Cards. We get dozens every Christmas, birthday, Thanksgiving, Valentines day, and every other holiday. Why, though? Why do we need a paper depicting a pug in a tutu with cake smeared on its face every time our birthday comes around? It seems silly. Are we really just worth a two dollar card from Walmart?

Should we just send cards saying “Happy birthday, Merry Christmas, have a good Thanksgiving, now you won’t hear from me for the rest of the year”? We don’t need penguins in ski gear holding a bottle saying “it’s party time”, we need to have genuine interactions with the people we care about. We don’t get those often with the new technology around today, with everyone connected online. The least we can do is call our loved ones during the holidays.

Approximately 1.3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. according to Hallmark, and the Greeting Cards Association states that approximately 6.5 billion holiday cards are purchased each year. That is 82% of the population’s worth of holiday cards being bought annually. 

Holiday cards can be expensive too. They range from $2 and $5 dollars, which might not seem like much, but think about the number of people on your holiday card list. If you send just ten holiday cards that can be anywhere between $20 to $50, and that’s without the cost of shipping. Why do that though, when there’s a free, more affectionate, and more memorable option.

It seems odd that we need to write “Merry Christmas” a few times over, it can’t be more time consuming than calling someone and hearing the people you care about. Even for people who don’t like to have long drawn out conversations, it can make people very happy to hear your words instead of reading them.

Many people say that sending a truly heartfelt card is the same as calling someone, and that can be true. Showing your emotions through words on paper can be just as meaningful as a call. However most people only write a simple Merry Christmas, to: and from:, if it’s not already in the card.

When we think of our loved ones do we think of words on paper or do we think of a warm voice. A voice that we’d hope would be at least willing to call us during the happiest time of the year. 

This paper presentation of our affection is not what our relatives deserve, nor do you. Your friends and family love you, and you should show how much you love and care about them. So save yourself some time and money.

Pick up your phone, walk out of the card aisle, and call.