When I turned thirty, my husband and my sister threw an epic surprise party for me. It was epic for many reasons, including:
1. It took place in my own home. (I still can’t believe they planned a huge party IN MY HOUSE and I–a control freak–had no idea)
2. My first crush and my first kiss flew in from Tennessee to surprise me (yikes, they did!)
3. The posters that my sister made and hung all over my house were amazing (I still have them!)
4. It was a great night, being surrounded by almost all of my loved ones.
I also got one of my best gifts ever that night. My sister had contacted all of my family and friends (well in advance) and asked them to send her letters, cards, and notes that contained stories of their history with me. She assembled everything into a beautiful scrapbook (ahem, a Hallmark scrapbook, by the way) and presented it to me at the party. This book means so much to me. Of course, you might think it a little narcissistic to gaze at a bunch of letters and cards that all say great things about one’s self, but you’ve got to admit, having such a tangible reminder of how many people are in your corner is something anybody would adore.
Besides, it also serves as a time capsule. I know two boys who don’t write like this anymore:
(Okay, technically J NEVER wrote like that, since Jim signed it for him. But you get my drift.)
These days, I venture to say that it would be much harder to get people to write long, beautiful letters about anything. It’s a dying art, unfortunately.
There’s another way to do it now, and it’s really easy. Hallmark Card Showers are a great way to show someone how much they are loved. You can set up a Card Shower for a birthday, similar to what my sister did for me, or for all kinds of other reasons: Get Well, Mother’s Day, Anniversary, Thank You, Wedding, or even “Other”, which basically opens it up to anything you can imagine. The best part is, someone who has the time and desire to write a long narrative about how great you are can do so inside the card, and if they don’t have the time, they can choose a great card from Hallmark that says exactly what they want to say already!
When you go to the Card Shower page on the Hallmark site, it looks like this:
You select an event title, the occasion, and the date by which the cards should arrive. After you continue to the next page, you can add a description, select whether you want the cards mailed directly to the recipient OR to you (if you want it to be a surprise for any reason, like because you’re making a scrapbook!), and then invite people to the “event”. That’s it!
Your invitees will get an email telling them all about your card shower (along with a Hallmark Gold Crown store coupon!), and then they can choose to either go to a Hallmark store to pick up their card(s) or select one right there on the Hallmark website.
I have a whole list of people I could shower with love right now. What about you? Go check it out!
I am BEYOND thrilled to be partnering with Hallmark on their “Life Is A Special Occasion” campaign for 2012. I am being compensated to write about every day moments of all sizes, family traditions, the relationships I cherish the most, and much more. All words, opinions, and photos are mine. Thanks so much to the folks at Hallmark for selecting me for this campaign: it’s an honor for me to be a part of it.
3 Comments
Liz
Wow, sounds like it was a GREAT party and the fact that your family planned it ALL…in YOUR house…EPIC!!!
Grandma W
My heart is bursting right now. Since I was a Hallmark Store Manager for over 25 years and they were both corporate and franchise stores and I’m thrilled you are doing this. Hallmark was a big part of our lives for so many year and the stores where in many towns that we lived in. I am very happy you were picked for this position. Good luck and happiness “When you care, you care the very best.”
Love Grandma W
Tara R.
This is a great idea. And the party… wow, I’m truly impressed your whole family kept it a secret.