Posted by Sue Landsman on Mar.01, 2009

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I’m one of those people who genuinely believes that cards should be personally handwritten and addressed and that there’s no substitution for the small bit of consideration that it takes to perform this task for someone else. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I feel that in the often impersonal hustle of our modern lives it’s especially important to put that personal touch on our interactions with friends and family. I have fountain pens, gloriously colored and scented inks, a wall full of rubber stamps, and even cards that I’ve made myself for this purpose.

Before you want to shoot me, you need to know this: I have not managed to send out one single card in over five years now. There were even a few sympathy cards I should have sent out. I had good intentions; one year I thought I’d be really organized and buy the whole year’s worth of cards and stamp and address them ahead of time and keep them in a nice binder. Great idea. Then I misplaced the binder. Everything went downhill from there.  So when a friend of mine told me she was becoming a representative for an online card company that will address and mail cards for you, it occurred to me that perhaps this was a very, very good idea.

Don’t get me wrong–I’ve gone to the store many times with the intention of purchasing a card, but the four-dollar-plus sticker shock has stopped me every time. I’ve put my hands on the one or two $1.35 cards I could find, then just felt ashamed of being cheap and ditched the whole effort. But still–four dollars for a card? When I get cards in the mail, I look at them, process the sentiment, and just throw them out. I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only person who does this. You can’t hold on to everything. So I personally resent being gouged several dollars for a card that’s going right in someone’s trash can.

This online card deal seems to be a good compromise. For about $1 a card, you can select your design of choice and customize what will be printed on the inside. So the card really is personalized: you’ve got more of a choice than what you’d find at your local store, and instead of generic smarm on the inside, you’ve got your own winning words.

The cards, of course, are just regular folding cards instead of the often vellum-inscribed, multi-fold fancy ones you can find at the store. I figure that not only does this save me money, but it also saves paper. Who needs all that stuff? Then there’s all the stress of finding the card that says just the right thing and has the right amount of class for the minimum price. Who need that, either?

The biggest downside to these cards in my opinion is that they’re clearly printed and addressed by a computer instead of your own handwriting. The card site I looked at does address the cards in a faux-human handwriting script, but that never fools me: whenever I get something like that in the mail I assume it’s pernicious junk mail or someone asking me for money. I don’t always check the return address, and I usually assume that personal mail will be addressed personally. How can I be sure that the person to whom I mail the card won’t just dump it in the recycling bin?

But again, I should point out that no one’s received a card from me in over five years, so this paranoia is probably misguided and foolish. I should worry instead that if someone actually does receive a card from me they’re likely to drop dead from surprise. Clearly this card service is meant for people like me.

A friend pointed out to me that there’s the level of perfection we wish we could attain, and then there’s the place we are now. There’s a lot of wisdom in recognizing where you are and admitting your limitations. In my case, admitting to a little mediocrity is way more OK than missing five years worth of birthdays, anniversaries, and special events.

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Posted under Living, Money Savers.