The holiday greeting is a great way to maintain relationships with your customers, colleagues and suppliers. This year, though, you might consider sending cards for another holiday: Thanksgiving. Though somewhat unorthodox, commemorating the last Thursday in November has its advantages:

Acknowledging Thanksgiving's business-appropriate theme. As an essentially secular celebration of prosperity—symbolized by the cornucopia of plenty—Thanksgiving has far more relevance for the business community than the winter holidays.

Avoid the annual Season's Greetings controversy. Traditionalists want to send and receive Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa cards. Progressives prefer the politically correct Season's Greetings. No matter what you choose, it's sure to annoy someone. Thanksgiving is, by contrast, downright innocuous in its universal acceptance.

Stand out from the crowd. A card sent in December may end up in a pile with hundreds of others. Even worse, it may not even be opened amid a busy season of work, parties and vacations. Far fewer companies send Thanksgiving greetings, so the recipient might actually remember the card, especially if it comes with a personal inscription.

The Po!nt: Sending holiday cards that commemorate the Thanksgiving holiday allows your greetings to stand out and arrive a month earlier than most. You might even earn cool points for being avant-garde.

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