Merry Everything! With Christmas + Hanukkah behind us, we look to the New Year for inspiration. Erin Newkirk, our CEO, shares three quick + easy ways to take those adorable holiday cards and transform them to create a warmer, friendlier 2011.

Idea #1 :: Write or email people you haven't talked to in a while. Who doesn't deserve a little mailbox bliss? That exciting feeling of finding a fabulous, personal piece of mail in your mailbox? Real or virtual. Doesn't take long to write a little love or like note. Just keep it simple and to the point. Need inspiration? Here's my formula to the perfect one-thought note.

Idea #2 :: Tell someone {or someones} you loved their card. Everyone loves to know they earned the coveted spot on the mantle. That sort of information is too good to keep to yourself! Let your friends + family know that they took a great photo. Chat about how the kids have grown or how young the parents look. How you loved the personal touches -- a signed name, a fun letter.

Idea #3 :: Create a fun board filled with favorite faces. I have a medium-sized bulletin board I keep in my home office filled with happy faces of good friends + family. It keeps me in good spirits no matter what the task at hand is that day. So easy to pull together when you use holiday card photos. And really useful for figuring out next year's list and/or refreshing my memory on the goings-on of the year before.

Last week, Erin Newkirk, our CEO, had the pleasure of speaking at TEDx636EleventhAve. {If you aren't familiar with the TED conference format, definitely check it out. You will be inspired.}

This particular TED event was organized by the talented and driven Natalia Oberti Noguera. Her challenge to all the speakers was to... 

Dream big. Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.

So Erin decided to talk about something near and dear to all our hearts. Thoughtfulness. Why it's important to be thoughtful. How to be thoughtful. And how it relates to Modern Etiquette. While the talk isn't available to view on video quite yet, we thought we'd share an few excerpts from her talk. Because if there is a season built for thoughtfulness, this is it! 

The word thoughtful is more than merely a word of course. It’s an ideal. An emotion. It’s a habit. A process. It’s inclusive. It’s genuine. Over time, when exercised in everyday behavior, it becomes a part of who we are and how we get things done. It’s a lens for how we answer questions and help people in need. Or, how we support people who are thriving. Thoughtful is a genuine gesture intended to collaborate without expecting an immediate payback or any payback at all, really. Conversely, when asking a thoughtful question or request, it’s about making sure we have something of value to offer in return. It’s not greedy, or intended to exploit. It’s not something you do expecting praise. Often, it’s done when no one else is looking. It’s a positive and proactive attitude that makes any space more creative and energetic. It doesn’t demand perfection, but it must be nourished to flourish. People are thoughtful, actions are thoughtful. Businesses are thoughtful.

 

Like society, Modern Etiquette has evolved into something that's useful. Practical. A set of social gestures {not rules} that make it easier to socialize with friends/family/colleagues/acquaintances/strangers because these considerate guidelines are really just a framework to help you think of thoughtful + intentional things to say or do.

 The considerations are simple.

1. Be Gracious. Channel kindness, always be personal and true. Give as much as you get, preferably more.

2. Be Timely. The quicker you are to show your appreciation, the more appreciated your recipient will feel. The earlier you ask someone to provide assistance, the more time they will have to prepare and give you quality material.

3. Be Relevant. Consider your audience. What do they need to know to succeed? Feel confident? What do they NOT need to know. {EDIT. EDIT. EDIT.} What will excite them?

 

 

So, this and every season :: Take a few minutes to apply a thoughtful lens to each and every situation by being gracious, timely + deeply relevant. And we promise that you will get it back ten {or a thousand} fold.

Happy Holidays!

December brings many things. Among them, lots and lots of reasons to give thanks to those who make this season {and every season} better. 

Starting with Thanksgiving thank you notes. It's been almost a week since Thanksgiving and we are still smiling over the memories made around the table. The fabulous food, the interesting conversations. All worthy of a big thank you to your host{ess} with the most{est}. 

If you haven't sent your thanks yet...or even if you have...here are a few fun ideas to keep in mind. For Thanksgiving AND for the upcoming holidays. Like Hanukkah, which begins at sundown today. {Happy Hanukkah!}

A THANK YOU NOTE is always appreciated

• Warm your note up with a greeting like "Thanksgiving was amazing!" or "Still thinking about that turkey..." vs. the rather mundane or chore-like "Thank you for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner." It's actually more proper NOT to start off with "Thank you" AND we think it adds much more personality.
• That being said, don't forget to actually say the words "thank you." Line 2 is the perfect place for that. :)
• Insert an important memory or two to colorfully illustrate your gratitude.
• Talk about what comes next...the next holiday? a dinner at your place? a phone call to gush a little more about the royal engagement? 

A QUICK + THOUGHTFUL EMAIL or TEXT MESSAGE to follow up the note 

• I usually pair my handwritten thank you with a quick email or text about a week after I send the note to highlight one funny story or memory that's stayed with me since the holiday. It's so fun to bring unexpected happiness to someone's day!
• Keep it short and sweet. The idea isn't to send two thank you notes...it's to let your recipient know that the effort they put into the occasion brought week{s} of wonderful memories.
• Include a photo! Sometimes the very best memory is captured best with a great/funny/important photo.

Hope these tips make holiday thank you's a little more fluid. Send early, send often! 'Tis the season...

psst...Speaking of December, if you haven't checked out our December Desktop Calendar, be sure to click here. It's a free way to add instant style to your desktop! Happy Holidays!

When our good friends at Mpls St Paul Magazine asked us to pull together a few holiday invitation guidelines, we jumped at the chance to share our thoughts on modern holiday invitation etiquette. However you decide to invite your guests this year, be inviting with these 5 welcoming tips.

 

1. Get it on the calendar. The holiday season is short and sweet. To maximize your party's potential, send early, send often. From e-mailed save the dates to post office delivered invitations, now is the time to get this party started! 3-6 weeks is the ideal lead time; especially if you are shooting for a prime time, weekend night party. Which leads us to our next point...
2.  Spontaneous Fun! Thanks to technology, you can email and/or post stylish + graceful invitations with the same ease of sending an email. Modern etiquette suggests giving your guests adequate time to prepare for your party, but there are no hard and fast rules around timing. Just use common sense. Is holiday attire required? Give your guests time to dry clean their finest. Heading to the lake for ice skating + hot chocolate? Give them time to sharpen their blades. Darting out for a festive snowball fight? How about now... 
3.  Style + Wording say it all. Choose an invitation that extends the formality of your event. Include the essential elements :: type of party you are throwing, who the party is given by, the date/time/location, the host’s name + preferred RSVP information. Include favored attire if the formality of your event isn’t 100% obvious. Great invitations inform + invite.
4.  To Mail or E-Mail? That is the Question.  Consider how you normally interact with your guests, how far away your event is + how formal your event is, and then distribute in a way that will accommodate everyone's lifestyle. Paper invitations are always chic, but require time to create and physical addresses to send. Digital invitations are a fun, eco-friendly way to pull together a last minute get-together and are great when gathering close friends. Torn between trend + tradition? Send both ways to accommodate different guests + schedules.
5.  Invitation Trimmings. When mailing paper invitations, your envelope creates a lasting first impression. Handwritten addresses are always lovely, but if you are tight on time, skip the white computer labels + run your envelopes directly through the printer. These days, there are lots of stylish fonts to choose from. And if you already have the lists in your database, it's a breeze to do. {Click here for a full how-to!}

And speaking of invitations....we invite you to check out our fabulous selection of holiday invitations. Hurry, time is ticking and we are currently offering 15% + FREE rush shipping on our holiday invitations now through 11/14/2010 with promo code RUSH15. 

Questions? Comments? Leave your thoughts below or ping Erin Newkirk at erin@redstamp.com or on twitter @redstamp_erin. We look forward to hearing from you!

There's a custom in correspondence when you personally pen your note, you "slash" pre-printed formalities. Your last name, your company name, your title. It creates an immediate intimacy, a welcome to the inner circle. And we think it's lovely. 

Wow! We are loving the positive response to our "how we write a note" post a couple of weeks ago! Thank you so much.

Speaking of thank you's, we thought we'd weigh in on what makes for a proper thank you in this day + age.

A proper thank you lets the person who deserves your thanks know just how grateful you are for whatever wonderful gift they just gave you. And with modern technology and modern etiquette there are so many exciting {newish} ways to do this!

One of our favorites we have been playing around a lot with lately is shooting a short video or snapping a photo of the gift in use. {Super easy with a smartphone.}

Then, we've been mailing/emailing/texting the video/photo along with a short note letting them know a} we love the gift b} how grateful we are for the gift {the "thank you"} and c} how we will think of them whenever you use it. Which is often.

Great for kids, great for adults. 

We know this might be a bit controversial in the world of old school etiquette. But we are all about the world of modern etiquette. Where it really IS the thought that counts. 

Have a thought? Or a question? Please comment below or shoot us an email at info@redstamp.com. We love to hear from you!

modern etiquette {mod-ern | et-i-ket} ::

1. properties of conduct that stem from consideration, comfort and respect
2. inclusive guidelines that exist to help people feel comfortable in today's social situations.
3. a respectful core framework to RedStamp's mission to make relationships stronger.

Etiquette has received a lot of tough press in the past. And we get it. With all that's facing our society right now, who has time to worry about which fork goes where? Or how to properly phrase an invitation?

But Modern Etiquette is different. Like society, Modern Etiquette has evolved into something that's useful. Practical. A set of guidelines {not rules} that make it easier to correspond with friends/family/colleagues/acquaintances/strangers because these considerate guidelines are really just a framework to help you think of thoughtful + intentional things to say or do.

1. Be Gracious. Channel hospitality if you're the host; gratefulness if you are writing a thank you note; kindness if you are expressing sentiments from sympathy to congratulations. Always be personal.

3. Be Relevant. Correspondence is always about the sender AND the receiver. So, always consider your audience. What do they need to know? What should they know? What will make them feel comfortable and good about themselves/the situation at hand? From invitations to thank you's, this tactic is a sure fire way to remember to include all the relevant information.

Have any questions on Modern Etiquette for an upcoming event? Or a party you'd like us to discuss? Post them below.