The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

Mark Twain (misquoted, but appropriate nonetheless)

If my husband is close by when someone tells me that no one sends greeting cards anymore, he braces himself for the lecture that person is about to hear from me. Au contraire, my misinformed friend. People are sending greeting cards. The category is alive and well. The cards are better than ever and they are everywhere.

Where are greeting cards being sold?

It’s not hard to find a greeting card. My local car wash sells them. And while some of Autopia’s selection is acceptable, my go-to spots are stationery stores (of course) and select gift shops. Back during Covid Classic, I started ordering cards on-line, either from retailers like Hallmark or Paper Source, or direct from card makers’ websites, such as Waterknot (waterknot.com) and 9th Letterpress (9thletterpress.com). I made it a project to connect with people by sending a funny card – sending cheer during so much uncertainty. Turned out I wasn’t the only one. Many people took to writing notes and letters during COVID as a welcome analog activity in the face of too much Zoom fatigue. The New York Times documented this trend in a June 24, 2020 article in the style section that you can read here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/style/mail-letters-coronavirus.html

Who do we have to thank for this resurgence ?

Millennials. Yes, the generation born between 1977/1981 and 1994/1996, depending on which list you reference. Good news for the industry as there are more Millennials than any other living generation, edging out Boomers by about 1 million strong. Their approach is far from traditional. This is not your grandmother’s classic pansy covered Hallmark Card. While Boomers may have grown the industry, Millennials are making it far more personal, authentic and diverse. Cards today go beyond birthday to a endless variety of messaging needs from break-ups to adulting challenges to current events. The messages are often edgy and snarky and sometimes NSFW.

According to the Greeting Card Association, Millennials spend more dollars on greeting cards on an annual basis that Baby Boomers, averaging $6 per card, although Baby Boomers still purchase more units.

Don’t let me mislead you

I need to make one thing clear, while we see an anti-digital reaction, like the return of the vinyl LP, and an embrace of greeting cards, the numbers are no where near the halcyon days of the 80s and the time before email, texting and social media. The Post Office wouldn’t be in the dire financial condition it’s in if we relied more on the mail for our social expression needs. We simply aren’t mailing as many cards and letters as we once did.

But there are bright spots

According to Patrick Priore, Paper Source’s Chief Product Officer, 2021 Holiday card sales were up 14% compared to 2019. (Washington Post 12/8/21) Greeting cards are a $7.5 billion industry in the U.S. and the trend line, while not growing dramatically, is holding steady. I had the good fortune of attending this year’s Louie Awards, hosted by the Greeting Card Association in San Francisco. Often described as the Oscars of the greeting card industry, the evening celebrated the best of the best in over 40 categories including “Card of the year” and “Writer of the year”. (You can see all the winners here: https://greetingcard.secure-platform.com/a/gallery?roundId=48) It was a thrill to be surrounded by so many creative people who believe in the power of the greeting card.

After all, 8 of out 10 people say that greeting cards cannot be replace by social media. (GCA website) A product that is relatively inexpensive, that makes people happy and can be treasured year after year, that, my friend, is a product that will never go away.