SOURCE: Order of St. Nick

February 03, 2009 08:02 ET

"Great Depression"-Themed Valentine's Day Cards From Order of St. Nick Hit the Market

IOWA CITY, IA--(Marketwire - February 3, 2009) - Order of St. Nick, the irreverent greeting card company whose cards have appeared on "The Colbert Report" and FOX News, has released a new line of Great Depression-themed Valentine's Day cards. The cards are part of the humorous Depressing Times series, available online at www.DepressingTimes.com.

"A Great Depression-themed Valentine's Day card is one way to both express your love and lower your loved one's expectations for an expensive gift," Order of St. Nick owner and creative director Andrew Shaffer says. "The U.S. is still in a deep recession. With job losses mounting, spending hundreds of dollars on jewelry isn't an option this Valentine's Day for many Americans."

Order of St. Nick's Depressing Times cards feature public domain photos from the Great Depression paired with humorous takes on unemployment and health insurance woes.

One card reads: "Box of chocolates? She'll be lucky to get a box of rocks from me this year... Tough times call for tough love." The most popular card reads, "I made you a Valentine... but I had to burn it in a trashcan to stay warm."

Depressing Times cards have been featured in news sources and magazines around the world since their release in October 2008. Canada's Toronto Star cited the cards as a "Trend for 2009," while marketing industry blog BrandFreak stated, "Don't look now, but the Great Depression is... kinda cool."

Shaffer says that January was a slow month for greeting card sales, but he believes that Valentine's Day card sales will pick up in the weeks leading up to February 14th. "Valentine's Day isn't on many people's radars until February," Shaffer says. The company sold over 10,000 Great Depression-themed Christmas cards this past holiday season.

Four different Valentine's Day designs are available exclusively online for $3.99 each at www.DepressingTimes.com. Select card images are also available for free downloading.

About Order of St. Nick

Order of St. Nick is a greeting card publisher specializing in funny and alternative holiday greeting cards (www.orderofstnick.com). All online orders are fulfilled by Cafepress.com. Order of St. Nick is a privately-owned small business headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa.