From silly birthday cards that feature cartoon characters and groan-worth jokes to handcrafted unique wedding invitations that are bona fide works of art, the greeting card industry is a booming one in today’s modern world. Who doesn’t love opening their mailbox and finding a greeting card from a distant friend or relative that commemorates a special occasion — or even offers special thoughts “just because.” Walking down the greeting card aisle in your favorite store or browsing the selection of cards online, it can seem like the number of cards out there are endless.
In fact, you might be surprised to learn just how big a hit greeting cards are with the American public. The Greeting Card Association (the United States trade organization that represents the interests of the stationary, greeting card, and wrapping paper industries), says that approximately 90% of American households purchase greeting cards during the year. The number of total cards purchased totals somewhere around 7 billion. That’s a lot of Christmas greeting cards and birthday well wishes. In the United Kingdom, the number of cards sold is somewhere around 2 billion. Just counting the cards sold in these two countries, the number sold per year could circle the Earth 54 times if they were lined up end to end.
From personalized Christmas cards to simple thank you notes, greeting cards are a simple way to bring joy to someone that you care about. Wish someone well, lift their spirits, or add a celebratory touch to festive events the tried, true and traditional way.