It happens every couple years that I decide yes, I will do Christmas cards, but I don’t alway get all the way through the task. Fortunately, Valentines Day and St Paddy’s are both completely legitimate card sending holidays, even if the letter is dated somewhere in late December. Which is why this weekend, while shopping at the evil yet irresistable Wal-mart, I spent some time in the Valentine’s Day card aisle.
These days, all the cards seem to be cross-branded or have a special component. Walking down the special seasonal aisle, I had my choice of 3-D valentines, butterfly tattoo valentines, foil Harley-Davidson valentines (with pictures of motorcyles), Dora the Explorer (a TV character, dolls and fashion accessories available), Bratz (a line of dolls, I don’t know if they yet have a TV series) Childrens Inspirational (A bible verse in each valentine), Superman (the movie of course, not the comic), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (wow, they’ve managed to stay alive), Sponge Bob Squarepants (TV cartoon), and Disney Pixar (featuring characters from Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo etc)
But have times really changed? Or do the neurotic kids still divide their Harleys in order of coolness. Is Nemo the fish better than Woody the cowboy?
For me it was a hard call, but in the end I had to go with the butterfly tattoos. I’m not a huge fan of butterflies, but I was always excited by the tattoos you could apply with water. And because I’m now old and mature, I resolve not to spend too much time contemplating who would like a pink card with a yellow tattoo, and who would prefer pale blue.