Greeting Cards

I just read an interesting article in a local newspaper in Doha about doing away with greeting cards.  I thought this one could be of interest with you too.  As for me, I still send cards as I feel that this old tradition is still far more sincere than the electronic ones.  So, get back to sending cards to your loved ones and friends from all over the world to save the old beloved mailing card tradition! 

Please read on:

Greeting Cards:  On their last leg

By Fazeena Saleem

When life’s big moments and happy occasions arrive, nothing is more traditional than a greeting card that offers good wishes, congratulations and cheer.

It is a pleasant feeling to receive a greeting card and feel the sentiments expressed inside, even if the words have been penned by a professional writer. The thought that a loved one spent time and money to buy a card and post it, particularly in this age of cell phones and email, is heart-warming.

Moreover, it is pleasant to receive an envelope and open it to find a greeting card inside and not a bill!

But when was the last time you received, or sent, a traditional greeting card? Many take a deep breath and think hard before answering as the practice is slowly fading. Demand for traditional greeting cards is on the decline as more and more people turn to electronic means of communication to keep in touch with friends and relatives.

Doha is not an exception to this trend. Nearly every shopping mall here houses a store of a leading greeting card seller, and book shops and hypermarkets also sell these cards, but the outlets are slowly turning into gift shops.

Soft toys, gifts and gift wrappers have gradually displaced traditional greeting cards on the shelves of even well-known card sellers.

“Cards? No, we came here to buy some gifts,” said a young Qatari girl visiting a shopping mall with her friends.

“I have not bought a greeting card for years, we send text messages or call our friends. If it’s a party, we take gifts, not cards,” said one of her friends.

The shopkeeper agreed, saying most of her customers came for gifts and gifts wrappers rather than cards.

“Very few come for birthday or any other cards. Some do buy seasonal greeting cards, but not many,” she said.

The outlet had only two shelves of traditional cards. Christmas and New Year cards were relatively cheaper than gift wrappers and ornaments. While the cards sell for between QR10 and QR15, the gift boxes are priced QR15 and above, going up to QR80. The ornaments sell for QR40 and above.

The tradition of sending greeting cards has not completely disappeared. Many people here, especially youngsters staying away from their family, receive cards from their parents, grandparents and relatives in their home country.

“I have never bought a greeting card, but used to receive them from my grandparents and aunts in Kenya,” said thirteen-year-old Grace Samuel. She said it was a pleasure to receive a greeting card, adding, though, that she had never sent one to anyone.

“I call them (relations and grandparents) on their birthday and during Christmas,” said Grace.

Her mother, a health care professional living in Doha for the past seven years, said, “Children don’t show any interest in things like greeting cards. The tradition will vanish soon. Even we don’t buy cards like we did in our young age.”

As modes of communication have changed, people find it easier and cheaper to greet others over the phone or on online social networks.

“Things have changed; many either tag us on a common photo to give their greetings or forward a common email,” said Christine, who still sends greeting cards on special occasions.

“Forget about greeting cards, even on weddings and other occasions people tag others on an invitation posted on Facebook. For me, there’s nothing like a greeting card to receive a special message,” she said. The Peninsula

For the original version of the article, kindly click the link below:
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/latest-news/219999-greeting-cards-on-their-last-leg.html