This just in—beware of Valentine’s Day emails! Apparently the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day is prime time for computer viruses. We all love to be loved so who wouldn’t look forward to receiving an email with something like “Somebody loves you” or “You are loved” in the subject line with cutesy valentine images attached. But beware, these sorts of emails from someone you don’t know could come bearing gifts, and I’m not talking flowers or chocolate!

The anti-virus software maker McAfee warns consumers to watch out for malware-ridden Valentine emails. Malware is short for malicious software that is designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s knowledge. A really cute Valentine could become your worst nightmare.

You should never open emails and attachments from someone you don’t know but follow this rule closely during this special season. Sure seems to me that traditional Valentine Day cards printed on paper and mailed or hand delivered are even more special!

Guess you had better watch out for any form of emailed greeting. Long live the traditional greeting card!

This just in– another Valentine’s Day survey that differs somewhat from the results found in my last blog posting. These results were shared by the independent marketing research firm IBISWorld and suggest that having the holiday fall on a Sunday this year plays a major role in how love is expressed.

According to the survey, Valentine spending will be up 3.3% this year. The holiday will be celebrated from Friday through the entire weekend with many choosing to celebrate by dining out or leaving town for a romantic getaway. Men buy candy, flowers and jewelry during the work week but may not go to that effort for a Sunday celebration, preferring a dinner out instead.

Florists will suffer most. The Society of American Florists shows Sunday as the worst day for Valentine flowers. Here are the projected changes in spending from last year to this:

Dining Out +8.2%
Romantic Getaway +2.3%
Greeting Cards +1.8%
Clothing & Intimate Apparel +1.8%
Candy -1.3%
Jewelry -4.6%
Flowers -4.9%
(Source: IBISWorld- 2.1.10)

Which leads me to wonder… are flowers meant to impress the recipient or the office buddies as well?! How will your Sunday Valentine celebration differ?

According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, Valentine’s Day spending will be down 6% from last year. No big surprise there but some of the survey results are interesting.

For example, men spend nearly twice the amount on Valentine’s Day as women with an average of $135.35 compared to $72.28 spent by women. This year practical gifts win out over jewelry and a fancy dinner out. Gifts will include sweaters, clothing and winter accessories. The traditional candy, flowers and Valentine greeting cards will remain popular choices.

The trend this year is towards personal and unique gifts that come from the heart rather than the wallet. Couples will spend less on each other and more on family, friends and even pets.

You can save an additional 10% now through 12/14/10 on Valentine’s and all Greeting Cards at CardsDirect.com! How will you be sharing the love this year?

Oh, Valentine’s Day, a special day each year set aside for letting those we love know about it! We all remember the excitement of decorating a shoebox in anticipation of the big day when it would be filled by our classmates with special Valentine Cards. As we grow up though, we still enjoy sharing thoughtful displays of appreciation.

Chocolates and flowers are fine but heartfelt Valentine Cards mean so much more. A simple sentiment with a warm hand written message is a card that will be treasured for a lifetime. True keepsakes, Valentine’s Day Cards are memories that will last long after the chocolate is gone and the flowers have wilted.

Make yours special and remember all those you love and value with custom imprinted and personalized designs. Add your own special photograph if you want and your valentine will be a unique card that will warm any recipient’s heart.

Time to take down the holiday decorations for another year. Put away the ornaments and garland and de-deck the halls of those boughs of holly.

But what to do with all of those lovely holiday cards? Of course you will want to save photo cards as they are fun to pull out and revisit now and then. For the elegant foil and embossed and just plain nice ones, consider these options:
1) Cut them up to use as Gift Tags next year.

2) Cut the front off the signed back and reuse.
3) Create bookmarks.
4) Make a 2009 card collage placemat you can use next year.
5) Donate them to CardsDirect for our “Recycling and Reuse Program“.

Hopefully you have enjoyed receiving many wonderful holiday cards this year and remembering their thoughtful senders. Holiday Cards are truly a tradition worth continuing. What a great way to stay in touch! Wouldn’t you agree?