Page 5 | To send Christmas cards?

bipbopdo · 2023-12-05T10:43:21+00:00

Do any of you send Christmas cards? This year it seems to be treated as a weird anachronism instead of nice thing to do. I like having ways of checking in with friends that doesn’t rely on my phone, but a friend of mine said it creates a sense of pressure and obligation at a stressful time of year.

SharonEllis · 08/12/2023 06:42

I still send lots & love to receive them.

Teentrauma · 08/12/2023 08:21

As of 7th December we've received just 2. One from a neighbour who sends on 1st December each year without fail and is always our first card and another from a friend who handed it to me when we went out the other night (I gave her one too). By now, we've usually received a fair few through the post but this year not one 😔 However, I've just purchased my stamps for the 20 odd I post (in addition to the many I hand deliver) and at 79p for second class it's no bloody wonder! As I said upfront I'm pro-Christmas cards and am sad the tradition is dying out but I think I will have to re-think next year (but I definitely won't be sending e-cards, I get enough bloody emails as it is, as do most people I suspect!)

Teentrauma · 08/12/2023 08:23

Upthread, not upfront!

Original poster

bipbopdo · 08/12/2023 08:33

Rabiz · 08/12/2023 05:26

I still send some - less than 10 - to friends and family that live far away. I send them because I think they like and expect them and I won’t be seeing them in person.

Back in the day, my mum and dad had a huge list of people and they were ticked off when sent and received. If you sent one to somebody and it wasn’t reciprocated, it was a huge affront. Likewise, there would be a panicked scramble if we received an unexpected one at the last minute.

If someone committed a grave offence, they would be struck off the list. If someone who usually sent a card failed to do so, enquiries would be started to see if we had upset them in some way, or if they were perhaps dead.

I keep sending the few that I do in case they start thinking that I am rude, angry with them, or dead! I wouldn’t care if I never received another one. Same with birthday cards, tbh.

I don’t bother giving them to family that we see on the day as it seems pointless! I will be wishing them a merry Christmas with my voice (and they can see that I’m not dead). I suppose they still might think I’m rude though…!

I know you’re joking (v droll haha), but isn’t it a good thing to have an extra layer of ‘oh, so and so hasn’t sent a card like usual, I should probably check up on them?’. It seems so easy to feel connected with people with social media, but there’s been research showing people feel lonelier than ever

OP posts:

Original poster

bipbopdo · 08/12/2023 08:54

Teentrauma · 08/12/2023 08:21

As of 7th December we've received just 2. One from a neighbour who sends on 1st December each year without fail and is always our first card and another from a friend who handed it to me when we went out the other night (I gave her one too). By now, we've usually received a fair few through the post but this year not one 😔 However, I've just purchased my stamps for the 20 odd I post (in addition to the many I hand deliver) and at 79p for second class it's no bloody wonder! As I said upfront I'm pro-Christmas cards and am sad the tradition is dying out but I think I will have to re-think next year (but I definitely won't be sending e-cards, I get enough bloody emails as it is, as do most people I suspect!)

It’s terrible how expensive it is!! The post was so much cheaper and more reliable before the government privatised it. They increase the price of stamps the same as train tickets now. I feel as though we’re being robbed blind by ‘shareholders’.

OP posts:

Teentrauma · 08/12/2023 09:13

@bipbopdo sad sign of the times. It's not like the good old days! God I feel old!

FuzzyPuffling · 08/12/2023 13:48

I actually really dislike e-cards. I can't be bothered to open them! Sorry, e-card senders.

ManateeFair · 08/12/2023 14:14

I send about 20 each year to a few relatives and close friends who live far away from me. The number has dwindled over the years, mainly because a few of the people I used to send cards to were elderly relatives who are sadly no longer around.

I like writing and sending cards so I don't find it stressful or a chore at all. I'm sure some people do, though - I don't think anyone should feel obliged to do it.

Bookist · 08/12/2023 14:22

I do and I always will. It's one of my favourite Christmas traditions to be honest. I do send fewer cards nowadays so tend to spend more and often buy unique ones from Etsy. I have a special pen I always write them with and always get the Christmas theme stamps.

Vettrianofan · 08/12/2023 14:22

I write them out to neighbours and my parents and MIL, that is it. Too expensive to post any.

janfebmarchapril · 08/12/2023 16:52

I do them unless my MIL tells my husband to remember to do them and then I don't.

Gingerbee · 08/12/2023 17:33

ComtesseDeSpair · 05/12/2023 11:02

We do. It’s one of our traditions: we go to the same pub every year, bagsie the table nearest the fireplace and jointly write our cards, getting steadily more tipsy as the afternoon wears on. By drink number three, we think our little messages and drawings are hilarious, then they turn slushily sentimental. Our friends enjoy it, we enjoy it, it’s nice to post and receive something in the mail which isn’t a bill or a mass marketing campaign from Foxton’s promising they can sell your house for the best price to waiting buyers.

Edited

Love this idea

RoseMartha · 08/12/2023 17:47

Yes I send some maybe 30. Ten years ago I sent 100. But I was still married then so was in touch with more people. About half the cards I send are to keep in touch with people who don't live nearby or are not on Sm.

Ragwort · 09/12/2023 18:17

What is the 'etiquette' about sending cards to people who send E-cards? I like sending 'real' cards and send quite a few .. and receive a lot back. One or two of my friends have used E-cards (specifically don't-send-me-a-card) ... so I am not sure if they are sending me a message not to post them a card? .

Sandysandwich · 09/12/2023 18:58

Only one, to my Grandad who lives in a different country and does not have a phone.

GrannyRose15 · 13/12/2023 02:51

One of the best afternoons I ever spent with my late MIL was going through her Christmas card list helping her to write her cards. She had a story to tell about everyone she had once known and being in a care home miles from where she used to live this was a wonderful way of keeping fond memories alive even though there was very little chance of her seeing these friends again.

Kitkatcatflap · 13/12/2023 04:34

I make my cards, I cross stitch a Christmas pattern then attach the design to coloured card. I make the cards throughout the year, I enjoy it and can do it whilst watching TV. I also include a letter. These days with elderly relatives dying, health issues etc it's less bragging and more moaning.

I moved to Europe, so it's a wonderful way to keep it touch with people for instance my late mother's elderly neighbour. He was so kind and thoughtful to my mum. He writes back after Christmas thanking me for the card.

Where I am in Scandinavia - no one sends cards but this year I am sending four local ones. One to the children's retired English teacher who enjoys the tradition. Another to German and Polish people who have moved here and the last one to the mum of my son's friend who is incredibly kind to my son.

I also loathe the 'I am making a charity donation' Facebook messages. One posts she is doing it for the environment whilst her DH works for a private airline and both drive enormous 4x4 gas guzzlers. We all laugh at that one. Another has admitted she loves cards but can't be bothered any more, of the two I respect the latter's honesty more.

There is no right or wrong. Just what you do or don't. Either way it does not give you the moral high ground. I enjoy it, don't mind the effort and absorb the expense - however, if someone asked me to stop - I would with no offence taken.