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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Christmas cards in reception?

23 replies

lightningatmidnight · 15/12/2025 16:41

Our first Christmas at school and want to gauge normal etiquette. It’s a two form entry school so 60 kids in a year group; my son has received about 5 cards so far, generally with either his name and the sender’s name on, or just the sender. I’ve asked him his top friends of 15 or so and thought could send to just them but am now reading that it’s all or nothing as some children might be left out. He really wants to send cards but I don’t think we’ll manage 59 of them! We just did one and it was haaaaard work - he doesn’t have the energy to try with his letter formation after a full day at school! Would doing 15/60 be ok or is this a huge faux pas?

OP posts:

HollyhockDays · 15/12/2025 16:42

We did them all but I wrote them when he was little and we just did his own class so 30. When he got a bit older he did a few himself but he only sent a few then.

Honeypizza · 15/12/2025 16:44

I think I remember any Christmas cards my DS received in reception being written by the parents, probably for all the reasons you've given! Surely it just needs to be his class rather than the entire year group?

IndigoIsMyFavouriteColour · 15/12/2025 16:45

I would just focus on his class and get him to put a signature on with you filling out the rest

Netcurtainnelly · 15/12/2025 16:49

I think they are dying out now and a it pointless, so if it was me wouldnt bother.

cadburyegg · 15/12/2025 16:53

My kids are y6 and y3 and we’ve never done the whole class. Some years we haven’t managed any. Other years like this year we’ve just done their friends. They’ve always had friends in both classes and it’s just not feasible to do 60 each

vanillalattes · 15/12/2025 16:56

I wouldn't waste your time or money.

katmarie · 15/12/2025 17:08

I have a y1 kid. Last year I wrote the cards for DD (she was in reception year), there are about 28 in her class. This year she did them herself, it took her a few evenings because she had to draw little doodles in all of them etc. But she was insistent she was going to do it. If she hadn't been interested I wouldn't have bothered, and I certainly don't notice which kids send her cards and which don't. So I would really take your cue from your kid, and what he wants to do.

I will say though I would at least do all the kids in his class, if they're handing out cards in school, it's not nice to say to a kid in his class 'I didn't do you a card'.

namechange272727 · 15/12/2025 17:10

You don’t need to do them, but if you do them you need to do everyone in the class (fine for you to write them)

BG2015 · 15/12/2025 17:15

I just wouldn’t bother.
They get left in drawers or the kids forget them.
Do you really want to write 59 cards.

SunnySideDeepDown · 15/12/2025 17:18

It’s such a waste of trees. Our children are the ones who are going to suffer mostly with the environmental impact of global warming, for his sake, just don’t do it. My kids have received lots of cards and they truly aren’t bothered by them, it’s such a waste all round.

Helpmefindmysoul · 15/12/2025 17:24

We did them for the whole class. Our children are reception and year 2. Noted about the waste of resources and impact on the environment but they waste a lot paper drawing aimlessly and it’s just a small pick me up once a year. Each to their own. If you don’t want to do them it’s not compulsory if you do then nice.

Original poster

lightningatmidnight · 15/12/2025 18:56

The problem is he’s really keen to do them and they’re not in proper classes yet, just groups that change around for the year! He’s got about 15-20 kids he’s properly friends with but the idea that some children won’t get many and others will get more makes me feel so sad! The ones he’s received have been signed by the kids but even that will be a struggle! Think I’d better just do the 15 or so from him and be done with it!

OP posts:

Han86 · 15/12/2025 19:11

I work in a school and it really varies depending on year group. Some classes are really into it, and parents write the cards for their children if they are little so that they send them to everyone in their class. Others are more selective and only pick their main friends which may be in either class and the children write them themselves. We do a post box in our class so it wouldn't be obvious that you didn't do everyone....though it is kind of awkward that all children know there is a post box and some don't get any cards when we empty it and hand them out.

ShodAndShadySenators · 15/12/2025 19:27

I encouraged my DS to do cards as he really needed the writing practice. Of the ones given to him, I would say that most had parental input or had the parent do the writing, but plenty of brave souls had done them themselves.

You could do what we usually did and pencil a line in for him to write the recipient's name on, and you could write his name in for him so he's only got half the work (he'll get more practice of writing his own name than the other kids'). Like PP, we did a few a day so it didn't get overwhelming.

It'll taper off in later years but in YR, Y1 and Y2 at least, a bit of practising writing never goes amiss.

ImVotingForYourself · 15/12/2025 19:43

Nobody is keeping count of who sent one to whom. Just let him do the ones he wants to.

Wishitsnows · 15/12/2025 19:50

Get him to write the 15 he wants and you could write the rest with your left hand.

yellowgecko · 15/12/2025 19:53

If he’s keen to do it, I would encourage it. DS really wasn’t / isn’t interested. He does maybe 10 friends and some teachers under protest. DD loves writing and would give the Amazon delivery driver a card if I let her…

EmeraldShamrock000 · 15/12/2025 19:55

It will be fine.
I wrote the cards at that age, no names. Merry Christmas, from xxxx multiple by 30.

Anononony · 15/12/2025 20:03

We've just done his friends/people he could remember, I listed the ones I know of and got him to tell me any more he could remember, which added 6

Mine is y1 and has only wrote his name, I've written the rest, he did write it all for the 4 teacher cards he's done

Clefable · 15/12/2025 20:07

Definitely not dying out at our school! DD1 is 6 and in the middle of writing her cards this year. We’ve received about 10 from classmates so far, so almost half the class. DD1 has always enjoyed writing cards, even in nursery, although it’s an epic task as she likes to draw personalised pictures in each card! So she only manages a few an evening but we are in the home straight I think. And it is good for her writing I think.

If your DC wants to send, I would just stick to class. We only do class, not whole year. Otherwise I wouldn’t worry about it, I don’t think anyone keeps a tally of who has sent and who hasn’t.

Keroppi · 15/12/2025 20:15

Wow, I feel bad, mine just always did their friends across different year groups (shared playground and had a buddy system with year 6ers) and friends in class. Never bothered with a full class
And ones back to whoever gave (presume ones who do the full class)
I never wrote any part of them unless DC wanted me to spell the classmates name. I usually wrote out the message on a separate piece of paper and they copied it and added a sticker or something.

Oioiqueen · 15/12/2025 20:36

DS is in a class of about 25. Half of those came up with him from pre school. I don't even know who the others are, we have no WhatsApp group so no way of getting a list of names. I literally asked him who he wanted to send them to, I wrote the child's name for DS to copy, added a load of stickers and then he wrote his own name. We managed about 10 before he'd had enough. I've no idea how many he has received as he's just piled them up in his bedroom.

DD6 I just gave her the cards thinking she'd just do her best friends. Nah she wrote out the names of everyone in her class. She loves writing though so it kept her quiet for hours haha!

BabyLikesMsRachel · 15/12/2025 22:39

Keroppi · 15/12/2025 20:15

Same, mine is Y2. In reception it didn't even occur to me until they started receiving some so they just sent back to those they'd got one from. In Y1 they returned any and did a few for friends that they wanted to do. This year they only wanted to write 2, no idea why as wouldn't even say it was their closest friends oddly! However have started to receive some so I need to buy some more cards so she can return some to those children, we've ran out at home now. I don't see the issue anyway really. Kids in a class can't all have the same of everything all the time. For example birthday party invites, we've never done a whole class party, I don't see how that's any different.

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