As the hot summer days come to an end, every year I start looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. During the fall, part of my seasonal routine in these shorter days – one that is fun (unlike preparing for tax season) – is choosing my holiday cards, and this year I’ve decided to go with a modern business Christmas cards motif.

The holidays are not only a good selling time for my family’s book store, but the perfect occasion for me to give back a little and get in the mindset of sharing and enjoying the small stuff. And because of this feeling I get, I like my corporate holiday cards to usually reflect my personality as well as that of my store. We are not a big book store chain; we are just the store you run in for a quick look expecting to be helped and attended to with a smile. Our store is cozy but with a modern touch, which attracts old and young alike, and that is the mood I want to extend when I send my corporate holiday cards.

To accomplish my goals, I decided to try a new vendor, ChristmasCardsDirect.com. I had not seen these guys online before, but I was pleasantly surprise to see their varied and unique selection, reasonable prices, and simplified buying process. Before I even finished my coffee one morning, I had selected my holiday cards and finished my purchase (saving some money during the five minutes), but the kicker came when I received the order just a couple of days later; these cards looked better in my hands than they did online! The quality, color and detail were outstanding. I felt a little cheated thinking that I’ve been using the wrong vendors in past years, but it won’t happen again. This is an online seller that delivers and exceeds expectations…what a concept!

In a contemporary business world complete with cultural awareness and the emergence of nontraditional tastes and attitudes, the suitable selection of Christmas cards can cause one to take more than a moment for reflection. However, there are several innovative choices of modern business Christmas cards that will apply to a given set of criteria. One company may not want to cause a faux pas with potential recipients. An organization may desire to graciously state their core values and beliefs. Another business professional opts to order with a holiday twinkle in the eye. Just as Charles Dickens penned for his redeemed character, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, there is a feeling inside him that says: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”

Any of these pathways can be successfully traversed to the artful and gratifying selection of business holiday cards by remembering a few modern considerations. Some points may be applicable to your situation. Pass by those that may not:

• • Is it necessary that the holiday card choice be inclusive of our diverse American culture and beliefs?
• • With attention spans waning, will your personalized message be easily understood?
• • Is there a statement you want your cards to make?
• • Will the recipient feel recognized as a result of your greeting?
• • Are “environmentally friendly” products key in your decision-making?
• • Is reusability an issue (achieved through calendar cards or the gift artwork of Museum Masterpiece cards that can be framed)?
• • Is there a particular theme or ambiance (city scenes, international, for employees, from all of us, etc.) for your business holiday cards?
• • Will you want card samples in hand for an upcoming meeting to discuss what is available and to make a final card choice that is agreeable to all decision makers?

Whether you are avant-garde, forward-thinking, one dedicated to the spirit of the season, or simply a brazen sentimentalist, there is a card to represent you.

On October 3rd, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national holiday; a day set apart to give thanks for our nation’s (at that time, our Union’s) many blessings while still in the midst of a horrendous Civil War. The conflict would not end until April 18th, 1865. But even in times of great trial an honest heart could still grasp the blessings by which it was surrounded. The official Proclamation of Thanksgiving began with wholesome purpose:

The first observance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday came one week after the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Fast forward via cyberspace and our nation’s Thanksgiving Day is once again upon us for the 146th time. Our blessings in modern times have grown far beyond that of good rains and plentiful harvests.

I reminisce with thoughts of crisp, fragrant air laying softly over a corn field on a late fall day. So I peer out from my office cubicle upon the half acre of similar cubicles neatly laid out before me and survey a veritable cornucopia of technology bathed in the fluorescent rays from above. There is now produce and abundance of a different sort that we can celebrate.

Yet, our times have not changed in that we still want, and need, to bestow a blessing in our business world through an expression of sincere good will and simple gratitude toward others. Corporate holiday cards and company Thanksgiving cards continue to celebrate this time-honored, uniquely American custom. They provide a means to communicate respectful, heartfelt sentiments to business associates, friends, and the corporate family around us. So I say to you:

Ahh vacation! How we look forward to some relaxing time off from the day to day hustle and bustle. We spend time dreaming of the laying on the beach in the Bahamas, watching the sunset in Hawaii or sailing in the Cayman Islands. We plan and plan, and then the day comes and what!?! It’s over already!?! Thank goodness for vacation photos. Taking vacation photos with your digital camera while travelling is the best way to preserve the memories of those days when you didn’t have a care in the world except for what time lunch was being served. Vacation photos are also great options to consider for your holiday photo cards.

Digital cameras are one of the best things invented, especially for people who travel. You can fit so many pictures on a single memory card, and there is no need to worry about changing film or bringing extra film canisters. You are always ready for every photo opportunity that occurs while travelling. What if you ran into Oprah or Britney Spears while sunning on a beach in Cancun? What if Brad and Angelina decide to have dinner in your favorite vacation spot in the Hamptons, and they sit right next to your table?!? These are definitely photo ops, to say the least, but I am dreaming again. My vacation photos consist of family and friends doing vacation things like visiting museums in New York City, looking for bargains at street fairs in Point Pleasant, renting bicycles in Cape May, and taking long walks on the beach in Cape Cod.

I don’t like to be too structured while on vacation but I always make sure I take a few digital photos that would make great holiday photo cards. Holiday photo cards are so popular now and I can see why. Sites like ChristmasCardsDirect are so easy to use, and their cards are real cards…not just something that looks like a photo. These photo cards have your digital photo on the front of the card, and they open like a real card. On the inside, there is a greeting and the cards can be personalized…how cool is that?!? You have to check out the foil lined envelope that comes with the card too!

So make your friends green with envy this holiday season and use your fantastic digital vacation photos as your photo holiday cards. It’s one way to keep memories alive.