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Life in the USA is a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans. All materials on this siteCopyright © Elliot Essman 2007. All rights reserved. Home Back Next
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Life in the USA Public Services II Stores and Services
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Card and Gift Stores
Card and gift stores are an American phenomenon. Americans don't write personal letters very often. Why should they, when they can buy a greeting card to express every sentiment from "I love you" to "I'm sorry that we had an argument last night." If one of the thousands of greeting cards available doesn't strike your fancy, you can purchase a toy stuffed animal with a message on it, or any of thousands of gift and novelty items meant for expressing various sentiments. Card and gift stores are everywhere. A careful study of these stores and their products will give you an education in how many Americans think and express themselves. Americans send cards for birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious holidays (though Christmas is a legal, secular holiday as well as a religious holiday), Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and every other kind of day the greeting card companies can invent--even Secretary's Day and Boss's Day. A vast number of cards are for no occasion at all. More than half of all mail that goes from one household to another--three billion pieces a year--takes the form of greeting cards.
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