In the guidelines, they wrote, “We are looking for fresh and unique ideas, so let loose and be creative... The most important thing to remember is that your poem should express a message one person would want to share with another during the holiday season.”

That last sentence is integral to working in this industry.  Your card verse must have a “me-to-you” feeling about it—a reason why one person would actually pay money to give your words to someone else.

I checked my memory bank for Christmas nostalgia that I could use, and came up with a couple of touching cards.  Then a friend of mine called me on the phone, interrupting my train of thought.

This friend lost his father in July.  They were close, and I wanted so much to say the right things... things that would bring him comfort.  I guess that’s a funny thing about me—I can write cards to help other people say the “right thing,” but when faced with situations like these in person or on the phone, I’m often at a loss for words.

After I got off the phone, again, my mind went back to the holiday cards.  I started thinking of what kind of card I would want to give my friend.  Somehow, the usual messages of joy and merriment didn’t seem appropriate.  I knew this Christmas wasn’t going to be a particularly happy one for him.  There was going to be someone missing this year, someone he loved dearly.

I wrote the card that I would want to give him.  It began, “I know that the holidays can make the hurt hurt worse.”  It was a message about how no one would fault him if he couldn’t get into “the spirit of things” this year, and reassurance that the people around him would be thinking of him.

As I finished the verse, I knew that this was a marketable card.  Lots of people will relate to the sentiment I expressed.  Every year, people lose their loved ones and have to survive the first (and second, and fifteenth) holiday without them.  Where are the cards for that?

I’ve never seen one.  And that’s why I knew this card would fill a need. 

Now take this thought and apply it to other card-giving holidays.  Take Valentine’s Day, for example.  On first thought, you’d probably picture cards for husbands and wives, or at least committed couples.  But what about the new couples, or the “not-very-serious” relationships?  They don’t want a card that uses the word “love,” and especially not the “forever and always” variety.  What can you write that would fill this need?

And what kind of Valentine’s Day card could a father give to his daughter?  Or a teenage boy give to the girl he has a crush on?  Or a friend to a friend?

Now take weddings.  Most wedding cards say something to the effect of, “You’re meant for each other.”  But what if you don’t believe that at all?  What if you’re the cousin of the bride, and you think she’s making a huge mistake and marrying a scumbag?  You still have to wish them well, of course, but you don’t want to outright lie and talk about how “perfect” they are for each other.  No, you’ll want to simply concentrate on how you wish them both the best for the future, and hope they will always treat each other well.

The key to writing greeting cards is to write something that will feel like it was written especially for one particular person to give to another particular person.  The trick is to make it feel personal for lots of people.