This is the time of year when people realize it's been twelve months since they've caught up with some friends, typically wishing them a happy holiday season. In an ever-busy world, have you noticed that with cards you still receive, there's a generic typed missive with a paragraph on each person's successes and activities of the sender's year?
Increasingly, people give a note-dump in the holiday card... intended to be easy for them to make, easy for you to read. But friendships have a lot of value in the little things that make them special - the sharing of the small details, the extra effort to wrap a gift in the favorite color, the connection even in the "mundane."
At these holidays when friends are celebrating a significant religious event, a hand-written note is something special. You put time into what you are going to say to that particular person. The flaws of your script are endearing, not troublesome. Even selecting the perfect card for that friend is an important part of the ritual of holiday cards.
Office cards for important clients (or some send a card for all donors, for instance) show that you thought of them, too. It's sets your brand apart. Business cards aren't necessarily hand-written, but a quick note or thank you, wishing them a great year ahead, at the closing of the company card shows that you took time to say something special.
When communications become transactional rather than relational, it's not the time to get desperate. After all, when you feel forced to communicate and send electronic notes for "status updates," it starts feeling awkward with updates on updates that you will get, or repeat updates from generic notes you already got. Keep your work brand special and your friendships maintaining that unique touch all year long.
http://fortune.com/2015/12/07/us-postal-service-email-mail/
