I thought I would ask you a question this morning. Have you ever wished you could gather everyone you love in one place, even when they’re miles apart? With Thanksgiving approaching and Christmas right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about how different the holidays can look as our children grow up and begin building lives of their own.
Our son Charlie turns 19 on December 16, and with him spending time between Texas and Oklahoma, I’ve been looking for creative ways to remind him that no matter where life takes him, home and family are never very far away. That’s why I was excited when Edith Bokesh O. from Gathered Love reached out to introduce us to her personalized animated greeting cards.
And let me tell you, once I started exploring the website, I found myself going down another rabbit hole! I went looking for Christmas cards and discovered Thanksgiving cards, Christian holiday greetings, birthday surprises, sympathy cards, and so much more.
Now, I know you might be wondering what Gathered Love is and Buttercup let me tell you they create personalized animated greeting cards that families can send digitally to celebrate holidays, birthdays, milestones, and everyday moments. But these aren’t simply cards with someone’s name typed across the front.
You can personalize a card with names, photographs, written messages, colors, and music. You can even invite family members and friends to contribute their own wishes from different locations. Imagine Grandma opening a card and discovering messages from her children, grandchildren, and other loved ones, all gathered together in one special greeting. That’s the kind of gift I enjoy discovering for GreatfulMoments.com.
The first card that caught my attention was Happy Thanksgiving: A Box of Thanks. With Thanksgiving coming up, I immediately started imagining how families could use a card like this. What if you invited everyone coming to Thanksgiving dinner to add a little message of gratitude?
Or what if you had family members who couldn’t make it home for the holiday? You could invite them to contribute their wishes from wherever they’re celebrating. Gathered Love also offers Thanksgiving greetings for teachers, pastors, hosts, teams, and families celebrating from far away.
I especially appreciate the Christian Thanksgiving selections because faith and gratitude are important parts of our family’s holiday traditions. A card like this could become more than a holiday greeting. It could become a little collection of memories that everyone can return to. Another feature I liked was having the in memory section which is great for Granny Sherry who is celebrating without Pa this year.
Of course, Christmas was the reason Gathered Love originally caught my attention. The company offers Christmas, Christian Christmas, Advent, Christmas Eve, and Happy Holidays designs. There are also Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s selections, making it possible to find greetings for families and friends who celebrate different traditions.
I love that customers can explore the designs and personalize them rather than being limited to one standard greeting. You can change the wording, select colors, and choose music to accompany your card. For families who live in different states, that could be a wonderful way to share a little Christmas joy.
And if you’re shopping for someone who seems to have everything, a personalized card filled with messages from the people they love might be more meaningful than another item to put on a shelf. If your children are in public school ask the families in your child’s classroom to create a message for there Teacher and include a Gift Card or two for her to purchase items for her classroom.
Learning how the cards work was one of my favorite things Edith explained to us. When you’re creating a card, you can select the Gather wishes option and share a special link with family members or friends. Each person can open the link on their own phone, enter their name, and add a written wish. They don’t need to download an app or create an account.
And here’s something I thought was especially sweet: when the finished card plays, each wish becomes a light, and the lights come together to form a heart around the recipient’s name. A family card can include up to 50 wishes! As a mom who has so much I want to tell Charlie this is amazing and yes, I would like to make a card for David to.
Can you imagine gathering messages from children, grandchildren, siblings, cousins, and friends into one card? For a family spread across several states, that’s a lovely idea. Edith also explained that you should gather everyone’s wishes before unlocking the finished card. A card unlocked without wishes is sent as an individual card instead. Knowing me that is something I would have done. LOL
Another feature I appreciate is the ability to personalize the card beyond simply adding someone’s name. Customers can include a photograph, frame it, and write their own messages throughout the card. Which I do plan on doing of David and I because Charlie doesn’t have any physical photos of us and this way we would always be close at hand.
I also like learning we can select from available music tracks and listen to a short sample before making your choice. I like the thought of opening a meaningful card again while sitting at my desk, enjoying the music, and remembering the people who took the time to send their love. Sometimes those little reminders mean more than we realize. Don’t they?
I appreciate that Gathered Love has straightforward pricing. An individual personalized card costs $4.99 to send. Making this the perfect #StockiingStuffer without breaking the bank. There is also a family card, where multiple people can contribute wishes, that costs $9.99 for the whole group. Which is cheaper than a fast food meal. The recipient doesn’t have to pay anything.
You can create and preview your card for free, which means you can experiment with different designs and personalization options before deciding to purchase. When you’re happy with the finished card, you can unlock it and send it. Cards are delivered through private links that can be shared by email, text message, WhatsApp, or social media.
They open in a phone or computer browser, and according to Edith, the card links do not expire. That means your loved ones can return to their cards long after Thanksgiving or Christmas has passed. Something else I discovered while exploring Gathered Love is that the company offers cards for occasions throughout the year.
There are birthday cards, anniversary greetings, Mother’s Day cards, graduation and wedding cards, thank-you messages, and cards for those moments when you simply want to say, “I love you.” I could imagine sending Charlie a birthday card on December 16, especially if we’re celebrating from different places.
I also noticed the sympathy and loving-memory selections. Those caught my attention because November is a month filled with memories of loved ones our family has lost. Sometimes finding the right words isn’t easy, and a thoughtful card can be one way to let someone know they’re remembered and loved. Father’s Day cards aren’t available yet, but Edith shared that the company is continuing to expand its selection.
One of my favorite parts of running GreatfulMoments.com is meeting the people behind creative businesses. Edith was kind enough to answer our questions about Gathered Love and explain how the cards work. She also offered our family complimentary access to six cards so we can experience the actual creation, personalization, and sending process. We’re looking forward to trying several different designs, including the group-wishes feature, and seeing how our family enjoys receiving them.
This article is our introduction to Gathered Love, not our completed hands-on review. We’ll return with our firsthand thoughts after we’ve created and sent our cards.
If you’d like to explore the cards yourself, visit Gathered Love:
Create and Preview Your Card: h
You can explore the designs, try different personalization options, and preview your creation before paying to send it. Whether you’re preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, a birthday, or simply want to remind someone that you’re thinking of them, Gathered Love offers a creative way to send a little love across the miles.
As our children grow up and our families change, the way we celebrate holidays changes too. Not everyone can make it home for Thanksgiving dinner. Not everyone can gather around the Christmas tree together. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop finding ways to share those special moments.
Sometimes a photograph, a favorite song, and a few heartfelt words are enough to remind someone how much they’re loved. And that’s what caught my attention about Gathered Love. I’m looking forward to creating our first cards and discovering whether this little digital experience can become another meaningful family tradition. Until then, we’re grateful, thankful, and blessed to have discovered another small business helping families create memories together.
Company: Gathered Love
Website: https://cards.gatheredlove.com
Create a Card: https://cards.gatheredlove.com/cards/create/
Price: $4.99 for an individual card or $9.99 for a family card with group wishes
Disclosure: Gathered Love provided our family with a promotional code for six complimentary cards for editorial consideration. We have not yet completed our hands-on review. No paid placement was arranged, and our opinions will remain our own.
GreatfulMoments.com — Creating new memories, one moment at a time.
Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
