Festive activities ramp up as Stationery Supplies and Bristol publishers get folk in Xmas mood
Christmas is coming and the preparations are well underway as publishers help care home residents make their own cards to sell and plans for Write Before Christmas special card-writing evenings are announced.
Having debuted last year, Stationery Supplies owner Sarah Laker’s Write Before Christmas initiative is now being expanded with the assets and tips available so that all members of the greeting card community and beyond can create their own event.
Leading from the front, Sarah is organising two Write Before Christmas events this year around her shops in Marple and Wilmslow, with drink, cakes and extra fun additions to help writing those all-important festive cards.
Following on from last year’s inaugural session in a local café – which earned Sarah a finalist place in the 2024 Retas Awards Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Initiative – she said: “It was the perfect setting to get organised and write your cards ahead of the Christmas rush, so I’m holding two this year, both slightly different.”
And she’s already getting the message out on social media: “Our Christmas card writing event was so popular last year that it’s back – so save the dates.”
First up on 13 November is an evening event at Two Suns Coffee where people can bring along their own cards to write – and some others will be available too – while enjoying with drink and cake plus goody bags where the contents will be worth more than the cost paid to attend “so customers aren’t out of pocket, and they’ll also have a discount voucher for the shop,” Sarah explained.
Then in the afternoon on 25 November, helpers at the local parish centre will put on refreshments for donations to the church while folk sit down to write their cards together, and Sarah will have a small stall of Christmas items for sale.
It’s all part of the GCA’s #Cardmitment campaign to remind everyone about the joy of sending and receiving cards, and continuing to enjoy them as part of the seasonal decorations in their homes, as well as encouraging people to buy and send their Christmas cards early.
The campaign includes Caring At Christmas, where card publishers partner with care homes across the country to help residents access festive cards as well as assist in writing and sending them in an enjoyable activity session.
And Bristol-based publishers Stormy Knight, Ricicle Cards and Penguin Ink have already taken the idea and run with it, expanding their links with local care home Bishopmead Lodge.
Stormy Knight’s Sarah Jackson explained: “We visited last year as part of Caring At Christmas and wrote cards with the residents, and we had such a lovely time!
“Afterwards, their events co-ordinator asked if we’d be open to helping design cards for them so we jumped at the chance. We were really pleased to see some familiar faces from last year and meet some of the newer residents – and it was great to see them all enjoy the activity.”
Along with Penguin Ink’s Lizzie Parker and Ricicle’s David Nichols-Rice, they held a craft session helping create their own design that can be given to all residents as well as sold at the home’s Christmas fair to raise funds for more activities.
“Alpha Colour Print is kindly printing the cards, probably around 200, and Enveco has kindly offered to donate the envelopes,” Sarah added. “I’ll be taking the Christmas trees designed by the residents and will be designing a card with them all on – so it will be the finished result of all of the residents who got involved!”
To find out more about the #Cardmitment campaign and download assets from the toolkit check out the GCA blog.
