Do you send holiday cards to your customers?

It's become hit or miss over the years. Sending cards is time-consuming, and there's always a worry that they won't be noticed in a meaningful way if everyone else mails a card at the same time.

Some businesses stand out by picking a non-traditional time to send cards, such as the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, or Valentine's Day. 

This past Valentine's Day, graphic designer Anne Kerns took holiday cards to a whole new level. She sent out a card that was more than a card. It was "an interactive kit designed to help you put some positivity into the world."

Inside the kit was a large card that encouraged me to "Make someone's day a little brighter!" The instructions suggested sending "a message of hope to a hospitalized child, a retired service member, or anyone else you think could use a kind thought."

The kit also contained:

• Four postcards

• 8 stickers with messages like, "You're a great person!"

• 2 postcard stamps and 2 pre-addressed labels

One label was addressed to "someone special" at the Children's Inn at NIH in Bethesda, MD, while the other was addressed to "someone special" at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, DC. 

Kerns suggested searching online for inspirational quotes to include on the postcards. I found this one I really like that's attributed to Roald Dahl:

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” –Roald Dahl

It felt good writing out the cards, knowing that they would brighten someone’s day. The exercise turned the card Kerns sent into more than just a "thinking of you," and made it an exercise in sharing humanity.

Humanity is one of three things I wrote we could use more of in 2019, so this was just perfect.

About Anne Kerns

Kerns is the owner of Anne Likes Red, a graphic design and consulting firm. She created the covers for my books, The Service Culture Handbook, Customer Service Tip of the Week, and Getting Service Right as well as the interior design for Customer Service Tip of the Week and Getting Service Right.