Punchbowl Blog

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

Now that Christmas is over and Hanukkah is winding down, many people will turn their attention to New Year’s. If you’re like most people, you may still be trying to figure out how to put the finishing touches on plans to ring in 2012.

Whether you plan to host an impromptu gathering or head out for a night on the town, here are a few ways to celebrate New Year’s:

1. Host a casual New Year’s celebration. There are several benefits to hosting a New Year’s party at your home. First, you don’t have to worry about driving anywhere. Second, you have complete control over the guest list, food, and activities so you can ring in 2012 with all of your favorite people, snacks, and entertainment. Lastly, your friends will be so grateful that someone is hosting a party and solving their “what to do for New Year’s” dilemma! Start planning your celebration now.
   
2. Attend a First Night event. Many cities host New Year’s festivities on New Year’s Eve that include music, fireworks, food vendors, ice sculptures, entertainment and more. Boston was the first city to host a First Night celebration, however now First Nights occur in 26 states! Find First Night festivities in your area!
3. Make a delicious New Year’s dish. Whether you’re hosting a New Year’s celebration, attending a party, or joining friends for New Year’s day festivities, bring a dish that your friends will love. From delicious finger foods and bite-size appetizers to New Year’s desserts and recipes that bring good fortune, you’ll find something special to make for your event. Browse New Year’s dishes now.
   
4. Watch some fireworks. New Year’s is one of the most popular occasions for fireworks. There will be fireworks displays all over the word on December 31 starting in New Zealand and working their way through each time zone as the clocks strike midnight. Visit your local news website to find fireworks shows in your area.
5. Send New Year’s greetings. Regardless of what you plan to do to ring in 2012, it is unlikely that you’ll get to hug and kiss everyone that you care about when the clock strikes midnight. Make sure to wish friends and family a happy New Year with a free digital New Year’s card. Browse our selection of beautiful cards today and schedule your card to send on January 1st!

How do you plan to spend New Year’s? Share your plans with us on our Facebook page!

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about our beautiful digital greeting cards for the holidays. Our digital holiday cards offer the ability to send a thoughtful holiday greeting online that has the look and feel of a traditional paper card. And what could be more fitting for the holiday season than the flat holiday photo cards that have become increasingly popular over the last few years? Now you can send those cards online with the look and feel of the traditional holiday cards that we all know and love!

Check out a few of the new digital holiday cards, which can be customized with one or multiple photos!

While the cards above are Plus designs and require a membership, there is a huge selection of free eCards for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s and general Season’s Greetings. For those who want to send a beautiful holiday photo card this season, here’s a special offer for 30% off a membership good through the end of this week! Just enter the code PBCARD3 at checkout by Friday, December 16, 2011. See membership options now.

The response to our digital holiday cards has been fantastic so I wanted to share some feedback we’ve received through social media:

“I adore, no, love your site. Thank you for making ecards so much fun!!” - Deborah L. via Facebook

“Very attractive, classy cards.” - Jo S. via Facebook

“Punchbowl makes it easy and fun to stay in touch with your digital cards!” - Chelsea W. via Facebook

“Very cool digital cards.” - @LibbyKane via Twitter

“I recommend @punchbowl for digital greeting cards. Classy, great stationery and free.” - @leahlizross via Twitter

“Punchbowl is a fabulous online card tool, highly recommended!” - @as_dalton via Twitter

Have you sent holiday cards yet? There’s still plenty of time to send free digital holiday cards this year to everyone on your list!

This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO, @mattdouglas

Over the last few years Punchbowl has partnered with several media and retail companies, including Oriental Trading Company, 1-800-FLOWERS, and Lifetime. I’m very pleased to announce our latest partnership: Punchbowl has signed a technology-licensing agreement with RealSimple.com. This is a substantial deal for both companies, and enables RealSimple.com users to send and receive Digital Greeting Cards. We’re excited to bring our digital cards to Real Simple users in time for the holiday season.

Here’s the full announcement:

Real Simple Partners with Punchbowl to Offer Free Digital Greetings

Framingham, MA, December 2, 2011 – Today, Punchbowl.com, the leader in start to finish party planning and digital greeting cards, announced a technology-licensing agreement with best-selling women’s lifestyle brand Real Simple. The partnership will allow RealSimple.com users to send beautiful, free digital greeting cards for all occasions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We’re excited to add Real Simple as one of our key partners,” said Matt Douglas, CEO, Punchbowl. “The brand wanted to offer their customers a best-in-class digital cards service, and we were able to deliver with our new Digital Greeting Cards technology.”

Digital Greeting Cards on RealSimple.com offer the ability to send thoughtful well-wishes online that have the look and feel of a traditional paper card. They are a suitable alternative to traditional greeting cards complete with attractive folded designs, matching envelopes, realistic postmarks, and the complete mail-opening experience. Additionally, cards can be personalized with accents such as envelope liners, custom postage, and rubber stamps. Digital Greeting Cards are ideal for birthdays, special occasions, life milestones and holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s.

“Partnering with Punchbowl was a natural fit for Real Simple,” said Shannon King, General Manager, RealSimple.com. “Readers turn to Real Simple for inspiring ideas and practical solutions particularly around holidays and entertaining this time of year, and Punchbowl provides a premium Digital Greeting Card service which we feel fits perfectly within that strategy.”

Punchbowl has received critical acclaim and industry recognition for its usability and simplicity. The award-winning site is a leading destination for start to finish party planning and digital greeting cards. In addition to Real Simple, Punchbowl has several other licensing agreements in place with leading media and retail companies.

To send free Digital Greeting Cards on Real Simple, visit: https://greetingcards.realsimple.com