‘Tis the season for merry gatherings, warm hugs, and cheery gifts. Minus the gatherings, hugs, and *gasp* unsanitized presents. Probably, you’ve accepted that this holiday season will be much different from the rest. It's hard to reflect back on our year or wonder about the future without worry and, due to political polarization, heated discussions springing up.
We need a break. A holiday, even a socially distanced one, will do. The weight and stress caused by the virus piled on top of a new and complicated school year can be felt even through the Google Meet camera.
We don’t need big gatherings to spread holiday cheer; a simple card will do just as well. While it might not seem like much, you’d be surprised by the amount of joy these cards spread. Getting yet another family’s holiday card in the mail, or being sent a candy-gram, a card will definitely brighten up a day (at least a few seconds).
However, what is the line between spreading positivity and being totally ignorant? It might not seem like the best idea in the midst of all this chaos and panic. I know, I already gushed about how important it is to spread love to everyone, but it's so easy to go over the edge and be offensive to someone, especially when a lot of people are in delicate situations. I bet you can’t scroll through a couple posts about the pandemic or any other major event on social media without encountering chains upon chains of disagreements in the comments. The greeting card industries and families wanting to send holiday cards out have to choose what kind of message they want to send out.
Hallmark, Minted, and Shutterfly already shifted into writing more sincere and empathetic messages to harmonize with the tough situations of many around the world. People’s reaction to messages on cards are surely observed through social media by card writers. Many people want to send a lighthearted message through their cards, while others want to send their condolences.
Before the virus made its rounds around the world, the card industry was slowly declining in sales. However, as the virus it hit, sales rose rapidly as more and more people wanted to connect with the people they cannot physically approach, much less touch. The demand is such that stores are selling out of cards. Ultimately, it is never the wrong time to send that extra bit of caring.
