Why I send holiday greeting cards

Every year I take on the "joyous" task of composing a holiday letter and creating a photo greeting card. Why I send holiday greeting cards other than to say I have completed a project, is that it gives me a sense of continuity. I have been responsible for this family missive for at least 30 years; however, due to circumstances beyond my control there have been at least two years that I missed, namely 1999 and 2003.

In 1985 I started the tradition of including a holiday photo of our family. We stood in front of the Eastern Slope Inn in North Conway, NH, Aaron was not quite five and Dan was just a few months shy of two. And so over the years, we have tried to gather for one quick moment to capture the memory of our years together. As time went by, I created funny little messages, as opposed to just saying "Holiday Greetings". For example...the photo card you see here from 1989 ~ since we were gathered with the menagerie, my greeting said "Hogs and kisses two ewe!"

Our friends and relatives grew accustomed to this tradition and in the two years that I missed sending cards, we received phone calls, letters, and emails inquiring as to whether or not we were "OK". Even yesterday, when we received a card from some very dear friends, she wrote on the bottom of her card: "We're looking forward to your holiday news."

Can you feel the pressure put on me? I hope so.

Steve Hendrix of the Washington Post said it best this week: "To the average mother, the entire social construct hangs on a once-a-year exchange of cardboard with best friends from third grade, long-ago piano teachers and cousins so far out on the family tree that they might be another branch of primates all together. And all the better if the missive includes a recent photo of the offspring (bonus points for one taken at a ski resort) and a whitewashed summary of the year's family news."

I received a lot of bonus points over the years as we owned a Country Inn in a ski resort town, so capturing a snowy scene was usually easy, and I have been known for not "whitewashing" the family news.

This yearly event has gotten more expensive, I don't even want to discuss what it cost this year, with the cost of postage ($.15 per item in 1978 when Dennis and I married, and now $.42, which represents an increase of 180% over 30 years) and photo production rising as well. And I won't mention the physical hours it takes for this production, I figure at least 15-20 hours for the whole process. It will take me a while to give up on this tradition.

I know we have blogs, email, telephones, text messaging, YouTube videos and Google videos, but there is nothing like waiting for the postman to arrive during the month of December. I look forward to hearing from friends and families. I read their letters, become slightly insulted if the card only contains a signature. I love the photos and, yes, I save the photos. It is fun to look at them and see how everyone has grown up, out, old, gray, etc. Just this week a card came from our dear neighbors from North Conway. And in the beautiful photograph appeared Eric and Matt Phillips all grown up, this year's photo taken at Matt's wedding to Molly. We first met Eric and Matt in 1986...and we enjoyed the photo and their mom's letter.

Here you can enjoy my 2008 Holiday Greeting Photo...a few minutes in time.

You Tube and Social Media Marketing

You Tube and social media marketing go hand and hand on the internet today. This week I made a You Tube video for the Seaward Inn in Rockport, MA. The video has jazz music performed by The Barbara & Al Boudreau Jazz Trio and has pictures of Seaward Inn's property. It gives viewers an idea of what they will enjoy when they stay at the Inn. Not only will you witness the beautiful views at the Seaward Inn, but every Sunday during their season the Inn has "Sunday Mornings Live" which features various well respected local musicians.

After the video was uploaded, Seaward Inn received a subscription notice from another Jazz musician in New England. When people subscribe to your videos a link back is automatically placed on their You Tube profile page. Every link someone sets up that goes to your videos and your website helps in a number of ways. Not only will more people be able to find your video and in turn your website, but also, subscriptions will help increase your overall presence on the web. On top of having your video on You Tube and Google Video, you can also embed your You Tube video right into your website; now you have three major points of contact from the beginning. The more one way links a website or something web related has, the more Google favors your website.

Social media marketing with mediums like You Tube and Google Video are great ways to share with the world who you are and what you are about. Every day more and more people use You Tube to search for new media which makes You Tube a great platform for social marketing. If you are a Webconsuls' client, and a video is something that would interest you for your website, be sure to let us know.