valentine ecards

Valentine Ecards History

Besides Christmas, for which holiday do people buy and send the most greeting cards? You guessed it, St. Valentine’s Day! We know some of the history of Valentine’s Day, but when did people start traditionally sending Valentine’s Day cards? Before the 1400s, people recognized St. Valentine’s Day only by orating their Valentine in song or speech. The only record that we have of the first handmade “card” written for Valentine’s Day is from the 1400s and is preserved in a British Museum.

These handmade Valentine’s were popular in Europe in lieu of gifts, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that Valentine’s Day cards started to be mass produced by factory workers. These cards were very elaborate and delicate at the same time, some proving to be very expensive, and all had to be hand delivered. Some were embossed in gold, others were 3-D, and a few even had movable parts!

The Valentine craze hit America around the 1800’s, and they became even more popular in 1840 when the world’s first postage stamp was introduced. This of course made it possible to send the cards rather than hand deliver, however hand delivering them may have proven to be more romantic! A woman by the name of Esther Howland was one of the first to create and sell Valentine’s in the US in the 1850s. Her cards and others were hand painted and decorated with frilly accessories, but by the end of the 19^th century most cards were mass produced by machines.

Esther Howland probably never in her wildest imagination could have foreseen that her first cards would ultimately lead to e-cards; cards sent to loved ones via an invisible highway known as the internet. But the truth is that we have gotten here, and that St. Valentine’s Day is as important as ever, and that because e-cards are easy to send, they have become the wave of the greeting card present and future. Here at GotFreeCards.com, the Valentine e-cards or Valentine Printable cards are just as elaborate as their ancestors from the 1400s, but they are FREE! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Cards

When we were kids in grade school, Valentine’s Day at school meant a party in the classroom, treats for everyone, and no school work. What fun! The week before, my mom would take me to the store to pick out small Valentine’s cards for my classmates and some candy to go with it. The Valentine’s cards usually were red or pink and had an assortment of colorful characters on them; bears and hearts for the girls and superheros for the boys. The night before our Valentine’s party, I would fill out and address all of my little cards for all of my classmates and tape on a piece of candy. Sometimes there were those boys I didn’t like, or the bossy girl that I would rather give a bag of dirt to than the precious candy, but my mother would remind me that Valentine’s Day was for everyone and that no one wants to feel left out.

The day of the party, we’d all show up with our bags of goodies for our classmates, and once class started, we’d put our bags on our desk or the back of our chairs and walk around the room, putting our cards and treats into each person’s goody bag. And oh the joy when we got back to our desks and dumped out our bags to see all of the goodies our classmates had given us! This Valentine’s Day I want to recapture that joy by sending each one of my special friends and family Valentine’s e-cards to their email inbox, for what a special treat to get a special card just for them on Valentine’s Day. And the special treat for me? That all of the e-cards at GotFreeCards are FREE! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day Gifts- it’s the experience that counts

Valentine’s Day offers an opportunity to reconnect with your loved ones. If you are looking for something fun, yet meaningful to do this Valentine’s Day with your special someone, here are some ideas you could try.

1. Sign up for a class – Is there something you and your significant other have wanted to learn or try for some time now? Why not sign up? Whether it’s a new language, yoga, skiing lessons or a creative writing class – just choose something that you both are interested in and new to and enjoy the experience of learning, sharing and exploring a new skill together. It’s like going back to high school or college, only, more enjoyable.

2. Save up and spend, together -Valentine’s Day could be the day you go shopping together and finally reward yourselves with something you both want and have been saving up for. A new car, a video camera, an exercise bike, a new laptop, maybe even the down payment for your home….the gift may not be romantic in itself. But the fact that you both worked hard to earn, save up and spend time to pick out something that you can share for years to come, certainly is.

3. An unplanned road trip – Remember how you always wanted to take a spontaneous road trip to nowhere? Well, why not do it on Valentine’s Day weekend? Just get in the car and drive. Go wherever your heart(or your GPS) takes you. We often spot beautiful sights on our planned road trips – bridges, little towns or lakes we wish we could stop at and enjoy. But we don’t because we’re always in a rush to get somewhere else. Well, this Valentine’s day, why not make it to nowhere and yet stop everywhere your eyes and heart tell you to. You never know – you might even end up experiencing the most gorgeous sunset of your life or the most spectacular view that you won’t find in travel brochures.

Valentine’s day ought to be more about doing the things we love and less about doing what the TV commercials or store displays tell us to. Me – I’m not a greeting card and bouquet person. A long mountain drive, steaming hot coffee on a hill top and a free ecard from my sweetie is all it takes to make my Valentine’s Day. You can also customize a card and print at home from printable cards

Watch your inbox for more meaningful Valentine’s Day gift ideas, in our next issue of Let’s Catch Up. Haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet? Please register on our homepage.

keep spreading joy!

“I wish November, December would never end” sighed my twelve year old. My little one was saddened by the fact that the festivities were over. There was a lot to celebrate in these two months- It typically started with the Halloween, then came my birthday, and then hers followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas and finally the New year. Well, I must admit I felt the same way!

Truly festivals and celebrations bring friends and family together. There is a sense of joy, camaraderie and happiness in the air that really brings cheer to everyone.

What could we do to keep the festivities going all year?

Here are my top 3 tips:

[1] Identify occasions to celebrate

You could actively identify occasions to celebrate in your communities – Birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, and trips together. A close friend of mine has a large extended family. Every year they make it a point to come together on birthdays, anniversaries and plan a trip during the holiday season. So far, they have been together on 18 trips. Of course this requires a lot of drive and enthusiasm, but what is important is using these occasions to connect with your loved ones. These occasions are also opportunities to feast together and a family that eats together stays together!

[2] Gift

Festivals bring the spirit of ‘giving’. While festivals, birthdays and anniversaries are times to gift something special, you can also gift in non-physical ways throughout the year. Gift others with your time and attention. Take out time to talk to friends and family or visit someone who needs you. You could send someone a thoughtful note or letter and enjoy their heartfelt response.

[3] Share your life

Modern times have provided us with wonderful technologies to stay connected. Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Mobile phones, Skype, Google Talk… have all helped to bring the world closer. Use these technologies to stay connected. Share what is happening in your life through your thoughts, photos, notes and greeting cards. Make others a part of your life and they will make you part of theirs.

My friend’s mother has this wonderful way of sending thoughtful and beautiful cards. When wishing us on our important occasions. She embeds our old photos which brings back old memories and adds a few lines perfectly apt for the occasion. No wonder we all wait to hear from her!

So in 2015, make it a point to seize the occasion. With Valentine just around the corner, you already have an opportunity. Use Got Free Cards and keep spreading joy!

Written by – Maneesha Pednekar

This Valentine’s Day – Fall in love…with yourself!

It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for love!
If you have a shiny new 2010 calendar in front of you, the month of February no doubt looms large at you. The 14th stares back silently. You may not have circled it, but, everyone knows that every time your eyes fall on the calendar, you sort of draw a mental circle around the date. For some of us, it’s a pleasant reminder of the blessings we have in our lives. And an opportunity to do something nice for the ones we love. Be it sending Valentine’s Day ecards, flowers, planning an elaborate date or a romantic getaway. For others seeking passion and adventure, Valentine’s Day holds promise.
But if you’re one of those millions of hopeful people looking for that elusive thing they call love…what does Valentine’s day mean to you? If you still haven’t found the One or feel betrayed by past experiences, you are probably wary of giving it yet another shot. If you find yourself feeling unworthy of love or think that you’re probably not desirable enough – I have one word for you. Stop! Instead of beating yourself up for being alone or not being able to find the right person, think of Valentine’s Day as a chance to get to know yourself better and to do something nice …for YOU!
It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how much success you’ve had with relationships. Before you find that someone who loves you, you have to learn to love yourself. So, if you don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day( and even if you do), why not start with these simple steps to celebrating YOU –
1. Do what makes you happy. Pick a hobby or sport. Indulge. Make time to enjoy it. Invest in yourself. It’s not your looks, career, bank balance or real estate investments that define your worth but the quality of time you spend with yourself and with those around you. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t danced or painted in ages. If it makes you happy, you should make time for it. It’s as simple as that.
2. Travel. Go somewhere you’ve always wanted to. Either by yourself or with a friend. Explore, experience and enjoy. Send your friends free photo ecards from wherever you are. Come back with pictures, memories, a journal and a rejuvenated spirit.
3. Join a class, club or group. A book club, writing group,marathon training session or sculpting class may help take your mind off some of the depressing, negative thoughts and help you realize the wonderful gifts you have.
4. Offer help. Whether you offer to care for your neighbor’s kids as she works her second shift or join a volunteer project in your community or tutor underprivileged kids – using your gifts and time to help someone is one of the surest ways to feel grateful and find a purpose, especially if you’re going through a bad patch in your own life. When you spread love around, you find that you’re surrounded by more of it.
5. Pamper yourself. Whether it’s a long-overdue spa visit, a luxurious massage session, an expensive dress you’ve wanted for months or a vacation you’ve been putting off – why wait until the perfect ‘One’ shows up to treat yourself to something special? Allow yourself the indulgences that you have earned and deserve to enjoy.
There you have it. Five simple ways to treat yourself to a beautiful Valentine’s Day, regardless of where you are in life. Each of these things is guaranteed to do one thing – help you learn more about yourself and appreciate your life. And, that is even better than having someone else say how great you are!

What is Valentine’s Day

When I met my husband, I was excited for February and our very first Valentine’s Day. I was also quite nervous as streams of questions traveled through my head. What should I get him? What will he get me? Does he know it is Valentine’s Day? Should I remind him? Do I make dinner reservations or does he? I decided the best way to handle my nerves was to talk about it openly with him and ask him what he wanted to do and what our budget was for gifts. So romantic, I know! His answer: “Oh, Valentine’s Day is my brother’s birthday, so we’ll have dinner at my parents’ house to celebrate.”

I was of course, devastated, and thought that if I became serious with this man, that the rest of my

Valentine’s Day dates would be spent with his parents! After a few years of Valentine’s dinners with my in-laws, I started to see the benefits and the joys to having a Valentine’s celebration with family. Not only did we never have to make dinner reservations at an overbooked and overpriced restaurant, we got to enjoy the company of loved ones at the same time and same place each year, to celebrate love and birthdays. Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about the stress of what gift to get and what restaurant to eat at. It should be about simple things like love and good company. Don’t let your loved ones forget it, send them Free ecards from GotFreeCards.com for Valentine’s day, remind them what February 14th is all about.

Valentine Ecards for my husband

If you have popped in to any store lately, you are well aware that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. There are big red candy boxes on the first aisle when you walk in, teddy bears for sale holding red hearts and red balloons, and even boxers adorned with little cupids for sale. And even though all of the merchandise is fun and festive and would make anyone smile, the thought of purchasing anything for Valentine’s Day still stresses me out!

I want to make sure that the gift for my husband is perfect, that it is not too corny, but also not too UN-corny. Flowers are not for my husband, and he doesn’t eat sweets, so I tend to go for the more home-made gifts. One year I made him a gift card that was good for things like a back rub, or breakfast in bed, and another year I had the kids make him a card with their picture in it. So this year, we’re going to do that again, with the help of GotFreeCards.com. I am going to create FREE printable cards at GotFreeCards.com, with pictures of me and my kids and my own corny sentiments, print it out, and give it to my husband for Valentine’s Day. It will be the perfect gift, with the perfect amount of Valentine’s Day corniness.