What type of letters did Anna Jarvis prefer over purchased greeting cards?

Anna Jarvis preferred handwritten letters to purchased greeting cards.

Jarvis believed Mother’s Day should express personal gratitude, not rely on a store-bought product. She regarded a handwritten letter as a direct and sincere message from a child to a mother, while a purchased card could become an impersonal substitute for genuine affection. Her criticism reflected the intimate, memorial character she originally intended for the holiday.

That position became especially important as the greeting-card industry expanded after Mother’s Day became a national observance in 1914. Jarvis objected when businesses turned the day into a major commercial opportunity involving cards, flowers, candy, and restaurant meals. She even protested publicly against what she considered the exploitation of the holiday’s emotional meaning.

Jarvis’s preference does not mean typed or printed messages were historically impossible; rather, handwritten letters best represented the personal effort she valued. Her broader complaint was that buying a ready-made sentiment could allow people to avoid writing their own words. This is why her views are often contrasted with the modern card-centered celebration.