Fibro-Friendly Holidays: Seasons eGreetings

Image by jspad via Flickr

I admit one holiday tradition that I have given up is sending Christmas cards. I get the feeling that this is a tradition that other people have given up as well ... or maybe I get fewer cards because I no longer send cards out. Truth be told, symptoms from my thoracic outlet syndrome get in the way of sending holiday cards. Unfortunately, using my hands to write for more than a few minutes leads to numbness, tingling and increased pain.

For me, sending e-cards has become my fibro-friendly alternative. I like Hallmark.com because of the consistent quality of their e-cards and because many of their e-cards can be sent free of charge. I've also discovered JibJab.com this year, the creators behind ElfYourself. The ability to put a picture of yourself and your friends into their e-cards makes JibJab's offerings extra special. Of course Jibjab takes this a step further by allowing you to put the images you create onto mouse pads, coffee mugs and greeting cards and allowing you to download your creations, all of which they offer for sale.

Other e-cards providers include:

• AmericanGreetings.com, who offer a 14 day free trial and unlimted e-cards for $19.99 a year ($15.99 if you subscribe through Yahoo! Greetings)
  
• BlueMountain.com, who offer a free 7 day trial and subscription options for 1 month at $2.99, 1 year for $15.99 and 2 years at $24.99
  
• care2.com, a free e-card service that generates donations to organizations with every one you send

Apparently I'm not alone in my use of e-cards. I have noticed a new trend this year at Hallmark.com: more of their e-cards cost $.99 per recipient to send. The better deal seems to be signing up for a year's worth of unlimited e-cards for $9.99. I hope that this isn't the beginning of the end of free e-cards at Hallmark.com, but I have to image this is an attempt on their part to make up for revenues lost from decreased sales of traditional paper greeting cards.

How do you send your Season's Greetings? Which is better, an e-card or a real card? Let me know by leaving a comment below.