to think that if it's SEVEN years since you heard from someone - maybe you shouldn't be sending them a Christmas Card?

[BonzoDooDah]

"Mabel and Albert" and their family lived in our house for more then 30 years. Sadly Albert died and then quite a few years later Mabel died at a ripe old age. We bought the house nearly seven years ago from her children.

Every year since we moved in we have received a posted Christmas card to 'Mabel and Family' signed x and y (but no return address). Obviously they've not had one off Mabel in the last seven years ...

We've just received this year's card

So, seriously, how long would you keep someone on your Christmas Card list if you hadn't heard from them? A year? Two? Seven???

Seven years is certainly keeping the faith, I must say.

Why don't people put their return address on things?!?! I just don't have that much faith in our postal service.

We used to live in a house that used to belong to someone famous and would receive christmas cards from other famous people for 6 years of living there!

Some of these people had very bizarre photos of themselves of cards! We kept most of them too and dig them out on display every year for a laugh.

We got this too, but actually a card for not the previous occupants, but the ones before that....

However, I eventually had a breakthrough. One of the TAs at DS's school mentioned that she had lived in our house, and it turned out she was the one the card was for, but she'd divorced and remarried (house was sold due to divorce) so I asked if she was Mrs X previously. Gave her the card and this year didn't get another one so she must have written back.

I send a Xmas card, with a letter, to an old neighbour every year. She's getting on so I always put my return address on the back. To date, she always sends a card with a letter back, but every year I do wonder if I'll get one back

We bought our first house from her friend, who had died and in the first year we did get quite a lot or cards, but no return addresses. They soon dried up, though.

Fryone that's quite a co-incidence. Nice to finally solve the mystery :)

Aww soopermum at least you put a return address on so you'd know it't not got there but how sad when it doesn't.

My dgp one year got a christmas card perfectly addressed to them (by name), asking after their dc (by name) from a couple they didn't know at all. It was unusual names for all four, so they must have met them somewhere. We went through all their contact lists for the previous 20 years and couldn't find them.
They only sent one that year. Maybe they were upset at not getting one back.

My mother sends and gets tons of Christmas cards, lots from people she hasn't seen in years and years. I think it's a generational thing. I only send and get about twenty or so cards. A lot of my friends just don't bother but will email during Dec or send a Happy New Year text.