Do you remember the last time you sent a birthday card in the mail? Or even, the last time you actually received a birthday card in the mail?
I am the queen of birthdays. I love showering my friends and family with treats and prezzies and firmly believe in celebrating ‘birthday month’. My family also strongly believes in a good celebration and my birthday month (September if you were wondering, hello Virgo season) is usually studded with various gatherings, lots of cake and the annual ‘happy birthday’ singing phone calls.
But of all the birthday traditions, I think getting a card in the mail from my grandparents is my favourite part. Or at least, it’s up there with eating birthday cake… and that’s saying something. There’s nothing like seeing a colourful envelope in your mailbox amongst the political leaflets and bills.
And so now I must admit something that pains me.
As much as I love birthdays and sending cards and notes in the mail, I’m terrible at mailing birthday cards. In fact, the concept totally stresses me out. I think the spontaneity of sending a random note in the mail takes the pressure off and makes it more fun for me.
The Solution
You might remember that I wrote a blog post in partnership with Paperless Post a few months back. I used the service to create beautiful e-invitations for my Knick-knack swap. I loved the simplicity of the process because it allowed me to focus on planning the actual event. They reached out again and asked if I would be interested in trying out some of their other features and I said ‘yes’! I knew this was the solution I was looking for to remedy my birthday card conundrum.
October is just around the corner and I have a lot of loved ones to celebrate. I thought it would be fun to sit down and create beautiful cards using the Paperless Post library for everyone on my list. Not only was I able to find a beautiful and customizable card for everyone, but I was also able to schedule the cards so they arrive on the right day! Say ‘goodbye’ to awkward “belated birthday” cards and ‘hello’ to the joys of technology.
If you’re anything like me, your inbox is overflowing with bill notifications, offers from brands you’ve already unsubscribed from and (let’s be honest here) Amazon orders. It would have made my day to find a birthday note hidden amongst the clutter. I love the idea that a beautiful note is waiting in an unexpected place for my friends and family. It makes me think of the old days of sending rainbow emails in comic sans to my best friends. Email was so much more fun as a 12-year-old but I think this service brings a little bit of that joy back.
I’m all about creating sustainable routines in my day-to-day to make sure I’m getting everything done without adding any extra stress to my life. I think it’s totally manageable to sit down once a month and write birthday notes to my favourite people and I intend to schedule this time in. Plus, it was fun!
This way, I can ensure that my friends and family are not forgotten on their special day even if I run out of stamps or (god forbid) lose my planner.
Let me know what you think in the comments! Would you schedule birthday cards?