On special occasions, many people mark the occasion by sending cards, exchanging gifts and sometimes holding an event to celebrate. This type of behaviour has grown and developed over the years but sending greetings to each other is by no means a new trend, and infact has been practiced for thousands of years. But what is it about greetings, gifts and parties that we love so much?

Many cultures have a history of greetings in their past that has developed over the years into the tradition we know today. For example, did you know that the ancient Egyptians and ancient Chinese both practiced a form of exchanging greetings? While the Egyptians gave papytrus scrolls, the Chinese gave (and still practice this today) messages of good will to each other on new years eve. There are other examples of hand made greetings being exchanged in history such as Germans giving each other hand printed off cuts of wood and hand made paper Valentines cards being sent in Great Britain.

These traditions existed all over the world in one form or another, and continued without any real change until the explosion of the industrial revolution. Greetings cards began to be made by mass production, bring down the cost and increasing the availability of them. As the cards themselves were cheaper, more people were able to purchase them than before and many people began to buy cards for a wider circle of people than previously. Demand for more diverse types of greetings was high and producers cashed in on this by creating different types of cards for all occasions and even inventing new occasions. The greetings industry expanded to include gifts, parties, food and anything else linked.

Demand has continued to increase and in response the industry has grown to accommodate even more products and merchandise for even more new occasions. The most popular new occasions are for our pets and these include cards and gifts (as well as events etc) for pet birthdays, wedding days and their graduation from training school! The constant introduction of new events to send greetings for is a sign that the demand is not letting up and popularity is as strong as ever, but why?

There are many reasons that we keep on consuming and sending greetings and gifts. Here are just a few:

• As humans we are social animals. Special occasions allow us to be sociable and are also an excuse to get together with people from our lives who are special to us, we don't see often, or we've just met. A special occasion is mainly about one or two people, but by buying cards or gifts, others can join in and spend time escaping their usual lives by indulging in some consumerism.

• Buying a gift or card for someone is a great time to show them what they mean to you. By spending time selecting the perfect gift, you are dedicating your free time (and money) to them. You show that you know someone well if you buy them something to do with their hobbies or interests and the recipient appreciates the thought and time taken over the selection.

• Some very lucky people have a lot of spare cash that they enjoy spending on others. These people get huge enjoyment from sharing their wealth and will spend on luxuries for others who may not be able to splash out in the same way.

• When someone has experienced a fantastic product or service they may feel the need to share it and then go about buying it for all of their loved-ones so that they can experience it to. They may select only those that are like minded or everyone they know, but either way they enjoy knowing that they are giving something they know is good to someone they care about.

This industry has grown from strength to strength and does not appear to be dying out, more like is becoming even more profitable. There are some strong influences that will shape the future of the greetings and gifts industry such as advances in technology, environmental issues, national and international post unreliability and costs, the current financial climate and social media. These factors have already made an impact on the greetings industry and in the last 10 years we have seen the invention and now popular use of digital e cards to send greetings. These originally were sent via email but now can also be sent via social networking platforms. Many savy consumers are using tools such as the e card to save money and the environment along with digital vouchers in order to send greetings and gifts to their loved ones who live across the globe. With the pace of change within technology and the uptake of social media, there are no doubt more changes lying ahead for the industry, but one thing is for certain, we love sending greetings and that will never change.