Ways to connect during a crisis

The Pandemic Disconnect

The Pandemic has certainly changed how we live and interact.  For some people, the effects have been profound. At More Than Paper, we have co-workers who haven’t seen their families in 4 months – which is much longer than they’ve ever gone before! It’s hard.  It’s sad. It’s unfamiliar. But right now, staying away and keeping distance will help protect family members in the long run.  So we do the hard, sad, and unfamiliar things anyway. 

But what happens when your family has a milestone or deserves a celebration, and you can’t do things like you always have? We have a few ideas to help continue to celebrate and connect during the crisis. Sure, it’s not the same as it was before – but with these tips and tricks, you CAN find ways to connect and celebrate with the ones you love.

Driveaway Drive-bys

It’s your grandfather’s birthday but you can’t continue your tradition of Olive Garden followed by Baskin Robbins? Consider a driveway drive-by.  You’ve likely seen this on the news, or in your social media feed, but it’s a great way to plan a party – safely.  Grandpa sits outside on the driveway and then all the family members and friends drive by in their cars.  Consider ordering a Happy Birthday, Grandpa banner to make it extra special. More Than Paper has plenty of options from which to choose! 

Send A Care Package

Create a care package to send to loved ones, letting them know that you’re thinking of them. A handwritten note, their favorite chocolate, a box of their favorite tea or bag of their favorite coffee, a good book and/or some magazines are just a few ideas to include.  A thoughtful, handwritten note is something that they’ll cherish and really brighten their day.  When was the last time you got an actual letter in the mail?  We have plenty of stationery designs-check out your options! 

Maximize Digital Options

If there was ever a “good” time to have a pandemic, this arguably might be better than previous years. Definitely better than the Spanish Flu era! With the internet, there are dozens of ways to connect and stay in touch.  We have seemingly tried them all with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Blue Jean, Google Hangouts, and more.  Try them all on and see which you like best!  FaceTime helps, too.

Keep Some Normalcy

Were you planning on attending a wedding that got postponed this summer? You are not alone. Try to keep some normalcy and help the bride and groom celebrate.  Though their wedding might not have happened as they wish, they still deserve to be celebrated.  Send them a card with a thoughtful note, or send them a gift.  Be sure to check out our gift options on the site! And it’s not just weddings. Baby showers, births, bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, engagement parties, graduation parties – all of the big life events have been affected. Whenever possible, try to keep normalcy by finding ways to celebrate those people. Even if it is a quick note or small gift.   We think these cute pads are great to give to let your loved ones know you are thinking of them. 

Surely this has been a challenge like we have never faced before, but if we are creative, we will come up with new and exciting ways to connect with those that we love, while keeping everyone safe.  What ideas have we missed?  Comment or share on Facebook what you are doing to stay connected right now!

Expressing Condolences

There will come a time in everyone's life where they sadly loose someone they love.  Here are some tips to properly express your condolences during that difficult time.

Writing a sympathy or bereavement note is one of the hardest kinds of notes there is.  But when you first learn of someone's passing, getting a note in the mail as soon as possible is important.  Take note of your stationery style that you choose as a more formal style is more appropriate here. (Some good options by Rytex can be found here.  We also think these below work well.)

The note does not have to be long.  You can keep it to a few short sentences about how deeply sorry you are for his/her loss, how you hope they are comforted knowing you are thinking of them and your thoughts and prayers are with them.   

We also like to incorporate a personal touch about the person who has passed.  For example, "John was a wonderful man. I'll never forget when we went skiing in 2012 and sat around the fire in the lodge for hours because it was too cold to ski!"  A personal anecdote makes it more thoughtful.  After all, it's that connection lost that makes it so hard.

Here are some other creative ways to express your condolences: 

1. In lieu of flowers, contribute to a charity or cause the person was passionate about.
2. Bake the family cookies or sweets, or bring them a home cooked meal.
3. Get them a book they will enjoy.  Go the extra mile with a subject matter or genre the deceased enjoyed, anything that reminds you of the person who has passed. 
4. Buy a silver frame, get it engraved with the dates of the person's life and fill it with a photo.
5. Put together a care package -- a funny movie, popcorn, some baked brownies, candy, a bottle of wine, a cozy blanket, a box of tissues and a note.

Whatever you do, make sure that when you reach out, you do so with sincerity and care.  It can be awkward but sometimes just letting the person know you care makes a huge difference.  If you have good ways to express condolences, share them here with us and fellow readers.

Common Grammar and Spelling Mistake Fixes

In More Than Paper's thirteen years of being in business and personalizing over 100,000 products, we have noticed some routine grammar and spelling errors.  We are here to help by identifying those common errors and sharing their fixes!  Whether it will help you place your orders, write letters or your blog, or help you at work, these tips are sure to help!

Original photo found on Uppercase

#1:  Where does the apostrophe go? Does it need an apostrophe?

There are two primary uses for a single apostrophe.  An apostrophe is used when words are contracted and it goes in place of the letters that have been removed.  Example:  "You are right" becomes "you’re right."   A second use for a single apostrophe is to show possession in the form of apostrophe and s.  For example, "This is Timmy's ball" means the ball belongs to Timmy.  Another rule is that you use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item.   Example:   Helen and George’s poodle is adorable.    One of the most common mistakes we see at  morethanpaper.com is the incorrect usage of apostrophe and s with a family name.  You DO NOT use an apostrophe to pluralize a last name.  For example, you refer to all the members of the Smith family as  "The Smiths," NOT as "The Smith’s."      Read more about rules of the apostrophe here. 

 #2:   There, their or they’re!

"There" is used in two ways.  It can specify a place or can be used to start a sentence.  "Their" is used as a possessive form of “they.”   "They're" is short for "they are."

#3:  Commonly misspelled words

Dependable, independent, recommend, responsible, occasion and separate are all correct spellings of these words.

#4:  We love a good infographic and found this one from Copy Blogger to be very helpful.  Take a peek! 

So what do you think?  Are you going to make these errors again? We bet not!