Hand Made vs. Store Bought Cards

It’s the holiday season. The days turn shorter, air becomes crisper, lights come out, but most importantly the cards start coming in. Holiday cards are one of the most joyful parts of the season. You get sweet messages from relatives but also get to spread the holiday cheer by sending out your own kind thoughts! One question that passes through many people’s minds however, is whether they should send a handmade card, or one that they specially picked out from the store. Which comes across as more thoughtful? Does a store-bought card come across as lazy? If you aren’t artistically inclined, does making a card come off as sloppy?

Picture this: Your next-door neighbor has young children and they decide to make you a card. The family has a great time pulling out the crayon boxes and scribbling little holiday trees, ornaments, reindeer etc. The kids rush over to your house ecstatic to give you the card and when they do your heart fills with joy. Even though the card looks like it could be mistaken for a piece of abstract art, you still hang the card up on your fridge. In this situation, it’s the thought that counts.

Now, picture this: Your friend who can barely draw a stick figure to save their life hands you a card. You open in up and inside is a comical picture of a cat with a holiday hat. Your friend clearly picked it out knowing it would make you laugh. You open the card and it is filled with a sweet message. Your friend delves into good moments of your friendship, reasons she is grateful for you, and other kind thoughts. The message fills your heart with joy. You go home and put the card in a special drawer, so you can remember to re-read it on a day you are feeling blue. In this situation, it’s the thought that counts.

In both these situations neither handmade nor a store-bought card made a difference in whether the person cherished the card. Through research, sources couldn’t come up with a clear answer on which side was better, most sources ended in saying that the more thoughtful the card, the more memorable it will be in the grand scheme of things. This thought is backed up by several students at Pennridge high school. Student Jamieson Murry said that any day she receives a card is a good day. She said that if the card is well crafted she is more likely to keep it, as opposed to throwing it away after the holiday season. To her, it didn’t matter if the card was drawn or bought just as long as it looks like the giver put some time into it. She states, “Of course I always like receiving a card, but there’s just something about cards with cool hand drawn artwork, or cards with thoughtful messages.”

Students Aidan McGinnis and Shea Grourke also back up this opinion, but they are more inclined to give store bought cards. They both stated that they “are not good at drawing,” so giving a store-bought card gets their message across just as well. For them, they say that drawing out a card never ends up well for them, so they prefer to try and find comical cards that they know the recipient will enjoy. Aidan even went as far to say that “I haven’t hand drawn a card for anyone since elementary school, so I don’t expect others to do that for me.” Just receiving a card from someone is enough to brighten the mood.

Benjamin Steinman, however, prefers to hand make cards. He states, “I think there is something to be said about taking the time to make someone a card.” He likes to see others artistic interpretations of the holidays even if they aren’t “the best at art.” He also enjoys taking the time to make cards for others because it is unique amongst a sea of store bought cards.

Although there is no clear-cut answer to the debate on handmade vs. store bought cards, there is something to be said about sending a thoughtful card in general. People like cards that look like they took effort. While nobody is going to complain about receiving a card, if you want your holiday card to stand out, put a little extra effort into it. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and send that extraordinary card!