GCA campaign to send Christmas cards early gets underway
Festive Friday stirred up the seasonal spirit with the greeting card industry getting behind the annual initiative to have Christmas missives arriving through letterboxes.
Publishers, retailers and suppliers were all busy writing their cards on Friday, 1 December, as part of the GCA’s Festive Friday and Caring At Christmas events.
At greeting card printers Loxleys in Sheffield, directors joined the customer service and sales teams in writing over 100 cards to customers, suppliers and supporters, as can be seen in the video below.
![Above: Michael Apter got down to it at his trio of Paper Tiger stores in Edinburgh: “Greeting cards retailers and publishers are all getting themselves into the seasonal spirit today with loads of Baileys. No, hang on, we're all getting into the seasonal spirit with loads of Christmas cards sending!! And potentially loads of Baileys... “Getting your cards written and posted early does a number of very nice things. For instance, right now I am suffused with an enormous sense of self satisfaction and smugness that is thoroughly enjoyable. Also, knowing that you’re starting the festive feels for your card recipients gives you a warm feeling of goodwill to all. “And there's something else. You’re able to send all your cards using Royal Mail second class stamps. Just 75p to send a card from one end of the country to the other. Magnificent. “Cards make people happy – that’s a fact. So, make sure you spread some joy among your family and friends, and make sure that you send cards this Christmas! I'm writing mine with the glow of the candles and a bar of our chocolate. Now, where did I leave that glass..?”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-2-1024x598.jpg)
“Getting your cards written and posted early does a number of very nice things. For instance, right now I am suffused with an enormous sense of self satisfaction and smugness that is thoroughly enjoyable. Also, knowing that you’re starting the festive feels for your card recipients gives you a warm feeling of goodwill to all.
“And there’s something else. You’re able to send all your cards using Royal Mail second class stamps. Just 75p to send a card from one end of the country to the other. Magnificent.
“Cards make people happy – that’s a fact. So, make sure you spread some joy among your family and friends, and make sure that you send cards this Christmas! I’m writing mine with the glow of the candles and a bar of our chocolate. Now, where did I leave that glass..?”
![Above: Danilo md Daniel Prince (centre right) said: “I’m delighted to have made my #Cardmitment today together with rest of Danilo team,” as he and company founder Laurence Prince (centre left) led the way in writing their cards, suitably dressed in festive outfits.](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-3-1024x538.jpg)
![Above: Mince pies and Christmas music were on the menu as The Art File got down to some serious festive card sending, with md Ged Mace saying: “It really was a fun morning writing Christmas cards with the whole today – Christmas cards spread joy and happiness to everyone. Festive Friday is a wonderful reminder of the importance that a card can make and we’ve loved taking part today!”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-6-1024x526.jpg)
![Above: With seven shops across the Home Counties, House of Cards always help staff by covering the cost of their Festive Friday postage – and co-owner Nigel Williamson had a busy couple of days at home sticking all the stamps on. His business partner Miles Robinson said: “The branches had a great evening with wine and nibbles and the teams all embraced the event. We ended up with well over 1000 cards to send!”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-5-1024x819.jpg)
![Above & top: There was a non-traditional festive lunch of pizza to jolly along the writing at Abacus, where the studio and sales team and md Nick Carey all joined in sending Christmas cards to friends and family.](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-4-1024x469.jpg)
Above: At B2B software firm Aspin, its social media post read: “A Christmas card sent by one human being to another human being is more than a piece of coloured stationery sent by one log of wood to another log of wood: it is an inspiring and reassuring message of high value,” from The Feast Of St Friend by Arnold Bennett. And their staff can be seen in the video braving the cold to post their beautiful Love From Romsey cards, specially made by Dandelion Stationery.
![Above: Well over 100 cards were written at Stratton Court care home in Cirencester when the GBCC team of Lucy Ledger, head of design; senior designer Cecelia Blanco, designers Sophie Thorne and Danie Cooper, Mikee Beaton, designer and studio manager; Dave Burge, creative and artworker; and artworker Kanie Lui visited to help residents with the Christmas cards. Lucy said: “It was a wonderful day, the residents were so happy and grateful and we felt like we really made a difference to their day. We told everyone about our #Cardmittment campaign, lots of people went away proudly wearing their ‘Send a card, deliver a smile’ badges and we heard stories of cards being written to be sent all over the world. We definitely bought card sending to the forefront of people’s minds and we were able to spread some GBCC Christmas cheer – it was a really joyful event!” And the home’s lifestyle lead David Ible added: “You really warmed my heart with all the kindness you and your team offered our residents, team and families. Christmas really is a time for giving and making a difference to as many people as possible, and that’s what you did!”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-7-1024x442.jpg)
Lucy said: “It was a wonderful day, the residents were so happy and grateful and we felt like we really made a difference to their day. We told everyone about our #Cardmittment campaign, lots of people went away proudly wearing their ‘Send a card, deliver a smile’ badges and we heard stories of cards being written to be sent all over the world. We definitely bought card sending to the forefront of people’s minds and we were able to spread some GBCC Christmas cheer – it was a really joyful event!”
And the home’s lifestyle lead David Ible added: “You really warmed my heart with all the kindness you and your team offered our residents, team and families. Christmas really is a time for giving and making a difference to as many people as possible, and that’s what you did!”
![Above: Andrea and Nicky from Windles Group visited Henleigh Hall Care home in Sheffield supporting the #Cardmitment campaign, with cards and envelopes kindly donated by customers Paper Salad, Wendy Jones-Blackett, Cath Tate Cards, Molly Mae Cards, Cinnamon Aitch, Alex Clark Art, the Art File, Belly Button Designs, Laura Darrington, and Stop The Clock. Andrea commented: “We also delivered Christmas cheer, mince pies, mulled wine and sang Christmas tunes to help the residents choose cards to send their loved ones and help them write them. Once all written, we dropped them into envelopes, supplied stamps and popped them in the post box. Everyone was thrilled and couldn’t thank us enough. They couldn’t quite believe they had something for free! “One lovely lady asked why we were doing this and we explained it was to try to encourage people to carry on sending cards especially at Christmas. She said her heart warms when she receives a personal card through the post addressed to her, it means more than any gift, knowing it has the special message.” Andrea commented: “We also delivered Christmas cheer, mince pies, mulled wine and sang Christmas tunes to help the residents choose cards to send their loved ones and help them write them. Once all written, we dropped them into envelopes, supplied stamps and popped them in the post box. Everyone was thrilled and couldn’t thank us enough. They couldn’t quite believe they had something for free! One lovely lady asked why we were doing this and we explained it was to try to encourage people to carry on sending cards especially at Christmas. She said her heart warms when she receives a personal card through the post addressed to her, it means more than any gift, knowing it has the special message.”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-8-1024x942.jpg)
Andrea commented: “We also delivered Christmas cheer, mince pies, mulled wine and sang Christmas tunes to help the residents choose cards to send their loved ones and help them write them. Once all written, we dropped them into envelopes, supplied stamps and popped them in the post box. Everyone was thrilled and couldn’t thank us enough. They couldn’t quite believe they had something for free!
“One lovely lady asked why we were doing this and we explained it was to try to encourage people to carry on sending cards especially at Christmas. She said her heart warms when she receives a personal card through the post addressed to her, it means more than any gift, knowing it has the special message.”
![Above: Five Ling Design staff members visited the Rush Hill Mews Care Home just 15 minutes from its Bath office, taking 2023 festive designs and mince pies to spend an afternoon with the residents, to encourage Christmas card writing and keep connected at this special time of year, and everything was posted on Festive Friday. Marketing manager Patsy Gould said: “We all really enjoyed the afternoon and it was lovely to know that residents had the opportunity to send Christmas cards to friends and family, especially their children who may not be expecting a Christmas card from their mother or father. “We thoroughly enjoyed getting out into our community to see just how important sending cards are. Residents came with their address books and lists and enjoyed writing their cards while tucking into a mince pie.”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-9-1024x485.jpg)
Marketing manager Patsy Gould said: “We all really enjoyed the afternoon and it was lovely to know that residents had the opportunity to send Christmas cards to friends and family, especially their children who may not be expecting a Christmas card from their mother or father.
“We thoroughly enjoyed getting out into our community to see just how important sending cards are. Residents came with their address books and lists and enjoyed writing their cards while tucking into a mince pie.”
![Above: Chris Leonard-Morgan is a member of The Stationers’ Company and the founder of the London Stationery Show, and he said: “Sending Christmas cards is the UK's biggest handwriting event of the year so it was good to be part of card writing team at Stationers' Hall. The Stationers' Company supports the GCA’s Festive Friday initiative, and ours were mailed out on Friday, 1 December, when the greeting card industry posts theirs to kickstart the main card-sending month.”](https://www.pgbuzz.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FF-pics-pic-10.jpg)