My Mother’s Day

This may be a week late for the rest of you, but yesterday, I celebrated Mother’s Day with my mom at my side. She’s the one who taught me the importance of a thank you note and a nice, thoughtful birthday gift. Thanks mom.

Why birthday cards are wonderful

Piles and piles of lovely birthday cards.

You’ve had some great birthdays. One great part about birthdays is the cards. Here’s the superlatives of birthday cards.

GOOD: You love the days leading up to your birthday when your mailbox is chock full of colorful envelopes. It is the best contrast to those dull white bill envelopes.

BETTER: Even better than the surprise in your mailbox is the messages inside. Birthdays are the best time for friends to remind you how special you are to them, how much they appreciate the part you have in their lives.

BEST: These lovely cards and their messages last well past your birthday, long after the last gift has been ripped open. They last through those tough days when the world just doesn’t seem right. There’s nothing like shuffling through those cards to remind yourself that so many people love you.

To come: what to do with birthday, thank you and “just because” cards. Should I keep them all?

Boxes, packages and envelopes

When you live far away from family and friends, you gain a great appreciation for the wonder of receiving a nice package in the mail. There’s a lot of fun in receiving them, but I’ve also found so much joy in putting together birthday or “just because” packages for friends.

Mailing packages is an art. Here’s a few tips.

First, choose the right packaging. For light, papery things, a non-padded envelope is sufficient. The envelopes are light, easy to address, and the USPS loves them. For bulkier gifts or semi-breakables, choose a bubble-wrap-lined envelope to keep it protected. The USPS usually has a handful of colorful or patterned envelopes in their stores for special gifts too.

I love the USPS padded envelopes. Easy to use. Keeps your gift safe.

As items get larger, consider a box that fits your contents well. If the box is too large, the contents will rattle around and making more prone to breaking. The USPS recently released a variety of affordable flat-rate boxes. Flat-rate boxes are good for heavy or very dense items as postage cost does not increase with weight.

USPS boxes are nice too. Just make sure you get the right size.

Next, consider what to include in the package. Keep in mind that heavier things will increase your postage dramatically. Things made out of paper are the best way to keep postage down but remain great gifts. One of my favorite gifts is notecards. They are flat, light, colorful and personable, the perfect gifts. Other small paper items like pads of paper and recipe cards are fun too. Small pieces of jewelery are always great too. Earrings wrapped in tissue paper can slide into a birthday card for no extra postage.

My favorite boxes are those chock-full of meaningful things. Friends from college have sent me a plethora of great birthday gifts via the USPS. Usually I can tell exactly what they were thinking as each part went into the box. Favorite candy bars. Souvenirs from a recent trip. Gadgets left over from dorm life. Small pieces of artwork.

Of course, a good package may send a message that doesn’t require a kind note of explanation, but sometimes they do. Include a small card with “Happy Birthday!” greetings, or just let your friend know how much they mean to you.

Finally, be sure to address the package properly. Read up on the best way to fill out the address and return label, then drop by the post office.  Usually there’s no need to use more than first class to send away those packages. Don’t let your friendly postal worker talk you into that $10 second-day mail unless it is absolutely necessary.

Mother’s Day

Why is there a Mother’s Day, but there isn’t a Kid’s Day?

Because every day is Kid’s Day!

That’s right, I hope you didn’t forget, the one day of the year to honor your mother is nearly here, just four days away! Don’t fret, you still have plenty of time to mail a card to arrive before the big day. And of course, flowers can still be ordered over the phone. For those of us who are far away from mom, online stores offer discounted or free expedited shipping. But, your mom loves you no matter what, so if your gift is late, I’m pretty sure she will still love it.

Mother’s Day may be just another cultural holiday that gift stores and greeting card companies like to use to make money. However, Mother’s Day needs a little defense. Special days to make mom feel special can come in any form on any day (i.e. her birthday, which is millions of times more important to my mom). But there is nothing wrong with setting aside the second Sunday in May to remind yourself and mom how important she is to you. Without it, couldn’t you easily let life slip by without remembering how she nursed your strep throats back to health, dealt with your years of middle school angst and cooked some of the best meals of your life?

It’s true, most days are about us kids. Give mom a day.