Marking Your Making: Conceptionday Cards Celebrate the Gift of Life in a Fun Way, with Educational Significance.

You may recall from your college anthropology course that some cultures celebrate a person's life on the date nine months before their birthday, rather than on the day they were actually born. This is a tradition that Dr. Keith Scheinblum, an ophthalmologist in New York City, would like to see recognized and put to good use in the United States as well.

When Dr. Scheinblum was doing his OB/GYN rotation during medical school, he learned how to calculate the date of his own conception. "In the process, he also discovered a great new reason to party!" his company's brochure explains.

He combined his creativity, and the type of wheel obstetricians use to determine a baby's due date, and Conceptionday cards were born. Conceptionday, a division of DreamLogic, Inc. is now trademarked and the Conceptionday card is patented.

And word is getting out. Conceptionday cards have received national news coverage on ABC WorldNews. They've also been noticed in many trade magazines, including Greetings, Etc., the #1 trade magazine for the stationery industry.

Happy Conceptionday cards were not only a hit with pro-lifers at NRLC 2004, but also with attendees of the National Stationery Show in NYC where the "response was outstanding," according to Scheinblum. "Everyone loved the idea. And it wasn't just appealing to people who were pro-life, so it was nice to subtly get our message to them as well."

Scheinblum's creative energy is not only behind the Conceptionday concept, but each card's message as well. Using his own ideas, and input from family and friends, he successfully met his goal of "hitting the whole spectrum" with his first batch of original cards. Every card features an interactive, spinning wheel to determine the recipient's Conceptionday with cute, funny, or sentimental messages and illustrations appropriate to all age groups.

For example, one card features colorfully wrapped birthday gifts on the front and the wheel on the inside. The message, "On Your Birthday you get presentsE but today you got the gift of a lifetime. Happy Conceptionday!" For those perpetually late sending birthday cards, like me, you can give one that reads, "This card may be late for your birthday, but at least it's early for your Conceptionday! Happy Conceptionday! (and by the way, Happy Belated Birthday!)"