A couple weeks ago I went to buy Christmas cards for my family. We’re a small family, and I wanted a meaningful card for each person. It was harder than I’d imagined.
Store #1 had no holiday cards at all. Store #2 had a meager supply, mostly the kind where you include a check or cash. I wish I could say, like Goldilocks, that Store #3 was “just right,” but that wasn’t the case. Store #3 had half an aisle devoted to Christmas cards, most of which were somewhat offensive and all of which were expensive. Some lit up when opened, others burst into song. And, if you were sending one of these, the envelope told you extra postage was needed.
Given that a first class card of standard size now costs $.73 to send on a good day, sending cards is becoming a pricey proposition as costly as some stocking stuffers.
Out of curiosity, I went online to see what’s happening in the greeting card industry and learned that sales of all kinds of cards have declined since 1990. Southern Living asked its readership if Christmas cards were a dying art, and 63 percent of the respondents said “Yes.”
I didn’t research further; but it seems obvious that the emergence of social networks, email cards, and other ways to keep in touch have had an impact on the card industry. In the end, I found two great cards and three so-so cards for my family.
With these results, this could be the last year I even try.
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