To have opened this mystery Christmas card?

[WitBeyondMeasure]

Every year our elderly neighbour from down the street posts a Christmas card through our door. It is not our address or our name. We have seen her walking down the street after posting before but never at a time where we could drop what we were doing to enquire about it - usually elbow deep in nappy changes and feeding kids etc.

Well this morning at 5am I heard the letter box rattle. I was up (thanks kids) so I opened the door and she explained that it has her house number and postcode but it isn't her, and as we are the newest people on the street she thought it was ours.

I've tried to locate the recipients by name on Facebook. I believe the sender may have the wrong postcode and there is a street of the same name in a nearby town so last year I forwarded it.

Would I be unreasonable to open it to see if there is a way of locating the sender?
It sounds strange, but we don't receive many Christmas cards. it seems to be a dying Trend and I worry unnecessarily that it's probably someone of an older generation trying to keep in touch and not having other means..

But then of course it is none of our business. Is there anything else I could try?

Sorry title should say should I open this Christmas card!

Just open it? Seems a lot of build up for quite a simple thing

Yeah open it... sensible thing to do when there is a chance it could reach the owner if there is an address inside

Open it!

I have lived in my (newbuild) house for 20 years. Every year we have had Christmas cards addressed to the woman who lives next door but two but our address. She explained the first year that her house used to numbered the same as ours (which seems strange).

We usually post them to her btu for some reason she has never informed them of her correct address.

SO she has been delivering this card to you for years and you’ve never opened it?

@youngestisapsycho first year we were renovating and it probably got thrown out. Last year we googled the address and found there was a street of the same name in the nearest town so forwarded it. This year, it's come again.

Yes! Open it now and tell us who it’s from!

Just open it!

We've had cards come not for us, they get opened and then chucked in the recycling.

No angst needed, just open it.

I might randomly post them into other people's post boxes in future though, thanks for the idea.

Correct thing to do is put not known at this addresss try.... on envelope and put back in post box. Post office will open and return to sender or forward if they can find intended recipient.
Lots of people don't put return address, you should if you want things to come back if undelivered. I would probably open and return or forward if possible. Do you have forwarding address for previous occupant?

Last year I had a Christmas card delivered that was meant for somebody 500 miles away in Scotland . It was the same number as our house but that was about it!

Definitely open it! I did this and there was £20 inside for someone's birthday! Luckily, I live in a small town and the card and money found its way back to its intended recipient!

Awww , I have this mental image that the card contains an invitation to join her for Christmas Dinner and she'll go home to prepare and cook.

Then she'll sit there , waiting, but as the invitation wasn't received , nobody knows. By about March she'll be covered in cobwebs and spiders' willies .
Echoes of Miss Haversham (or something !)

Last year I had a card to an unknown person delivered to my address, but with a house name that isn't mine, ie Unknown House, 10 Brecon Street. Opened it to find a birthday card to 'Dad', apparently from an adult daughter. I know the names of occupants of my house for the last 40 years and he wasn't one of them. It seemed so tragic to have Dad sitting wondering why his daughter had forgotten his birthday! I eventually found a house with the correct name a few streets away, and put it through the letterbox, but as there was nobody in I never knew if it got to the right person or why his DD thought he lived on a different street.

Have you opened it??

I moved here ages ago and get a Christmas card every year to people I don't know at almost-but-not-quite my address. (Like Johns Street instead of Joans Street).

The first year we opened it but there was no surname of the sender or return address, but it was a nice card so we put it up with the others.

32 years later... still coming every year! We got it the other day

I've opened it, sadly no further ratios to go on..
I'm curious enough to drive to the local town and enquire whether it is then though. The inside of the card says "this year??" As if the sender is eager for a reunion.

Sorry no further details... (not ratios) my auto correct dislikes me tonight

We got a round robin. Different name, our address but it was a new build so not a previous owner.

Would I be unreasonable to open it to see if there is a way of locating the sender?

No, you must not open that Christmas card under any circumstances. You will be immediately arrested.

Oh no, I'm too late, you've opened it! Hide, OP, hide! The rozzers are on their way!

(Have you really never opened it until now, even though you've been receiving this for years? )

all it says is this year in it.oooh im thinking there is a book in this.im having all sorts of romantic images on this.short story competition blurb this could be...

I got a mystery card with £10 in every Christmas for 5 years in my old flat

We get post every so often intended for a very similar address in New Zealand. It’s been going on for years. Sometimes I put it back in the post and it gets redelivered to me - this is despite all the air mail stickers and helpful notes from me on the envelope! One year it felt like a wedding invitation. I felt it would be an invasion of privacy to open it but now I wish I had, so that I could have told the sender their letter had gone astray.