American Greetings Christmas Cards, Ornaments, and Scented Candles: An Office Buyer's FAQ

After five years of handling holiday orders for a 100-person company, I've come to appreciate the American Greetings catalog in a practical, non-Instagram way. I'm an office administrator: I manage all seasonal client-gift and office-decor ordering, roughly $15,000 a year across six vendors. I report to both operations and finance, so my buying decisions have to look good on paper and in the budget.

These are the questions I run through before I place the annual order. Some answers come from mistakes I've already made, and some come from phone calls with customer service that saved me from making new ones.

• Are American Greetings Christmas cards and ornaments a good fit for corporate orders?
• How much does it cost to mail a corporate Christmas card in 2025?
• Is scented candle wax toxic?
• Can I put my company logo on American Greetings ornaments or Christmas cards?
• Which American Greetings home decor and ornaments actually hold up in an office?
• When should I place the holiday order for American Greetings products?
• What should a first-time buyer confirm before placing a bulk American Greetings order?

Are American Greetings Christmas cards and ornaments a good fit for corporate orders?

Most years, yes. I order boxed Christmas cards and a matching set of American Greetings ornaments to go into client gift boxes. Because these are finished designs, there's no design fee and no setup charge. That matters for a department budget: once you include professional design time, custom cards are rarely just the per-card price. The per-unit cost of the ready-made route is far below custom-printed cards, and the quality has been consistent for us: no faded foil, no flimsy envelopes, and only a couple of damaged ornaments in three years. The trade-off is that you choose from a catalog instead of commissioning a unique look. For our company that trade-off is acceptable most of the time. If you need a fully original concept with your own photography and a custom envelope, a custom printer is the more honest recommendation.

How much does it cost to mail a corporate Christmas card in 2025?

This matters more than the card itself. According to USPS pricing effective January 2025 (usps.com/stamps), a First-Class Mail letter up to 1 oz costs $0.73; a large envelope costs $1.50. The boxed American Greetings Christmas cards I use fit within standard letter dimensions, but not every greeting card does. The USPS Business Mail 101 page (pe.usps.com/businessmail101) sets letter-size limits at a maximum height of 6.125 inches, length of 11.5 inches, and thickness of 0.25 inch. If your card is heavier, square, or has an insert that makes it bulge past 0.25 inch, it will likely be a nonmachinable or large-envelope piece. We learned that the year our executive team insisted on putting a mini gift card inside every client card. That extra layer bumped the whole piece over the 0.25-inch threshold, so the postage cost jumped. Before buying stamps, put a finished card on a scale. That 77-cent difference per piece adds up quickly when you are sending 600 cards.

Is scented candle wax toxic?

I'm not a toxicologist, so I won't give you a medical verdict. But the belief that scented candle wax is toxic is largely a legacy issue: it was more reasonable decades ago when some candles used lead-core wicks. Those wicks are banned in the U.S. now. Mainstream candle wax—paraffin, soy, or a blend—is not classified as toxic under normal office use. The realistic issues are scent sensitivity and fire risk. A heavily scented candle can bother people with asthma or migraines even if the wax itself is harmless. If you use candles in a shared space, keep them in visible common areas, away from paper, and put them out when nobody is in the room. Candles from American Greetings are part of their seasonal home decor line; check the label for burn instructions. If your workplace follows a fragrance-free policy, use LED candles in decorative holders instead. And if a supplier claims a candle is non-toxic or clean-burning, ask for the test data. Under FTC rules (ftc.gov), marketing claims have to be true and substantiated.

Can I put my company logo on American Greetings ornaments or Christmas cards?

Here's where I try to be honest about the difference between a logo wish and a practical order. I went back and forth for a week between a fully custom logo ornament and a ready-made American Greetings ornament for our client gifts. The custom route gave us stronger branding, but the ready-made route was better on cost and schedule: about two weeks from order to delivery instead of eight. American Greetings is excellent at volume greeting cards, ornaments, and holiday decor. It is not a full-service custom promotional-products company, and I don't expect it to be. If a client executive specifically wants an engraved logo in a custom box, I send that job to a specialist. If the need is a well-designed card and ornament that represent us at scale, American Greetings works. A supplier that tells me what it doesn't do well earns my trust for what it claims to do well.

Which American Greetings home decor and ornaments actually hold up in an office?

Not all of it. Seasonal products are not all designed for a busy office lobby. In 2023, I ordered painted glass ornaments for a reception-area tree; two arrived cracked and one more broke when it slipped off a branch. Since then, I choose shatter-resistant materials—metal, resin, wood, or plastic—for anything that will be handled or shipped to multiple offices. For home decor, I look for candle holders and tabletop decorations with a wide base, no sharp edges, and no tiny parts that will break off. I also stay away from glittery pieces that shed all over the lobby floor before January. American Greetings has plenty of options in those safer categories, so we don't have to compromise on style. The product spec sheet and the customer service team are better resources than the marketing photo.

When should I place the holiday order for American Greetings products?

Earlier than you think. In 2023, I waited until early November to confirm our budget and watched several popular American Greetings ornament sets sell out. The remaining Christmas cards were still fine, but quantities were too low for the 600-card order we needed. Now I start reviewing catalogs in August, get internal approval by mid-September, and place the main order by early October. That timing gives us room to inspect the shipment, reorder damaged pieces, and still mail by the first week of December. For an office administrator, knowing the order is locked in beats holding out for a discount that may not arrive. If your approval cycle is longer, start even earlier; our purchase order process alone can take three weeks.

What should a first-time buyer confirm before placing a bulk American Greetings order?

Four things: minimum order quantities, breakage policy, seasonal return dates, and invoice format. Some ornament sets only unlock the best per-unit price at 100+ pieces, so confirm the price break before projecting cost. Holiday decor is fragile, so ask what happens if a case arrives damaged: do they ship replacements automatically or do you need to file a claim? Returns for seasonal items can end by mid-November, so get that cutoff in writing. And invoice format matters more than it should. I once ordered a great deal from a vendor whose only proof of purchase was a handwritten receipt; finance rejected the expense, and the cost came out of my department budget. Ordering through American Greetings has always generated the itemized invoice our finance team expects, but I still verify it before the PO goes out.

Jane Smith

I’m Jane Smith, a senior content writer with over 15 years of experience in the packaging and printing industry. I specialize in writing about the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in packaging design, sustainability, and printing techniques. My goal is to help businesses understand complex printing processes and design solutions that enhance both product packaging and brand visibility.