A birthday greeting typically consists of a CARD, a BELATED greeting, and CARDS with AGE-appropriate messages. A CARD is a folded piece of paper or cardstock that contains a message of congratulations or best wishes for the recipient's birthday. BELATED greetings are sent after the actual date of the birthday, usually to apologize for not sending a CARD on time. CARDS with AGE-appropriate messages are CARDS that contain messages that are appropriate for the AGE of the recipient.