Make Your day - send a greeting card!

A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, Diwali, Ramadan, New Year day or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling.

The sending of greeting cards had reached a stage where there are occasions for father’s day, mother’s day, Grandparents day, Pet’s day, get well cards,  and what is touted as the ultimate marketing gimmick no occasion day. That is a card is sent Chumma (Simply like that) – without any occasion.

Some occasions have become popular mostly due to the greeting card companies. For example Valentines day was a celebration of love before it was turned into a mega celebration and a spree of card and gift giving, all courtesy - greeting card companies like the Hallmark. 

Greeting cards, usually packaged with an envelope, come in a variety of styles. There are both mass-produced as well as handmade versions that are distributed by hundreds of companies large and small.

Hallmark Cards and American Greetings are the largest producers of greeting cards in the world. An Indian company called Archies does excellent Work in India and is highly profitable.

Many people traditionally mail or post seasonally themed cards to their friends and relatives in December. Many businesses also send cards to their customers in this season, usually with a universally acceptable message such as "happy holidays" or "seasons’ greetings".

Types of greeting cards

Standard Greeting Cards: A standard greeting card is printed on high-quality paper and is rectangular and folded, with a picture on the front. Inside is a preprinted message appropriate for the occasion, along with a blank space for the sender to add a signature or handwritten message. A matching envelope is sold with the card.

Photo Greeting Cards: In recent years, photo greeting cards have gained widespread popularity and come in two main types. The first type is a photo insert card in which a hole has been cut in the center. The sender’s photo slides in just like a frame. The second type is a printed photo card in which the photo is combined with artwork and printed, usually on a high-end digital press, directly onto the face of the card.

Personalized Greeting Cards: Websites using special personalization technology, such as Moonpig, allow consumers to personalize a card which is then printed and sent directly to the recipient.

Musical Greeting Cards: Musical greeting cards have been conceived which play music or sound when they are opened. They commonly have 3D handmade birthday cards which play traditional celebration songs such as Happy Birthday to You.

Electronic Greeting Cards: (also called E-cards) Greeting cards can also be sent electronically. Flash-based cards can be sent by email, and many sites such as Facebook enable one to send greetings. More recently, services have launched which enable the sender to send greetings to a mobile phone by text message.

Two Greeting cards that I remember:(Both were pranks that were played out by my classmates on other classmates) 

The greeting card says “You are a legend”. The recipient excitedly opens the card. Inside it is written “In your own eyes”

The second card says “Eat shit” Shocked by the profanity the recipient opens the card to find a message that says “25 trillion insects eat shit, why don’t you?”

Any which way a greeting card is a very personalized way of greeting someone. So greet some one with a card and make her day and make your own day better!