I was recently told about a new trend in greeting card giving:
Signing the cards with a post-it note. When you find a card to which you are particularly fond, you affix a post-it to the inside with your signature and any personal message you wish to extend, so that the recipient can use the card again.
I love this idea. It’s eco-friendly and turns the greeting card into a gift of sorts, a meme that the recipient can pass along to someone else.
I have a tradition of taking greeting cards that do not match the occasion and transforming them into something more appropriate, often to humorous results.
A sympathy card directed toward the death of a dog becomes an anniversary card.
A bar mitzvah card transforms into a house warming card.
A card expressing support during a friend’s divorce becomes a card congratulating a couple on their recent nuptials.
As opposed to the trite application of one’s name to a pre-packaged, purchased sentiment, I believe that this routine demonstrates a willingness to take a moment and attempt to create something that will hopefully make the recipient smile.
In fact, there are people in my life who have come to expect these creations and feel ignored when I fail to deliver.
But if not for this tradition, I think I’d be adopting the post-it note idea. It’s got that special blend of nonconformity that will offend those who are foolishly invested in decorum and tradition while possessing just enough reason and logic behind it to make it almost unassailable.
It’s good for the environment. How can someone complain about that?
