Greeting Card Metamessages
You can tell a lot about people from their holiday greetings. There’s the message, and the often unintended metamessage.
My friend “Bee” sends out slideshows set to lovely music with pictures of angels, spiritual teachers and stunning nature scenes. I have never seen a picture of her new home or her boyfriend. In that way, her greetings are impersonal. I do see and delight in her spirit through these shows. I get the metamessage.
My friend “Dee” sends out pictures of her family – twenty people I’ve never met. I don’t know much about her spiritual nature. I enjoy seeing pictures of the people who mean so much to her. I get the metamessage.
My friend “Gina” sends out cards with pictures of her animals. They’re cute enough, and the animals “write” her message. The message shares a lot about who she is, and so does the way she delivers it. I get the metamessage.
My CPA David sent this picture last Christmas. I love it. It tells many stories through many symbols – the cows, the hats, the crutches and the Colorado sweatshirt. Did I miss any symbols? The symbols tell me he is a family man, he is playful, he got injured and is creative. Did I miss anything?
You can also tell a lot about people from when their greetings arrive. Some clearly had the family photos taken early and got their Christmas greetings out in a timely fashion. Others send out more of New Year’s updates – right on time or late. Some don’t send greetings at all.
You also can tell a lot about people from when they post about holiday greetings to their blogs. I have been imagining this post since I got David’s card. Here it is, late February, and I’m just now posting. What does that tell you? What’s the metamessage?
It could say I’m not organized well. It could say I’m free from convention. How about you tell me?
Do you remember any greeting cards that told you a lot about the senders?
And how can that metamessage help you connect with those people in meaningful ways… all year long?
I go see my CPA tomorrow and I have a few ideas based on this photo.