Last year I decided to take up the task of sending birthday cards, get well, sympathy and other cards to family and friends. Right up until she died, my Grandma Keene sent cards for every occasion to many friends and family. When she passed, I inherited her unused cards. I also inherited my Grandma-in-law's cards when she passed. Then when my Grandma Hall moved, I also got her cards. As you can imagine I have probably a couple hundred cards. How to find the right card for the right occasion?
You are expecting me to say: "There are boxes designed for sorting greeting cards that already are divided into categories." These are great if you have a handful of cards. However, with the amount I have they are not big enough.
I divided them into categories: birthday, Christmas, sympathy, thank you etc. Then I placed them in clear shoe boxes, labeled them and stacked them on a shelf three-high. You don't want to go past three-high otherwise it is hard to get them back down without everything toppling on you.
I also have a small basket full of just my current favorite birthday cards so each month I can sit down and write birthday cards without sorting through all of them. It also include stamps, a pen, my address book and my book that dates everyone's birthday.
I send the cards a few days before their birthday. I remember when to send them by utilizing my Outlook calendar. Wall calendars, pocket calendars or any other method that works for you is fine.
Remember, it doesn't have be a long card or have a special saying. It can be a blank card that simply says, "Dear___ We hope you have a wonderful day. Happy Birthday! Sincerely ____"
I was surprised by the reaction I got: phone calls, thank-you notes and even hugs.
Jen
