BUFFALO, N.Y. — When was the last time you sent a card or a letter? How about the last time you received one? It probably made you smile, right? This month marks the celebration of writing cards and letters.

It might sound a bit goofy for a national holiday, but it has health benefits. If you think about it, we have students writing cards and sending them to senior centers and our troops. It makes people happy. A Buffalo card maker takes it to the next level.

Marie Castiglione has an eye for taking what’s "in." She makes it personal. Castiglione worked in Bloomingdale’s art department for about a decade.

“I became the go-to person to make my boss or a co-worker’s birthday card," Castiglione said.

She eventually traded life in the Big Apple for the Queen City, launching her card line Spaghetti and Meatballs. It celebrates life and all the mess that comes with it.

“I think the world sometimes feels very, very heavy,” she said. “And people are lonely and craving that personal connection," Castiglione said.

They have a Good Vibes line.

“This one was probably one of the biggest sellers. My neck, my back, my anxiety attack." she showed.

She works out of her apartment with the help of her sister, Teresa.

“They're personal to us as well,” Teresa said. “Our mom went through breast cancer, and so we have some cards for those fighting.”

Teresa is a children’s counselor. The background she brings with her design ideas truly hits home.

“It normalizes some of those struggles that we think we're so isolated in,” she said.

It comes with a lesson in empathy.

“You know, I want them to see us caring for other people, too," Teresa added.

Teresa’s daughter, Lilly Sullivan, who is also a source of inspiration, takes advantage of the endless craft supplies.

“This is sort of a Mother’s Day Card, it says 'On the job mom,' Lilly Sullivan read.

This 7-year-old has made a lot of cards because she knows just a few minutes of her time, will turn someone else’s entire day around.

“We're kind of wired to do things kind for each other," Brian Costello, of Grounded Path Counseling, said.

Costello says an act of kindness, releases dopamine and serotonin. He says even seeing a kind act, makes you happy.

“It’s a physical manifestation of, being cared for," he added.

It’s as simple as that.

With a bonus, at least in Castiglione’s case, of her family’s meatball recipe.

“It's just our way of kind of like putting a little bit more kindness back into the world,” Castiglione smiled.

You can find some of Castilgione’s cards at Target now. She is one of hundreds of what the Greeting Card Association calls “millennial makers” who are forming most new card companies. They’ve found millennials spend more money on greeting cards — averaging $6 per card. But Baby Boomers still buy more.