What happened to the CARD?
I can't help but be struck by the monumental shift in the use of holiday cards. It's been replaced by a simple picture in an email, a happy holiday tweet or a reference to read it on the blog. I received my first "HoliText" the other day! So, what's just happened to us as we've stumbled through the '09 holiday season?
A retrospective look may help to better answer this question. But for now, it feels like the holiday – and the use of holiday cards – has metamorphosed. The card flow has nearly ceased here. At our office, email greetings have mostly replaced the cards of the past, and we’ve upended our custom of carefully selecting the “right” message and image for the select friends and customers that really matter.
I’m not sure what it all means, or if there is a value judgment to be made. I’d have to say, though, that flowing with change is OK! This holiday embodies an element of stress reduction that is healthy. I’m not concerned as much about “What happened to the CARD.” We’ve simply become more creative in announcing Happy Holidays. I will be more concerned the day I need to ask, what happened to the PERSON? I will assume that people still care, albeit they may be licking wounds or keeping their hearts a bit closer to home this year, or busily prepping for ’10 with great anticipation and expectations. And all that’s OK too.?
The big message that remains uninterrupted: I hope that you and those that mean the most to you have a stupendous 2010 - and beyond.