To think this is strange from my neighbour?

[Pekitothebunny]

This morning I woke up to a pack of Christmas cards that have been posted through my door. They are new Christmas cards, still sealed within their pack, unused. A note came with it saying “hi, it’s Janet from number 5. I bought these for you to send out to the neighbours next year”

Huh? Why would anyone do that? She’s isn’t my direct neighbour, she’s like 4 houses down. We don’t speak or have any kind of relationship. However, since we moved in a few years ago she has always sent us a Christmas card, and I assume she sends them to everyone on the street. We don’t bother with Christmas cards and never send them out. Could it be that she’s offended that we never send cards so this is her not so subtle way of hinting that she will be expecting a card from us in 2025?? Why would anyone care so much?

Im planning on just throwing the cards away and ignoring it. Would anyone else find this weird?

I would assume she had picked them up in the post Christmas sale and just wanted to start to build a
rapport with you by doing something nice

What have you decided OP?

I'd post them back with a note saying

"Thank you for your kindness, we don't send out Christmas cards as we prefer to make a donation to charity. I didn't want the cards to go to waste so I've returned them to you "

Clicked YABU by mistake.. YANBU!!! What a weirdo! Hahaha

You could write every one of them to her and put them back through in the box.

I would write out every single card to her and post them all through

I just said that without reading your comment 😆😆

Does she have many friends and family to give her cards? Could she be lonely? My first thought was that's she's probably given cards to most of the street and not just singled you out?

I think this is the perfect response

Exactly.

So many nasty, immature responses here to a mild act of kindness.

From the ilk no doubt who lament that "the village" doesn't do enough for them. Smh.

I have reflected more on this and on second thoughts I think don't engage and don't give her ammunition- she's clearly a little mentally unstable to do this and already thinks badly of you to have taken such a step. If you happen to be forced into an encounter by her, force a smile and say breezily: "Thanks for the cards, Janet, how kind of you 😬😬😬", then leave and forget about her and her cards. She's looking to hurt you, don't give her anything, @Pekitothebunny.

It's unusual - what do your other neighbours think? Maybe she's lonely and would appreciate a card every year - with a friendly message if you can manage it. You could use the ones she's given you! Or donate them so at least they do some good.
Christmas is hard for some people.

Why do you assume she thinks badly of the OP?

Jesus Christ, the thin skins around here.

Maybe she's got OP mixed up with another neighbour. Maybe she doesn't keep score and thinks OP does send cards. Maybe her world is so narrow that this is the only interaction she gets. Maybe she's harmlessly odd.

Those of you jumping to nasty conclusions and catty fantasies of revenge really need to take a good hard look at yourselves.

It’s so easy to assume she’s a curtain twitching weirdo (as I did initially) but you never know she may have dementia or something (having a mum who’s just been diagnosed). Sounds like contact just to sound her out might be the best option & then you can explain in person why you don’t send cards yourself & return them?

This. What a loon.

What if you don’t celebrate Christmas?

Or do, but never send cards because they’re pointless and wasteful?

She may be very lonely. Maybe offer her a knock on the door and quick chat instead. I’d go with environmental reasons for not sending cards and return them to her.

Post them back through her door with a note explaining that you no longer send Christmas cards you instead donate the price of cards to charities or buy a homeless person Christmas Dinner. It's a very weird thing for her to do.

Still very weird
Still very presumptuous
Still very 'do as I do'
Still very odd
Still very rude

I ended up seeing her when I brought the bins out (I actually saw her leave her house and took the opportunity to “bump into her”) so I made conversation and asked if she had a good Xmas and then just casually said “oh by the way, thank you for the cards you posted. I hope you don’t think we have been rude to not send you Christmas cards in the past, we just choose not to send them to anyone, it’s nothing personal” and then she told me that she did actually find it rude etc and went on a bit of a rant about how people aren’t as neighbourly or polite as they used to be. I didn’t want an argument so just said I think a lot of people are moving away from cards due to the environment etc, we had a bit of back and forth but I couldn’t be bothered so just said I needed to get back inside. Don’t think it went well tbh I should’ve just left it and not said anything

No doubt the irony of her actions in not being neighbourly or polite was lost on her!

I wouldn’t have apologised, just told her that we don’t send cards, and asked if she would like them back…

By “apologised” I mean the bit about hoping she didn’t think you were rude…

Wow, what an impolite, unneighbourly, crabbit old bastard 😂

hahaha... "went on a bit of a rant about how people aren’t as neighbourly or polite as they used to be."

Well she's not going to be making any friends if she goes off on a rant is she?!