To think less of people who send these Christmas cards

[Bananacup]

... to have absolutely no interest in Christmas cards that say 'Merry Christmas from [Sender]'

And that's all

Literally no other message.

You've taken the time to post me a picture of a tree, but you've written no personal message whatsoever? Makes me feel like I'm a box on your to-do list, like the worst kind of business networking. It would have been better to send nothing at all. Just don't bother if you literally have nothing personal or interesting to say.

And about 90% of the Christmas cards I receive are like this!

Alternatively, they just want to say "Merry Christmas" and not pen an essay about how they're fine but the cat has got new tablets.

Mark them with a red pen and send them back?

Seriously...whaddya want? It's a kind thought, a simple gesture, a light-hearted acknowledgment. Bit King Lear to be complaining that the message isn't fulsome enough.

I don't think I've ever received a card which contained more than that basic message. It's a Christmas card, not an essay.

I think if 90% of your cards are like this it probably shows it's quite normal. However I'd rather not recieve cards in general as i think they're a bit of a waste of time/money/bad for environment etc and would keep in touch with people in other ways.

thanks for this! Another one off my list for next year

If I have a message for someone I will Whatsapp them, why would I put it in a card? I will always write that I hope they have a nice Christmas, but I send cards to people that I either know well enough that I will say something in person or don't know well enough to really say anything, like my neighbour

Writing cards takes ages. I don’t have the energy or the inclination to write anything more that a brief msg on those that I do send! I Appreciate it if someone has thought of me, taken the time to write & post me a card at all. Wouldn’t ever expect more.

YANBU. Same for people who send birthday cards like this. Nothing personal about it, no actual good wishes, just perfunctory sending off with no meaning about it and no actual care taken.

Only people with no friends family or work to do could write more than that in a card YABU OP

OP do you wright a lovely personal message in every card you send? I hope it's a different message tailored to the person your writing it to?

Except they did go to the trouble to send a card.

Couldn't you just be thankful they took the time to wish you a merry Christmas. I am sure that if they want to give you a rundown of their life they will call you or write an email.

I know what you mean. But I only tend to write a slightly longer, more flowery version of pretty generic good wishes. Is that really any different?

What do you write OP?

Is there nothing that doesn't offend some people these days?

Someone has gone to the trouble of buying cards, addressing envelopes, writing card, buying stamps and posting cards. Obviously that's not good enough for some people. And it's even worse when people criticise birthday cards - that person has remembered you.

See this is the thing. If you keep criticising and pushing away people who are making any effort at all because the effort isn't exactly to your liking, eventually they give up and stop bothering.

I went through a phase in my twenties of being annoyed at these sort of pointless messages and then when I hit 30 and felt suicidally depressed I would have given anything for a single birthday card. Just one. Any single person to remember I existed. And I realised I had brought it on myself by being such a prickly hyper-critical arsehole, and I tried to make more of an effort and be less of a dickhead and actually reciprocate the cards as well as thanking people for making the effort.

You're being unreasonable. Take a moment to think how many cards each person has to write, do you really expect everyone has time to write a personalised messsge in each card? Nope! I don't. Think yourself lucky you're on their card list, it's a lovely gesture still.

Is there nothing that doesn't offend some people these days

It would appear not !

If I see or communicate frequently with the person then it is just a holiday greeting. If not I write a brief catch up. I'd say about half and half. Yes I do wonder when I get cards from people I haven't seen in a few years why they don't say a bit more! When I write to them I then think: do they care? Am I just wasting my time?

If 90% of the cards you get are like that, and you think that makes the senders rude/thoughtless/lazy/crap, you must be pretty damn lonely by now.

The entire purpose of a Christmas is literally just to wish the recipient a happy Christmas. That’s what they’re for. You can stay in touch for life updates all year round, if you want them. You do know the whole ‘round robin’ family update thing is a really recent development, right? A Christmas card’s proper purpose is to give good wishes at Christmas and provide something decorative to display. If you want a detailed personal update, you can bloody WhatsApp them and ask for one any time you like.

People took the time to buy a card, write it, pay for a stamp and post it in order to wish you a merry Christmas, and you ‘think less of them’. Aren’t you just the epitome of Christmas spirit, eh?

Do you write and bulk print cards to send to everyone - even with a pre-printed Christmas greeting message - to everyone? This is what SIL started doing 3-4 years ago. It’s OTT and tedious to read an essay (quite literally an essay) on how wonderful each year has been, the luxurious holidays they’ve had and how amazing and talented DNiece is and listing all the reasons why. Accompanied by at least 10-15 photos around the border.

The 2020 card started off with ‘even though Covid put a bit of a dampener on our year, it has been absolutely fantastic…’.

Talk about not reading the room…

Anyway, would you like an essay of relentless boasting every year instead? I don’t. A simple card is fine.

I often think that some of the posters on here wake up and think 'what can I post on mumsnet today'.

YABU - the fact that they've taken the time to buy and post you a card clearly shows that they are thinking about you

😆😆😆

Agree.

To me, one could just send a quick text instead since that is usually how much wording is involved.

Only send them because DH’s family is a card family, otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing them. They go straight in the recycling once the holidays are over. I’d keep them if there was a message other than “Happy Christmas from xyz”.

The CARD ITSELF is the good wish. That’s the whole point of them.

How can remembering your birthday, choosing and buying a card, writing it and posting it to you possibly be a sign of ‘no actual care taken’?

What a miserable, ungrateful, self-centred and bitter response to a nice gesture.