I love Hallmark stores. The sea of cards, with the perfect one for the occasion hidden there somewhere, just waiting for me to find it. The beautiful journals and stationery in every style. The gorgeous frames I drool over (and that one time I talked them down to an excellent deal on a shelf/frame that had a few marks on it). Even the Hallmark commercials make me cry (on the rare occasions I watch television).

But when I visited Hallmark.com the other day, I was shocked to see that even Hallmark has bought into this information age. Their free e-cards are great. I send them all the time. But what shocked me was that when I went to look at their greeting cards available to order from their website, they told me that for just $1 I could “Personalize, address and mail my card directly to my recipient.” You can choose from three fonts for your message or “have a Hallmark employee handwrite my personal closing.”

What a sad commentary on today’s fast-paced, information-age society. We can’t even take the time to hand-write a card to someone special.

At least the choice of four stamps includes a Love stamp.

But still, what a terribly impersonal way to attempt to make someone feel special!

I hope I never find one of those cards in my mailbox.