Post It for Thanksgiving

I sent one for a birthday party. I've sent many for dinner parties, too. Heck, I even sent one for my surprise wedding to throw off my guests (...and yes, our wedding was sprung on our family & friends - more on that in a separate blog).

What is this I mysterious material sent, you ask? Why, it's Paperless Post, the online e-stationery shop!

There's much debate about the merits of handwritten correspondence versus electronic messages, and there has been for years. Remember the rise of the Evite - those kitschy, all-in-one web pages that boasted an event description, a wall of public RSVPs and random banner ads for Bacardi punch plastered all over your 1-year-old's birthday party invitation? Well, this is not that.

According to this classy Evite, you now have the party virus.
I'm sure this party has lots of Natural Light on hand to treat it.

We've come a long way in our electronic event extensions. Paperless Post adds both sophistication and a touch of realness by animating an envelope that first, features your name on the front; next, turns in time to show the flap opening; and, for the grand finale flourish, the invitation rises from the envelope as if you pulled it out yourself, all without a single paper cut. Genius!

While some purists protest the long-hand letter over the online invite, I say there's a time and place for everything. Wine & cheese at your home? Paperless Post apropos. Housewarming? Paperless Post appropriate, sure. To that list, I'd add Thanksgiving.

"Just to add insult to injury, I'm going to ride you before I roast you."
(Pilgrims were a resilient, rugged people.)
Image: PaperlessPost.com

I find Thanksgiving plans are most often communicated via phone, as it's still the most common communication tool across generations of siblings, parents and grandparents. "Dinner's at 6pm; bring a side dish." But, why not push the virtual envelope here and send a nice, electronic invite? 

This achieves a number of good things:

1. An actual Thanksgiving invitation is rarely expected, so it creates an element of pleasant surprise and gets your guests excited (and hungry).
2. It allows you to outline important details about your Thanksgiving soiree: when to arrive, what to bring and when dinner hits the table.
3. It allows you to demonstrate your own sense of style, as Paperless Post offers over 150 design options.
4. And, it saves you from talking to your half-deaf great aunt over the phone who yells in your ear.

The Mythical Turducken: every vegetarian's nightmare.

Let's give Thanksgiving the press it deserves! Save the trees and Paperless Post away, my friends.