All About Holiday Traditions
Holiday traditions vary from country to country, faith to faith, family to family. But some holiday traditions are very universal, and practiced all over the world. There are holiday traditions for Independence Day, Christmas, Hanukah, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and other holidays.
Christmas holiday traditions usually include a Christmas Eve dinner party, with plenty of egg nog, caroling, and good spirits. Holiday dinners on Christmas Day are typically turkey and stuffing, ham, or lamb with lots of yummy sides like mashed potatoes, yams, and other holiday foods. Perhaps the biggest and most popular holiday tradition is holiday greeting cards sent to everyone on your Christmas card list. In recent years, new traditions have been formed to include a Christmas letter with the holiday card, that is a summary of what your family has been up to the previous year.
Hanukah is an important holiday for those of Jewish faith, but basically consists of the same family, big dinner, and gift giving elements as Christmas. When family cannot be together for this holiday, send your loved ones a dradel and holiday card to let them know that they are still involved in the family holiday celebration.
Thanksgiving holiday traditions in America include holiday turkey, and football games. It’s a time for family, and letting everyone you care about how much you are thankful for their very existence. That is the essence of this holiday-thanksgiving, of course! Because we all lead such busy lives in today’s society, and family cannot always be present on these special holidays, a new tradition has arisen. Thanksgiving holiday cards are now available to send to all of your loved ones who can’t come to Thanksgiving dinner and watch the games with you. Unfortunately, the turkey and big screen tv don’t fit into the envelope!
Easter holiday traditions usually include an Easter egg hunt, baskets full of candy left by the Easter bunny, and church services dressed in, well, Sunday best. Easter holiday traditions are probably the favorite for most children, and the bane for most parents due to the sugar high. However, Easter is really first and foremost a time to celebrate Christ and family. When you cannot have family present for this important holiday, send them an online holiday greeting from the Easter bunny to lift their spirits.
Independence Day is a very important holiday to Americans, especially in light of recent world events. With the war on terrorism in full swing, those who should most celebrate this holiday are not in America, but the Middle East. For those who miss out on fireworks and good spirits, it can be a depressing time. Cheer up our soldiers with a holiday greeting card, letting them know that we recognize their efforts for our country and the flag for which they fight.
The most important element to any holiday is family. When family cannot be with you for one reason or another, it is important that they aren’t left out. Sending a holiday greeting card can change that around. A simply holiday greeting card and a special phone call spreading holiday cheer can make it feel like you are together, no matter how many miles may separate you.
Why Greeting Cards Are Handy
One of the best ways to reach out and touch people is by sending greeting cards. They are a way to touch someone personally and from the heart. They are handy because often they give ideas of how to say just the right thoughts when words fail otherwise.
Greeting cards are used to ask forgiveness, to convey sympathy, to send a perk to someone who is sad, to share a special occasion with someone special, and to send well-wishes to someone who has been ill or hurt. Greeting cards are handy as reminders for someone who may be forgetful, to say thanks to someone who has been helpful, and to renew friendships.
Greeting cards can be handy to jog memories of something long forgotten. If you are a person who saves special things, greeting cards can be found years later in a box of old memories. They can help revive old memories or be used to start new ones.
Many times humor from a greeting card may touch someone when a letter would not. A greeting card can be short, sweet, and to the point or long, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.
If you are grieving over a loved one, you may be sorting through keepsakes and be soothed by a greeting card bought long ago. You can use these precious gifts to begin a scrapbook of the person. You can share the greeting cards with family or friends and revive fond memories. You can use these greeting cards in crafts to make other gifts to hand over to a child or grandchild to keep the memory of your loved one alive.
For someone who likes to save greeting cards as a hobby, you may find joy in discovering antique greeting cards.
Greeting cards can be used to teach a child. They can be handy in helping a child learn how to read, how to appreciate getting mail, how to keep in touch with friends or family they may have moved away from, how to explore their own thoughts and feelings, how to convey humor to others. They can also be used to teach a child how to count and how to create. They can be used to teach a child about writing and publishing and art. They can be used to teach a child about poetry. They can help teach a child about animals, nature, cars, motorcycles, good manners, and friendship.
Are you low on cash? Sending a greeting card in place of a gift is a handy alternative. Some people prefer to receive a card in place of a gift. The most important thing about a special occasion is to let someone know they were on your heart and in your mind. Sometimes just sending a card instead of a gift will relieve someone of having to provide a gift in kind. Some people may be secretly relieved to just exchange cards on special occasions.
Greeting cards can also be handy in business. If you have employees who need a morale boost, use a humorous greeting card or maybe something to let them know you appreciate their hard work.
When to Send Thank You Cards
Thank you cards have become a thing of the past for many people. With busy lives and so much to do, sending a simple thank you note has nearly become obsolete. Yet some would argue that this lost nicety should be reinstated with our young people. But when do you send a thank you card?
Thank you cards are, obviously, sent as a thank you. Thank you cards are still often sent for wedding and baby shower gifts. Someone records the gift and who it was from on a piece of paper, and then the bride or mother-to-be sends thank you cards to everyone for the gift received from that person.
However, there are many other times that a thank you card should be sent. Anytime a gift is received, a thank you card should be sent to the person who gave the gift. Whether it be an actual item, a check in the mail, or a gift card, a thank you is in order. These thank you cards should be sent at Christmas, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and anniversaries.
Thank you cards should also be sent to anyone who does something nice for you. For example, if a young man mows your lawn for free to help you out, that man deserves a thank you card. If someone helps you through a difficult class by tutoring or simply answering some questions, a thank you card should be sent. If someone sends you flowers because you are ill, or sends a greeting card, that person should receive a thank you or other greeting card in return.
Thank you cards should also be sent to anyone who supports you in your endeavors. If someone gives you a good reference that leads to a job, send them a thank you card to let them know that you appreciate their effort. If someone helps you out when you are financially in trouble, send them a thank you card rather than just an idle promise to repay the money. This will let them know that you truly appreciate their help, and sincerely wish to pay them back.
Send a thank you card to a favorite teacher that helped you get your diploma, or to a friend that supported you through your divorce. Send a thank you card to that special someone who sat by your hospital bed when you were ill, or supported you through recovery from a surgery. Sending a thank you card in exchange for these and other kindnesses will show those around you that you truly appreciate them for all that they do, and will make them feel better about doing the same for you and others in the future.
Thank you cards are simply a nicety that everyone should endeavor to uphold. It is an act of kindness, gratefulness, caring, and just a part of good manners. Everyone should try to send thank you cards to their loved ones whenever necessary, to let them know that you appreciate them and what they have done for you. So, who did you forget to say “thank you” to? Send them a thank you card today!




