A growing percentage of the 27 million cards exchanged at Thanksgiving are sent by businesses, professionals and even households looking to get a jump on the December holidays while avoiding the cliched “Seasons Greetings” and sidestepping the quandary of which religious observance to recognize. “It’s the perfect opportunity to thank customers, vendors, employees — that’s what Thanksgiving is all about,” said Mary Beth Burgoyne Gibbons, co-owner of Horsham, Pa.-based Legacy Greetings.
“And in today’s more politically correct world some customers prefer going with a purely non-denominational all-American holiday.” One of Legacy’s best-selling cards is a Thanksgiving greeting featuring a tranquil fall scene and the sentiment, “There is no time more appropriate to say thank you.” Consumer-oriented firms such as Hallmark Cards and American Greetings spotted the trend several years ago and adjusted their offerings to include more cards for businesses.
American Greetings aimed several of its nine multipacks at the professional market. One features ivory cards with gold leaves woven around “Happy Thanksgiving,” and the greeting, “May your holiday be beautiful and bountiful.” Gina Kolk’s office manager was addressing similar cards Tuesday morning at Kolk’s physical therapy practice in Oak Park, preparing a mailing to doctors and others who refer patients. “We think offices get inundated at Christmas and things get lost in the shuffle,” Kolk said.
“They’re more likely to open this up and look at it.” Besides, she added, the greeting is appropriate for her multidenominational staff. “I try to take religion out of the holidays,” she said. Wasserman, the real estate attorney, started mailing Thanksgiving cards to clients and business associates in 2000, and he noticed he receives more every year. Is he also sending more? “Thankfully I am,” he said. This year his list totals 390.