Donating to charity instead of sending Christmas cards

Actually, cards annoy me. Especially if I don't hear from the sender from the rest of the year. Pointless. Use the money for something else instead of keeping up the pretense.

I don't care about cards. Never did. I always found them a burden to plan and write. I don't send them or receive them anymore. I am simply saying that a person can say they'll donate to charity but we have no idea they actually have, unless they show receipts of it. It's easy to just say it. We have no idea if they do. I could say I'll donate to charity instead of giving a present, and not do it. Like the gift was lost in the mail. The cheque is in the mail. Etc.

I only write about 4 now, 2 elderly relatives and best friends.

Price of stamps though 😱

It’s not the cards - it’s the postage. I have no problem with people letting me know that they prefer to give to charities rather than to whichever conglomerate currently owns our Post Office.

I hardly seethe, but a message about a charitable donation does get a raised eyebrow. Don’t these people give to charity any other time?

And, as previously pointed out, why is it that Christmas cards are the baddies? “Oh, landfill!” is the cry. So tell me what other wasteful purchases you have eliminated. Thought so.

Charities used to make a fair bit from cards, it’s nice to see another income source for them replacing it.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and kicking in every single person who didn’t get a card and seethes about it.

I dont do cards because.....I cant be arsed buying , writing or sending them and I'm completely indifferent about getting them.
No idea why that would need justified by charitable giving .

I stopped sending physical Christmas cards several years ago. Instead I paint a lovely Christmas card that I send digitally.

I also give a fair bit of money to charity, throughout the year, because it is important to me and I can afford it.

The two are not related, and I do not ‘announce’ my charitable giving. Though I would not blame anyone who does, if they feel that people might get offended if they didn’t explain.

FWIW, all but one of my friends and family have switched to digital cards.

I don’t lie about it. I donate. Because it’s for my mum. I wouldn’t be that disrespectful.

And you know this do you?

Or maybe they ‘announce’ they are donating to charity instead, so those that are expecting a pretty sparkly card to brighten up the house, know not to expect one, that it’s nothing personal and that they aren’t just being lazy or tight fisted by not sending them and paying for extortionately priced stamps, when charities can make mush better use of the cash, maybe

YANBU, and lets be honest, they don't give any money to charity, they just lie and say they do. It's just lazy tight arsers lying.

People aren't anti-charity. They are anti-virtue signaling.

Don't send cards if you wish, but also don't pretend that you are giving a charity donation because it's "better". All the ex-recipent will see is you aren't worth the hassle/cost of a card. Texts are also pretty impersonal as you could easily have sent the same message out in bulk to 200 people without a second thought.

To be fair, I have in the past had emails, a round robin email, saying that the senders were not sending Christmas cards, wishing everyone a happy Christmas and stating which charity they were giving to and how much. I think it happened with two different people and because I know them, I’m absolutely certain that they did give money to charity. In fact, thinking about it I think that one friend did actually send a screenshot of the receipt.

I don’t mind, but I also think it’s good that the years of having to write reams and reams of Christmas cards has gone. I got about 20 and they are from people I’ve known for years and I’m very fond of. For some of these people, we have shared experiences and in some cases shared sadnesses and losses. Often it’s simply a question of acknowledging and holding someone in mind.

Charity Christmas card sales really do help charities, though, especially if you buy from the cards for good causes selling places. And many of them are extra extraordinarily pretty.

If people want to donate to charity at any time of year it’s fine. I never know why they need to broadcast it though

I do it as a way of raising awareness of a charity very close to my heart. I do actually donate the money and as far as I'm aware, no one begrudges it going to charity instead just because they might like cards.

If that's what they want to do great, don't send me a virtue signalling email to tell me.

Agreed. It feels like a lazy cop out. Ironically l have noticed often these people are quite keen to receive them

Honestly; I would love to know how many of these people actually donate to a charity. My guess would be the percentage that do, from the percentage that say they will is actually very low.

Can’t be arsed with the performance- if you aren’t going to send them, just don’t say anything at all 🤷‍♀️

Yes, to me it’s like telling someone, “I decided not to get you a gift this year.”

Speak for yourself.

I do donate to charities relating to the deaths of my children, extra at Christmas because cards are too hard to write I cannot do it since the death of my son and later on the death of my daughter.

My children don't get me gifts and donate that money to the charities as well at my request.

I donate money on their birthdays to the local hospital towards cuddle cots, and on the anniversaries of their deaths I donate to a charity to do with organ transplants.

I used to donate a fair bit of time as well before my dd became disabled.

My grown up children do a lot too.

The only one I've ever said anything about is the Christmas cards because the nastiness you see on here regarding someone not signing their name on a bit of glittery card translates to real life as well, and I cannot be fucked with it at an already difficult time.

But don't let the reality stop a perfectly good rant because you're sad someone didn't write your name out once a year 🤨

Quite. Why all the show over Christmas cards? Funny how writing cards and the addresses is a bit of a chore, so that’s what people happily trumpet they are swapping for a charity donation (which never happens). No way are they sacrificing manicures and hairdos (or even a bottle of Baileys).