I started a new role 3 months ago. Everyone else in the team has been there for years and they are a very established group (but have been very welcoming to me). I discovered the other day, that the "rule" in the team is that when it is someone's birthday, everyone buys them a card, you write it and send it TO THEIR HOME ADDRESS!
I just cannot get my head around this. There are 12 of us in the team. It is just so wasteful- 11 individual cards and stamps whereas we could just send one- or better yet- give it to them in the office!!! We see each other every week!
The waste is huge not to mention the fact that I can barely remember my own family's birthdays, let alone 11 people I've just met?
These are lovely women and the last thing I want to do is cause offence but I really do not want to participate in this. How can I opt out without causing offence?