For the past few years there has been a debate in legal marketing circles in regards to e-holiday cards. I’m holding on strong to the opinion that, with few exceptions, they should be avoided at all costs. Very few firms will get it right, leading most recipients to immediately hit the delete button.

The trouble with e-holiday cards is that there is no excitement about opening up an e-mail. You can’t paste an e-holiday card to your door or file cabinet. They’re not going to linger on, for days, weeks or months, until I get around to cleaning up my office in late January or early February. There is nothing memorable about an e-mail.

So, unless you are going to create a viral, humorous or otherwise creative e-holiday card, such as Fish & Richardson, don’t do it.