Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day – September 18, 2026

Expected Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day Deals

For Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day, appreciation is the focus rather than commercial deals. Look for greeting card companies like Hallmark, American Greetings, and independent card shops to run campaigns highlighting their writers’ contributions. Publishers may offer special discounts on card-making supplies or host virtual workshops. Consider supporting small businesses like Papyrus or Minted, which often feature unique designs and heartfelt prose from diverse artists. We will update this page with confirmed live appreciation programs as September 18 approaches.

History of Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day

Exchanging greeting cards is a custom that started in ancient times. Some records indicate the Ancient Chinese would exchange messages of goodwill during the New Year. There have even been papyrus scrolls that the Ancient Egyptians used as ‘greeting cards.’

By 1400, paper greeting cards — also the valentine, which was the oldest greeting card — were made in Europe, and Germans were sending woodcut cards. A century later, inscribed greeting cards came out, and by the 1800s, hand-painted copper plates were in great demand. Multiple advances in printing in this same period made the greeting very popular and easy to access. Commercial production of greeting cards started in 1860, and the very first cards were, of course, Valentines (with applied Christmas ornaments and verses). German immigrant Louis Prang — called the father of the American Christmas card — settled in Boston around this time, opened a printing business, and the greeting card industry boomed. He began with simple album cards of flora, birds, animals, and added to this before eventually creating seasonal greetings in 1875. His cards were all the rage in America and around the globe. He even began design competitions in 1880, a tradition that was continued by Hallmark, with the Hallmark Cards Art awards. He was on top of the greeting card game until European producers came into the market with inexpensive cards. From 1900 to World War I, the greeting card industry ran under German monopoly. The U.S.-made cards came back with a bang in 1910 and gained an impetus during both Wars. They then adopted the custom of exchanging cards on seasonal and regular occasions, and U.S. greeting card manufacturers assumed world leadership.

Among them was the Hall Brothers card company — later rebranded to Hallmark — which initially crafted picture postcards. Founded by Joyce Clyde Hall and his brother in Kansas City, Hall Brothers card company had a good run for about five years until sales declined. Then, they turned to making greeting cards, and chose the term ‘hallmark’ as it was used by goldsmiths to describe a “mark of quality.” Hallmark was also the first company to display cards on shelves standing up. Before this, they were put in drawers. Now, the world is going paperless, but greeting cards are still used in many countries, with America holding one of the top spots.