Whether we’re ready for them or not, the holidays are upon us! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and then the parade of major holidays follows. There’s Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years. Plus, you might be like our family where numerous birthdays are celebrated during this same time frame. (Not everyone can be born in August like the rest of us “cool people!” 😊)

We all have various ways we celebrate these and other holidays but one of the most common methods is by sending a card. One of the great things about the Internet and computing is the access to greeting cards and the various ways they can be delivered. One of my favorite ways of sending my well-wishes is through the use of e-cards, aka electronic greeting cards. E-cards are easy to send and the sites I use offer such a variety of types that you are rarely at a loss to find just the right card. There are serious cards, religious cards, off-beat and downright funny ones, too.

Besides being easy to send, e-cards can also bail you out of an awkward situation when you’ve forgotten to get a physical card in the mail to someone important. You can zip out an e-card and save the day! But wait, you wanted to send a gift and now it’s too late? Again, e-cards can save the day. Many sites now allow you to add a gift with your greeting. The whole process is easy and pretty neat!

“What e-card sites do you use, John?” I hear you asking. I use a number of different sites. Most of them allow you to send a free card or two but if you want to experience the full gamut of possibilities, the sites offer an inexpensive yearly subscription plan. The cost is well worth it as you can keep an address book, schedule reminders for birthdays and anniversaries and have access to some awesome cards and gifts.

Here are the sites I use most often:

There are tons of other e-cards sites but I leave you today with this warning: a number of the sites offering you “free” cards will install software you don’t want or will follow you around with pop-ups and other annoyances, so be careful. Remember the old adage: you get what you pay for!