Congratulations

Recognizing and Celebrating Milestones with Loved Ones

When you really care for someone, their success is your success, and celebrating their accomplishments alongside them is one of the ways we show our support when loved ones succeed. Not only does it make them feel good to be hyped up and showered in love, it can help solidify our friendships and relationships in a way that helps us feel good, too.

Calls and texts to congratulate friends and family go a long way, and make it easy to be prompt in letting them know we’re here for them and cheering them on from afar. But if you have the chance to send or deliver them a handwritten card, we are big supporters of doing so. There’s something so special about holding a tangible card in your hands and feeling like someone has gone the extra mile to send you well wishes and celebrate your success, even if the card arrives a few days later than the milestone or celebration.

Here I am explaining how I feel about cards I received when I was younger.

Weddings, Promotions, New Homes, Oh My!

One of the most common questions we get regarding congratulatory cards is “what warrants a congratulations card?” We’re firm believers that there’s nothing too small to celebrate, so we tend to send cards for just about anything. Here are a few examples to help you get a better idea of milestones worth celebrating with friends and family: 

• Weddings, engagements, and anniversaries - it’s never a bad time to celebrate love! 
• New jobs, promotions, or big wins at work
• Moving day, closing on a house, or moving into a new home
• Graduation, certification, or other important career/education-based milestones
• Pregnancy, adoption, birth, or other family milestones
• Finally completing a stubborn task on their to-do list (#adulting)
• Participating in an event like a marathon, race, or competition
• Retirement, tenure, or career change

The list goes on and on, but to be honest, we’ve even sent congratulatory cards for friends who finally got through their taxes (it was a struggle), booked their child's first haircut appointment or finished a book they’ve been meaning to get through. Congratulatory cards are a great excuse to check in with friends and let them know you care, and you hardly need a reason for that!

What to say…

When congratulating your loved one on a milestone, event, or success, it’s important to let them know that you pay attention. Be sure to include recognition of their hard work, effort or anticipation of the event worth celebrating and let them know you’re cheering them on. For things like promotions, graduations, retirement or a new house, acknowledge just how hard they’ve worked and how much they deserve their continued success. For milestones like pregnancy or weddings, acknowledge your excitement and support to come in the next chapter of their life. The most meaningful aspect of sending a congratulatory card is letting them know that you care, so the words don’t matter as much as the fact that you remembered and took time out of your day to send some sunshine their way. When it comes to congratulations cards, we love to recommend putting milestones on your calendar for yearly reminders of your loved ones’ accomplishments.

And of course, using a Plymouth Card is what we recommend. ;)