CLEVELAND, Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas is the time of year when family and friends take the opportunity to connect and celebrate the relationships important to them. It's the time of family gatherings, gift exchanges with friends and creating new memories. The 2012 Christmas card collection from American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) captures the wonder of the season from printed cards to online greetings, to festive and fancy gift bags and wrapping paper-- there is a little something for everyone to help make the holidays merry and bright.

A Card for Everyone on the List
The Christmas card is a heartfelt tradition. Selecting and sending an individual Christmas card to a friend or loved one is the perfect way to tell them they make a difference in your life. This year's collections have been designed with a feeling of comfort and coziness and consumers can select from a wide variety of conversational sentiments that include the very words they would use to make the gesture even more meaningful.

For those visiting the card aisle to pick their perfect greeting, shoppers will find festive, eye-catching cards with plenty of sparkle and shine. Red, a classic Christmas color, can be seen throughout reflecting the warmth and happiness of the season. And for those especially close relationships, the American Greetings Premier collection features beading, feathers, sequins and hand-stitching adding a special touch that brings a feel of sophistication and elegance to the holiday.

Consumers can also select from an assortment of Christmas greetings from content partner favorites Kathy Davis, Taylor Swift, and two new faces to the American Greetings family – noted artist, Mary Englebreit and the latest innovation, Winter Wobblers™. Winter Wobblers feature adorable holiday characters dancing to the beat of traditional holiday jingles. With simple, upbeat greetings and cute-as-can-be designs, Winter Wobblers are the perfect way to make the holiday season merry and bright!

For those who prefer to send a card whenever that special person comes to mind, American Greetings offers a wide assortment of Christmas ecards. With so many choices from traditional, religious, or even funny; finding a greeting that is just right has never been easier. Whether sent from one of the company's popular egreeting sites or through one of its apps – American Greetings ecards or the popular card line and corresponding smart phone app justWink – creating a personalized and one-of-a-kind card is a snap. With the option to deliver your message straight to an inbox, mobile phone or Facebook wall, the convenience of sending a card is right at your fingertips.

Gift Wrap Provides the Finishing Touch
For many people, wrapping gifts is the last thing to check off the long list of holiday tasks. A beautifully presented gift does more than just hide what is inside; it is another way to show the recipient how special they are to you. This year holiday shoppers will find an array of coordinated gift packaging in popular holiday designs in all shapes and sizes when visiting the American Greetings card and gift wrap aisles.

Consumers can find the Christmas collections, in addition to a great selection of fresh and inspiring cards from American Greetings, at participating drug chains, grocery stores and mass retailers nationwide, as well as in American Greetings and Carlton Cards retail stores. For more information on American Greetings, please visit www.corporate.americangreetings.com. You can also follow American Greetings on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.

About American Greetings Corporation

For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a creator and manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships to create happiness, laughter and love.  The Company's major greeting card lines are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods and American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards.  American Greetings also has one of the largest collections of greetings on the Web, including greeting cards available at Cardstore.com and electronic greeting cards available at AmericanGreetings.com.  In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group.  Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.7 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets worldwide.  For more information on the Company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.

SOURCE American Greetings Corporation