‘We are not sending cards this year, instead ...’

[AShaveAndAHarecutHalfPrice]

Anyone else get annoyed by these frankly attention seeking posts?

No reason to tell people which charitable cause you are supporting - simply wish your friends a Merry Christmas, without the public display of do-goodery.

I’m not sending cards cos I write them and forget to post them and it’s a massive waste of time and money, so I no longer do it.

Merry Christmas everyone!

It would be just as virtue-signally, but at least more original, if a few of them could go for 'I'm not going on holiday/going out for dinner/meeting up with friends for a drink/taking taxis/visiting relatives/going to the cinema/having any wine this year/buying coffee in disposable cups/keeping a pet/buying more than 1 pair of shoes this year, I'm giving the money to charity instead...' But no, it's always Christmas cards.

I announce. Because my family are the type to bitch and moan when they don't get one. It's almost like you've decided to cut ties with them cos you haven't sent a card.

I think quite a few people who say this are lying. They know it sounds more high-minded than 'we couldn't be bothered'. And in the era of 'exposure' it seems almost as good to mention a charity as to actually give them money. Raising awareness, innit?

Honestly, I dont blame them for not wanting to be bothered. I mainly send cards to people I literally never see in real life, only ever out of obligation, not because I want to. People who never bother to check on me or enquire how I am throughout the year yet still expect the yearly card with the faux sentiments. Its all completely meaningless and shallow in my opinion so I have no issue whatsoever with people saying they aren't sending cards out.

Writing cards is just another job to do when I already feel like I'm rushing about. Instead, I donate money to the charity that supported us when my son was a baby. Win-win-win - one less job for me, a sum of money to my chosen charity and it may just put that charity on other people's radar too.

I did a post on social media.
As I wrote it I was aware it was virtue signalling.

But decided to do it anyway:

1. because I wanted the people who won't get cards to know why
2. to publicise the charities - one is a bit under the radar & the more publicity the better.

If people don't like it I respect their view point.

Well you cant win so I gave up sending cards 4 years ago, gave up telling people what charity two years ago as apparently that annoys people, so ok spend £40 on Cards and £40 on stamps, stuff the environment, give nothing to charity, or I just carry on. Its only UK and US have this mania, Europe is much more relaxed about it

I hate social media attention seeking but it never occurred to me that this would be seen like that.
I stopped sending cards after seeing others with similar posts. OK some might hate the posts, but if they encourage others to donate to charity and help the environment that can only be a good thing.

I suppose people do it to let people know that they haven't just struck them off their card list, they're not sending to anyone.

My aunt sent me a similar message on FB messenger - she said she was going to send a recording of her playing Ave Maria on the flute for me instead, and it was a rendition on a slidewhistle. Actually cracked me up, unexpectedly. I’m not sure where she got it from but it was better than a card! Though actually she sent a card too...

It does my head in because I like receiving cards! A merry Christmas message on fb just doesn't feel personal or thoughtful.

I like sending cards as well. I print my own though and don't post any so it doesn't cost much at all.

I did this

I genuinely wasn't virtue signalling. I was letting friends know so I didn't have to message them all individually to say why they'd not received a card from me.

I suppose it was attention seeking because I added a "donate" button - I wanted people to see it so they could donate if they wished to. Anyone who clicked the link would be able to see how much I'd donated 🤷‍♀️

I do it because

a) I don't want anyone to feel sad that I've forgotten or chosen NOT to send them a card
b) to publicise the good work of my chosen charity

Certainly not to show off. Tbh your post says as much about your own perspective and your choice of friends if that's what you think is their motivation.

We had one saying we are not going to send Christmas cards from next year onwards due to our concerns for the environment. This is from a couple who are complete petrol heads and own 4 cars, one runaround, a defender, a Porsche and a pickup. The man also has 3 motorbikes....

^^
This...with bells on(!)

Of all the consumerism that happens over Christmas (and during the rest of the year for that matter) sending Christmas cards is very low on the list of wastefulness / non-environmentally friendly things in my humble opinion.

We enjoy both sending and receiving Christmas cards. The ones we receive are either reused as Christmas gift tags the following year or used by my DD(5) for cutting up/crafting with.

I'm sorely tempted to post on Facebook "I sent a few quid to my hometown's food bank but let's be honest, there's no way I was sending any of you fuckers a card anyway"

I don’t send Christmas cards nor do i give to charity instead.

Can’t be bothered.

My crazy in-laws are so eco minded.. so they say. They are not sending Christmas cards, but they eat beef, jet set all over the world for the fun of it and have too many cars.. I could go on... I wonder if I can hold my tongue over the festive season when I see them. I’ve regifted their last years presents to me.. I’m being eco friendly too 😎

I thought this was going to be "instead, here's a picture of us on the beach in Thailand having a much nicer Christmas than you are!!"

I don't do cards, just a massive WhatsApp session on Christmas Day messaging friends (individually with a personalised note).

Putting it on Facebook is pointless. And if they're putting it on facebook on the 23rd December that basically means they forgot, missed the last post and tried to come up with an excuse.

We sent 4 Christmas cards this year to elderly relatives. I made fudge to give to friends who I saw over the Christmas period, instead of giving cards.
So many of these friends said "oh I wish we didnt have to send to many"... well you dont have to! Nobody has ever made a comment to me about the fact I don't send them a card, I'm sure they dont even notice.

Some people are so far up their own arses with their attention seeking. YANBU.

I was only discussing this yesterday, with my good friend Helen Mirren

Having just spent the best part of 20 Euro sending cards to the UK and getting TWO, two bloody cards, back, I am cured for life. Next Xmas I'm spending 20 Euro just on me.

I do privately raise an eyebrow when people go all virtue-signally over Christmas cards, while the rest of the year they happily consume unnecessary stuff, take polluting flights etc
This is a very good point!
You don't see someone saying "instead of going to Tenerife this year, we are having a weekend in Cornwall and donating the saved money to Greenpeace"
Or "we would prefer not to recieve Christmas presents, please donate to X charity instead".

Very easy to say you're "giving up" Christmas cards, which for most people is really just an inconvenience, and sticking a fiver in the charity bucket, and then claim to be very virtuous and charitable for doing so.

Very easy to say you're "giving up" Christmas cards, which for most people is really just an inconvenience, and sticking a fiver in the charity bucket, and then claim to be very virtuous and charitable for doing so

Yes, completely agree! I’ve yet to see anyone on FB say ‘they are not buying their Christmas turkey/pigs in blankets/Beef Wellington [insert choice of festive main dish] and donating said money to charity(!)

I buy charity cards from charity shops where 100% goes to charity. I don't feel the need to show off about it on Facebook. 'I donated to the food bank instead of sending Christmas cards'. Well bully for you. I did both.

Ahhhh thought it was just me that thought this and glad to see I’m not alone!

The implication is that if you do send cards you are somehow selfish and wasteful for not giving money to charity and saving the planet. When actually it’s quite the opposite.

It also irks me that it’s the same people who announce it every year expecting an annual pat on the back.

I actually like sending and receiving cards. It’s such a shame that the internet has taken over to such a degree that sending a card once a year is now seen as a negative thing.

This year I’ve had significantly fewer cards and it feels like next year there will be none at all. I look at my poor wee mum’s windowsill and it’s very sparse this year. She’s not on FB so if people don’t send cards she gets nothing.