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Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette,
Dear Ms. Paull, For a more informal treatment, it is proper to use one of the following: Suffixes are used after names to provide more information about the person and are called post-nominal letters or post-nominal initials. These indicate a special position, degree, office or honor. The most popular social suffixes are senior or junior and are mainly used in the US. For correct usage, Jr. denotes a child of the exact same name as the parent. However, “Junior” is a popular nickname and often used even if the son’s name is entirely different from his father’s, as more a term of endearment than rank. On an interesting note, there are no rules on what to do if the most senior member dies. No rules of etiquette or tradition have been determined so it is left to families to decide. Some families have the Junior “move up one” and become Senior, and others just keep ‘counting down the line.’ The legal name of Tom Cruise, for example, is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV It is also interesting to note that very often, the ‘senior’ or ‘junior’ is not actually part of the legal name, it is simply added to help everyone avoid confusion. In other cases, the Sr. or Jr. suffix is part of the legal name and on the birth certificate. Can women have Jr or Sr as part of their name if they are named after their mothers? You bet, although it is not nearly as common, as many women change their name when they marry. However, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Jr., and Carolina Herrera, Jr. are two women who have Jr after their names. Thanks for your question, Mary! Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, I always wonder, when writing out cards, is it professional to write on the opposite side of the imprinted message. If you have a card that folds in half downwards, are you supposed to write on the top half of the card?? Does it matter?? Not Sure Nancy. Well, Nancy, since your question can be a little confusing to some, I’ve included a diagram so people exactly understand what you’re asking. You’re asking if it is proper to write in the “Inside Front Cover” of the card. Refer to the image below.
The short answer is, yes, you can write on the inside front cover. There is no etiquette saying you cannot do this. However, there are a few conditions where this might not be such a good idea.
If none of those conditions applies, you can absolutely write on the inside front cover of the card. Hopes this helps you, Nancy! Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, When used in addressing envelopes, c/o means “care of”, and is used when you’re sending mail to someone who does not actually live at the address in question. It can come in handy when trying to get in touch with someone who’s home address you don’t know, if you can send mail to their work address:
It could also be used to send mail to someone staying at a hotel, if you don’t know their room number. Or, if you’re sending invitations for an event, and you don’t know one person’s address, but you are also inviting a mutual friend, you could send both invitations to the same
It’s not something you’ll need to use often, but when it is needed, it definitely comes in handy. Just write the recipient’s name on the first line, and start the second line (with the person’s or company’s name who’s address you’re using) with c/o. Hope that clears things up! Tags: address-envelopes, Addressing-wedding-invitations, Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, My friend recently had a pet pass away. She is very distraught about it, and I’m wondering if it is appropriate to send a card to her. I mean, it is not like a person died: it was just a dog. -Jane S. in Idaho Ah, Jane, what you fail to realize is that most people who adopt animals into their lives think of those animals as members of the family. To you it might just be a “dog”, but to your friend, she thought of her dog as a faithful, loving companion, or perhaps even a 4-legged child. If she is distraught, it is clear her dog brought her joy, so she will mourn it just like the loss of a human relative. The most important thing you can do right now is to acknowledge her pain, and let her know you will be there to help her through this tough time. A sympathy card or a thinking of you card is very appropriate thing right now. Offer to take her out for a coffee or just tell her if she needs a friend to talk to, that you’ll be there. Don’t say anything like ‘You can get another dog,’ because that is stating that her dog was unimportant and ‘replaceable anyway’. Not everyone is able to adopt again right away. Something along the lines of ‘I’m sorry for your loss, and I’ll be there for you’ is really all you need to say. As always, with sympathy cards, it is important to offer support, not advice. Good Luck, Jane. Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette, Sympathy Cards Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, Our company is planning an expansion at our main office, and we’re trying to think of a good way to welcome the new employees. Some of them are local, and some are relocating to our town. I was hoping you’d have some good ideas! -HR Newbie No problem, Newbie … I’ve got a handful of great ideas for you!
None of these ideas need to be super-extravagant, this is really one of those “thought that counts” kind of situations. Letting your new hires know you’ve gone out of your way to welcome them to their new job goes a long way towards making a good first impression! Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette, Welcoming-a-new-employee Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, I just took a job with a company that hosts a number of parties and charity events throughout the year. It seems one of my duties will be coordinating the invitations for these events. Is there a set guideline for when to send invitations to business events? Does it vary from event to event? Thanks! - Nervous Nellie No need to be nervous, Nellie! There are no concrete rules about invitation lead times, but general guidelines do vary according to the formality of the event, and how important it is that people attend. Here are some rules of thumb for you: For recurring annual events, like a Christmas party, sending invitations a month in advance is fine. People already know to expect the event, so the invitation is just a matter of letting everyone know what this year’s exact date and time will be. A formal dinner or big budget cocktail party, 4 to 6 weeks is appropriate. People will need enough notice to arrange their schedules, but not so much notice that the even risks slipping their mind. For major events where you’ll be needing a large group of people, and possible media coverage (like a major charity ball, for instance), 6 to 12 weeks’ notice is more appropriate. Because the event requires so much preparation, the advance notice ensures everyone has time to make necessary arrangements. If you have other events that don’t fit those general groups, you may wish to look through company records to see how similar past events were handled (and find out if the company feels they were handled well!). Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, My boss is going in for surgery soon, and I’m not sure what to do. It’s nothing major or risky, but I don’t know if I should send a get well card or not. What do you think? - Mary in Chicago There shouldn’t be any problem with sending a get well card for someone who’s going to be in the hospital. If you’re worried about looking like you’re trying to curry favor, there’s one tried-and-true workaround …and it even makes the card more fun for the recipient! Remember back when you were in school, and one of your classmates had to go to the hospital? The teacher would send a get well card around the room for everyone in the class to sign, and then deliver it to the hospital. So that’s what you can do! Just buy a nice, simple Get Well card, and send it around the office for everyone to add their well-wishes to. Then you and one or two other employees can go by the hospital during visiting hours to deliver it. Bringing some flowers or balloons to cheer up the hospital room is also a nice gesture, if your boss is the sort of person to appreciate those things. Tags: get well cards, Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette: The front desk receptionist at our office is retiring after 30 years with the company, and we’d like to do something nice for her, to let her know we’ll miss her. What do you think we should do? -Lost without Her Easy-peasy, Lost! After 30 years at the company, I’d suggest that a retirement party is in order … if the company itself isn’t throwing one, you might get everyone in the office together to invite her out to dinner. Before the dinner, buy a Congratulations card or a “From All of Us” card, and have everyone in the office sign it with their well-wishes. Then present the card to her after dinner! If organizing a dinner or small party is impractical, you might consider having everyone chip in on a gift, or gift certificate (if you know one of her favorite restaurants or stores, that’s a perfect choice), and give that to her with the card on her last day at the office. Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette, My boyfriend and I are having a party next month, and we really appreciated your rules for addressing envelopes, but we’re wondering how to write the return address as an unmarried couple. Can you help? Ms. Not-Smith and Mr. Never-Smith I hope it’s a formal party, Ms. Not-Smith, because otherwise there’s really no need to worry so much … but I’m sure you’re not the only person out there wondering, so I’ll do a quick list you can all paste to the inside of your stationery box (you do have a stationery box, don’t If you’re an unmarried couple living together, write your names on separate lines, in alphabetical order, regardless of gender: If one of you has a professional title such as Dr. or Rev., use that instead of Mr. or Miss or Ms. If you’re in the military together, put the name of the person with the higher rank first, regardless of alphabetical order or gender. If you’re an unmarried couple not living together, simply address the envelopes from whoever is sending them out. If you both sit down and do the invites together (bravo!), use whomever’s return address will be hosting the party. If you’re not having the party in one of your homes, flip a coin for who’s address gets to be on envelopes. (Or, if you like things complicated, you can have him address the envelopes to his friends, from him, you can address the envelopes to your friends, from you, and follow the rules outlined above for any couples on the list.) Finally, if it’s not a formal party, and the guests are all your friends, just write “John and Jane” (or “Jane and John”) and forget about the last names. Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette, return-addresses Dear Ms Cards Etiquette, Dear Jenny, it’s very nice of you to send your Grandmother a card! Have your mom help you pick out a nice Get Well card, and then you can put a special surprise inside, to help cheer your Grandma up. Here are some ideas:
I hope those ideas help! I’m sure your Grandmother will be very happy to get your card, no matter what you put inside it. Tags: Greeting Card Etiquette |
