for holiday cards with Christmas running a close second. Some of the holidays, however being blamed on greeting card companies include Sweetest Day, the third Saturday in October in Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, and Mother-In-Law’s Day celebrated the fourth Sunday in October in Germany.

Former President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the Sunday after Labor Day in September as Grandparent’s Day and Dan O’Keefe, a Reader’s Digest writer and editor came up with Festivus to be held December 23rd, which became part of Seinfeld television show script written by his son, which begins with the airing of grievances and the test of strength after the Festivus meal. This is when wrestling takes place with family members attempting to pin the head of the household to the floor. While there has not been a rush of holiday cards for Festivus, it was meant to be a holiday to bypass the hustle and bustle of Christmas day.

While many personal greetings are sent out in holiday cards, many businesses often send out greetings on special holidays as a means of keeping in touch with customers. Traditionally, Christmas is the biggest time of year for businesses to send out holiday cards, however some will also send cards for other national holidays.

Related posts:

1. Photo Christmas Cards Add To Holiday Emotions
2. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
3. Blue Mountain Cards Offers Product Choices

Writing for greeting card companies like Hallmark can be lucrative if you get your foot in the door and continue to provide top quality work. Here are some tips to help.

Step 1: Pen It Down

Chalk out some time when you can sit down and actually write all the funny, emotional or other types of greeting card wordings down. Don’t let them just float round in your head. They may seem great in your mind; but putting them down on paper is the actual acid test. Write down as many of the ideas you have before going on to step 2.

Step 2: Visit a Hallmark or other Card Store

Look at the kind of cards that have made the cut and are selling in Hallmark card stores. Look in the areas that interest you the most. Are you a birthday-humor kind of person or do you prefer inspirational, motivating quotes? Research the options and honestly ask yourself if your material is unique and as good as the competition. It may be that you have thought of a great ‘turning 40’ joke, but other people beat you to it.

The reason why this isn’t the first step is that if you see dozens of Hallmark cards in a day, they might fog your own thoughts and you might end up churning very similar punch lines.

Step 3: Read Submission Guidelines

Most card companies like Hallmark have writers and artists guidelines on their website. Read them carefully and see if your work (step 1) needs any fine tuning. Many companies do NOT like rhyming poetry so in case that’s where the bulk of your work is concentrated in, change course or change the company.

If you are an artist and aspire to have your cartoons or landscapes on Hallmark cards, read the guidelines for instructions about what art medium you can use and whether you can submit it electronically or do you need to snail mail it. Find out if and how the work will be returned in case it isn’t chosen.

Make a note of when to expect a response. After that date, send a polite follow-up letter to see if the company has made its decision.

Very few submissions are selected because of the sheer volume companies receive. Nevertheless, if you stay motivated and keep on trying, you never know which punch line or picture wins over an editor. Good Luck!

Related posts:

1. Greeting Cards: From Puns To Sonnets And Back Again
2. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
3. Keep Away from Printable Birthday Cards

You do not have to be Ernest Hemingway to experience the pangs of writer’s block. It is especially common when you are searching the cosmos (or your brain) for a few inspirational words.

Thank you cards seem to be the most difficult to write; you want the recipient to know how appreciative and touched you are. However, like most others, you do not want your note to sound contrived or be a “cookie cutter” response.

Properness And The Use Of Shrimp Forks

Another concern you may have is in regards to time; there are definitely rules of etiquette for thank you cards. What is the appropriate amount of time that may pass before you risk being pointed at and blacklisted for your gratitude tardiness? The simple answer is as soon as possible. For those who need something more specific, two to three weeks is generally the accepted period of time you have to get those thank you cards out.

If you are having some difficulty with wording your notes of thanks, consider incorporating an inspirational quote or saying. The sonnets by Shakespeare have long been a treasure trove greeting cards, speeches, and lovesick hopeless romantics. You may prefer something with more religious undertones. The book of Psalms in the Bible is filled with very eloquent and appropriate verses that you can utilize.

A Few Tips Of The Trade

1) Add a personal touch to your thank you cards. Choose note cards or stationary that shows off your unique personality.

2) Be sure to make mention of the gift in your note. If it is an article of clothing, you might add how versatile and useful the item is.

3) Avoid pre-printed thank you notes, unless you are a newlywed with a long guest list. Your guests will understand, but be sure sign each one and write in the address yourself.

4) Honesty is always the best policy, but tact is a good sidekick to have. Be respectful of the giver, even if you did not like said gift. Thank them for thinking of you, sign it and be done. This is a situation that can get very sticky very fast.

Related posts:

1. Christmas Cards: It’s The Thought That Counts, Not The Money You Spend
2. Greeting Cards: What A Way To Show Someone You Care
3. How to Freelance for Companies like Hallmark Cards