To not send cards to the class because I think that they're a waste of time, money and paper.

[sparklyjumper]

I'm not a humbug, honest. I love Christmas, and usually end up spending at least £10 on cards by the times I've bought for both sides of the family, neighbours, work colleagues.

After watching Martin Lewis on This Morning urging people not to feel pressured to give presents and cards just for the sake of giving I decided this year I wasn't going to.

But now we've started to receive lots of cards from classmates I'm worried I'll be the miserable one who never sent cards.

I just really didn't want to do it this year, seems like such a waste sending out 30 bits of cardboard that are only going to end up in the bin in two weeks time.

YANBU but it has to be DCs call really

YANBU, my DD did cards because she wanted to, but I'm not counting whether or not she receives 30 back!

(Anyway I bought her cards v.cheap in the sale last year or the year before.)

YANBU but I would. I still remember being a school and being so upset when I didn't get a card back from someone I sent to. Like notmarlene said it's up to your DC

Miserable? That'll be the least u will get called....

Just buy cheap small n cheerful and thank stars that wen dd/ds has to write em they will stop....

Well sick to your guns if you want to, but it does seem a little bit miserable.
I always buy mine for next year in the sale.
I've just opened a box that I bought for 50p from John Lewis originally £2.99.

It is a bit wasteful, I know. But I never want to be the one who doesn't send them.

Why not do a big card to the whole class. There are lots of quirky cards about or make a huge one instead.

You can usually pick up 20 or 30 mini ones for a quid - less if you look hard enough.

If you don't want to do it, don't!

YANBU.

I'm really not miserable. I was even thinking I'd rather send loads of little chocolates in them the children rather than cards as at least that seems to be of more use.

Feels like if I send to classmates, then I should send to workmates, family etc.

I really do love Christmas, but what I love is the family time, the nice food, the magic of Santa. I don't like the way people feel so pressured to buy into the commercial side of it so much, even when everyones skint and really busy.

Like I've bought my close family one special present each, but now feel under more pressured to 'bulk it up' with bits and bobs that they probably won't even want so it looks like I've bought more.

YANBU how about suggesting next year they have a tree on which they can all write a label to the whole class, and put £1 into a donation box. Then send the donations to charity. We used to do this for work and it's a much better way of using precious resources and teaches the kids a valuable lesson I think. (and saves poor parents hours of writing meaningless messages on millions of cards)

In fact I am going to suggest this next year!!

I don't send cards. I did them for ds at nursery as they like handing them out.

At school it was his choice. He doesn't send them but we make something each year to take into class instead.

That's a realy good idea supa although not sure I'd be brave enough to suggest it.

I was even thinking of sending in loads of fun size choc buttons or a box of mini donuts instead, it seems less of a waste.

I'm honestly not miserable, it's just first there's the class, my workmates, then there's my mum, dad, brothers and sister who always send personal cards, dps family, my extended family lots of aunts, uncles and cousins, even my mums old neighbours send me cards still.

If I send to everyone it equals over 50-60 cards. I usually enjoy it but end up feeling obliged and probably make others feel obliged and thought I'd opt out this year!

My DDS - y1 and y3 can't be arsed to write cards and I don't encourage it - waste of trees IMO. Between them they have about 60 cards. I'm pleased to see that by secondary school this needless tradition ceases. D's, y8, has only received 2!

Ds2 has just started playschool. He has SN and very poor speech. Starting playschool was traumatic for him and it took weeks before he stopped crying and screaming. He had no interest in the other kids apart from his one little friend.

He got two cards on Monday and was so completely overjoyed he came home and insisted on me writing cards for all his classmates. He knew all their names! He handed them out the next morning all by himself and I almost sobbed.

Sometimes a card is so much more than a card.....

I've bought some cheap cards, I will offer them to children this weekend to see if they want to write any. Apparently some of their classmates really enjoy sending them. My children, if last year is anything to go by, will write a couple then get bored and wander off.

Well that's nice Summerrain, I do appreciate that to children it can mean a lot. I did enjoy sendign and receiving cards as a child.

Guess I'll just do it for children's sake.

DCs choose to send cards to their friends, and i send to relatives who i dont see very often, but mine and DH friends deceided not to send cards amongst ourselves, we instead contribute to a charity, this year i bought a lot of tinned food to contribute to the food parcel collection outside tescos

It doesn't have to be expensive. Tesco are doing a pack of 10 value cards for 9p. Or you can buy in January sales for the next year - I got Disney Cars/Princess/Thomas cards for 50p for 25 cards last year from BHS.

I have to send roughly 100 cards each year for our friends & family, plus this year there have been another 25ish for DS1's preschool class & teachers. Most can be hand-delivered, so again this minimises cost. I find that most people really appreciate it, especially elderly or recently bereaved acquaintances.

One last thing - we never throw old Christmas cards away here. They make lovely, unique gift tags and can also be used by the DC for junk collages etc.

As a family we don't send cards to anyone we see regularly.

I know where you're coming from, I used to think it seemed wasteful. But my kids love writing and receiving them - they count them each day, re-read them, stick them on their bedroom walls with blu tac, etc.

I buy very small cheap ones and just recycle them after christmas - there is less card and ink in them than in the freebie newspaper which goes unread in the recycling bin every week.

BTW I wouldn't particularly appreciate chocolate - kids get enough of this around this time of year already, imagine if they then each got 29 bags of choc buttons from their classmates too!

I can appreciate trying not to post too many though - the cost of stamps seems to have shot up in the last couple of years.

Don't do it if you don't want to, I shouldn't think most people would mind either way. But saying '30 bits of cardboard that are only going to end up in the bin in two weeks time' is a just little bit gloomy and eeyorish. You could apply that logic to anything non essential.