Happy holidays from Hallmark

We give Hallmark a hard time. So it’s only fair to point out when the hometown cardmaker does something cool. Here’s a toast to this year’s newest innovation: cards with sound chips that let you record your own message.

I was already a fan of Hallmark’s cards with sound — I love this Christmas card:

With a gem from Chris Rock:

This time of year, every store’s got a sign in it: “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.” Bull [bleeeep]. They don’t care if you’re happy, they just want your money, OK? You really want to make me happy? Give me an iPod for a buck ninety-nine!

This year, I discovered that not only could I buy a card that played “Jingle Bells”…

I could also record a message of my very own in the same card.

The new line was launched this past Mother’s Day, a Hallmark spokeswoman tells us. “This is the first holiday season we’ve had them,” she says. “We found that they’re a really great fit, especially for people who want to send a greeting to someone they’re not going to see.”

Hey, that’s exactly what I did! I sent one to my grandparents in Wichita Falls, Texas.

“When we launched them at Mother’s Day, we had kids record their voices and then send the cards to moms who were deployed at military bases, so we found some really neat and touching ways to use the cards,” she adds.

Now that’s the kind of thing that just might bring a sentimental tear to the eye of an ol’ cynic like me. — C.J. Janovy