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Original poster

Who buys individual Christmas cards?

83 replies

badguyduh · 02/12/2019 18:21

I thought most people bought Christmas cards in packs if they're bothering to do cards. Who buys individual ones from card shops? They're not all 'to a lovely sister this Christmas' etc. And they take up half the card shops' displays!

My brother did send a few individual ones to each of my family this year but he's a bit odd Grin

I still haven't heard of any one sending Happy Easter cards either but they still appear that time of year in the shops.

OP posts:
holly40 · 02/12/2019 22:30

I have never bought an individual xmas card. I buy a couple of boxes of assorted xmas cards from Sainsburys usually. Next last year. & no cards for immediate family.

Tigresswoods · 02/12/2019 22:32

@Lindy2 my MIL is the same. Buying & sending cards is her hobby. She loves it. We had to tell her quite specifically that DS did not require a card for getting a merit at school.

CherryPlum · 02/12/2019 22:33

It's nice, thoughtful, kind. Why be so mean when someone has gone out of their way to buy an individual card?

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GoGoLego · 02/12/2019 22:34

I have no idea but the whole of the card aisle in tescos is taken up by them. Some people still have birthdays at this time of year and some people aren't organised to get them a card in like October 😒

ExpletiveFairylighted · 02/12/2019 22:36

I've never bought one, always use cards out of packs. One sent to each household so its not as if anyone is likely to nitice they've got the same card as someone else. DH, the DCs and I don't send them to each other, its never occurred to us to, as we will be spending the day together, cards are for people you won't be seeing.

bluebell94 · 02/12/2019 22:58

My in laws do and I've always found it bizarre. MIL will get FIL a 'Merry Christmas husband' card and vice versa. DH buys them both individual personalised Christmas cards? I don't understand it but he says that's what they've always done in his family. He doesn't do it for anyone else, just his parents.
I maybe get a small pack to give one in return to a neighbour or someone, I never give them out unless it's in return. Maybe odd, I know. I guess that comes from growing up with big dogs that would immediately eat any cards on windowsills etc so any cards we received would never be on display anyway.

ConfusedAndStressed95 · 02/12/2019 23:05

I do, I like to find weird and novelty ones that make my friends laugh but then we're all a bit odd.

IAmCatBed · 02/12/2019 23:09

Yep, we do for Mums, Dad, Granddad and Grandmas.

The bloody irritating thing is the lack of Grandma cards. You can buy endless Gran, Granny, Nan, Nanna, Nannie cards but Grandma are always in short supply. I bought ours in September just to make sure we had them.

They all like them and wouldn't be very impressed with us just giving them a plain old card so we continue to do it. Which is fine by me. I just need to buy them early. Wft is wrong with Grandma????

TwistedAnkle · 02/12/2019 23:28

I love Christmas but hate the cards. I stopped sending any years ago. DH and his family send each other individual ones. Complete waste of money and most can't even be recycled because of the glitter. It's the only thing he buys as I do all the other shopping which pisses me off as well! Grrr!

TwistedAnkle · 02/12/2019 23:33

And there are no personal messages inside - just To ...... Love from......
Bonkers! Like a pp we get one to each of us individually so there's loads of cards to one family from another. What an utter meaningless waste!
Now breathe....

mathanxiety · 03/12/2019 03:07

My mum sends each DC an individual card for Christmas and for their birthdays, often unintentionally funny because she forgets her glasses when she heads out card shopping.

DS has a stash of cards from his granny Smile all warning him not to eat too much cake.

NatashaAlianovaRomanova · 03/12/2019 06:47

@IAmCatBed where do you find this bountiful supply of Gran cards? They're like hens teeth in the shops here & heaven forbid you need a Gran & Grandad card Grandads apparently only come with a Nanny

Equimum · 03/12/2019 08:03

My family tend to send these to each other, but we don’t exchange presents, so maybe that explains it. I always make cards for these people instead.

My mum has also always sent Easter cards, but not individual, and only to the immediate family (not those lining at home) and her best friend, so only 5-6 cards at most.

CameraTime · 03/12/2019 08:26

Some of you must have the same in-laws as me! SIL sends a card to me and DH, one to DS, and one to DD. FIL does the same. MIL manages to find "Merry Christmas to My Daughter and Her Girlfriend" which I think is impressive!

I don't get it at all! I understand if you write a nice message inside, but these are literally "To X from Y".

AuntieMarys · 03/12/2019 08:29

I buy individual cards for my adult children, dh and a couple of close friends...usually from Redbubble or Etsy. Definitely not "to my darling daughter" cards . 😀

littleduckeggblue · 03/12/2019 08:37

I thought everyone sent family personal cards?

Borntobeamum · 03/12/2019 08:37

Holding my hand up - I do.
I buy for my parents, DH, my 2 daughters and son in law, my son and daughter in law, and my grandchildren. However this year I bought ‘To the grandchildren’ as opposed to one each as we have 10 grandchildren.
My parents are 87 and my DM always appreciates a lovely verse.
Surely it’s not too much to spend a little time choosing something that means so much to someone?
Just my choice and my opinion.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/12/2019 09:01

Not me, just various charity packs, , but I did once buy a whole pack with garden birds on, to give one of them to dh from his feathery friends who he keeps very well fed all year. Used the rest up the following year.

I used to get a card from the cat and dog when we still had them - probably individual but not one of those great big ones. And I once gave one from cat and dog (both not long gone within 6 weeks of each other🙁)., since I happened to find one with lookalike cat and dog on. Signed to Granny from Dog and and Cat in heaven.

May I claim Card-Daftness award?

Megan2018 · 03/12/2019 09:08

I buy family ones and as we have just had a baby I am ridiculously excited about buying “grandparent cards” for my parents (first grandchild) and a daughter card (which we will keep in her memory box) Grin

I only do boxed cards to non family.

Notso · 03/12/2019 09:23

I don't like the ones with the relationship between giver and receiver plastered on them. I find them so formal, I'm Notso rather than Wife/Daughter/Daughter in Law/Sister/Neighbour/Grandson's Wife.
I have a joke with DH that we always write Happy Birthday Wife/Husband in the cards we buy for each other.

I don't know where MIL finds hers but they are so specific.
We once had two because she couldn't decide, one was To our Son and his Partner on your First Christmas in your New Home, the other was To Our Son and Daughter-in-law on your first Christmas as Parents.

SinglePringle · 03/12/2019 09:31

God no. I send a card to my parents and various family members but they come from a pack of charity cards.

I hate the ‘special sister / my lovely mum and dad’ type cards. Spectacularly tacky IMO.

To be fair, I’m not a fan of Christmas cards at all. Clutter and bad for the planet.

TheNoodlesIncident · 03/12/2019 09:42

I thought it was a generational thing, as only my mum and MIL buy such specific cards. It means when I get cards for them I have to search for the same type, as that's clearly what they think is proper. MIL in particular will open a card and read out all the drossy wording that some individual in Hallmark has thought up as though it was DH who sat up for hours overnight composing it. I don't understand how she can get emotional over something penned by a stranger for a generic card? (It's not true either, she is neither wonderful nor amazingly helpful, she does bugger all for anyone else unless it suits her. Is there a card saying "Joy at Christmas For Someone Who Is Quite Hard Work"?)

Like PPs it's a struggle to find ones with the correct relationship terms on, I should look in Moonpig and the like as I'm sure I'll be able to put "For Mum and her partner known as Gagga" and "To Dad and his much valued partner Auntie X who lives down the road". Or maybe just buy a To Both Of You, but I think they might see that as a cop out...

We have lots of December birthdays, and DM's is Jan 1, so I always buy all my cards in the first half of the year. Christmas cards start coming out in card shops in September, so much less choice from then.

Never bought Christmas cards for someone living in the same house, seems odd but each to their own!

IAmCatBed · 03/12/2019 23:18

NatashaAlianovaRomanova

It was Card Factory, but the week when they first put the Christmas cards out so late October or early November?

I just saw the Grandma cards and bought two of the buggers!

Butterflycookie · 03/12/2019 23:28

Yes I buy them for my parents and siblings. I thought everyone did Confused. They’re everywhere in card shops so many people must buy them!

RollOnNextYear · 03/12/2019 23:58

Yep. I get my parents. ILs. Dcs from Us and to each other ie to bro or sis. A couple of my closest friends. Dh and godparents.
Rest if lucky a boxed card but generally cba to write them