Donating to charity instead of sending Christmas cards

[Askingforafriendtoday]

Probably get slammed but why do people need to excuse ( as I see it) not sending Christmas cards by saying they are donating to charity? If you cannot be bothered/are too busy/cannot afford to send Christmas cards don't send them and explain why if you wish. If you want to/can afford to donate to charity do, if you don't/can't, don't. I find the justification really annoying. I love receiving Christmas cards, they help decorate the house beautifully, glittery, golden bits catching the light, and I'm interested in people's news if I'm not in regular contact with them. Charity Christmas cards are a good idea too, all chariyies only get a percentage of donations as it is.

Why does it need to be one or the other? I love Christmas cards but the cost of stamps is ridiculous so I only send them to close family these days and totally understand why I don't get many back. I also give out hand delivered ones to local friends and work colleagues.

I agree that the "instead of Christmas cards I'm donating to charity" posts or texts are just the worst sort of virtue signaling. The only time I want to hear about what charities you are donating to is if you are completing some sort of arduous challenge like a marathon to raise money for them. Or maybe hosting a charity bake sale or something.

Haven't seen any anti charity posts

We didn’t have cards this year, from people who usually send them, so I won’t be sending next year. I donate to a local charity regularly, to other larger charities less regularly and to a few at this time every year.

I’m not offended by not receiving cards. If that’s the way it’s going, that’s fine. They will be recycled though.

I gave up on cards years ago. I send the money I would have spent on cards and stamps to the gibbons. I'd much rather someone donated the cost of my own card to a charity, they all just end up in the recycling bin anyway, so I'm always happy to see other people's announcements.

It doesn't bother me if people put up
a post to say they've donated to charity instead of sending cards.

I stopped sending cards a number of years ago and other than from parents we (thankfully) didn't get any this year. I don't donate to charity instead of them though.

You can't recycle glitter, if you put your glittery cards in the recycling then you're doing far more harm than good.

YANBU I agree & think it’s pathetic when I hear it too. I doubt these people actively go out of their way to make a fiver donation to charity anyway.
I think the saying stems from a lot of Christmas cards are ‘charity cards’ which benefitted from the sale.

Quite. Why all the show over Christmas cards? Funny how writing cards and the addresses is a bit of a chore, so that’s what people happily trumpet they are swapping for a charity donation (which never happens). No way are they sacrificing manicures and hairdos (or even a bottle of Baileys).

Speak for yourself.

I do donate to charities relating to the deaths of my children, extra at Christmas because cards are too hard to write I cannot do it since the death of my son and later on the death of my daughter.

My children don't get me gifts and donate that money to the charities as well at my request.

I donate money on their birthdays to the local hospital towards cuddle cots, and on the anniversaries of their deaths I donate to a charity to do with organ transplants.

I used to donate a fair bit of time as well before my dd became disabled.

My grown up children do a lot too.

The only one I've ever said anything about is the Christmas cards because the nastiness you see on here regarding someone not signing their name on a bit of glittery card translates to real life as well, and I cannot be fucked with it at an already difficult time.

But don't let the reality stop a perfectly good rant because you're sad someone didn't write your name out once a year 🤨

Recycle by reusing for labels for years and years, children love making them. Most cards are not made with glitter as such just lovely golden bits

Yes and even more ironic therefore that they don't even buy those

Yes, to me it’s like telling someone, “I decided not to get you a gift this year.”

Honestly; I would love to know how many of these people actually donate to a charity. My guess would be the percentage that do, from the percentage that say they will is actually very low.

Can’t be arsed with the performance- if you aren’t going to send them, just don’t say anything at all 🤷‍♀️

Agreed. It feels like a lazy cop out. Ironically l have noticed often these people are quite keen to receive them

If that's what they want to do great, don't send me a virtue signalling email to tell me.

I do it as a way of raising awareness of a charity very close to my heart. I do actually donate the money and as far as I'm aware, no one begrudges it going to charity instead just because they might like cards.

If people want to donate to charity at any time of year it’s fine. I never know why they need to broadcast it though

To be fair, I have in the past had emails, a round robin email, saying that the senders were not sending Christmas cards, wishing everyone a happy Christmas and stating which charity they were giving to and how much. I think it happened with two different people and because I know them, I’m absolutely certain that they did give money to charity. In fact, thinking about it I think that one friend did actually send a screenshot of the receipt.

I don’t mind, but I also think it’s good that the years of having to write reams and reams of Christmas cards has gone. I got about 20 and they are from people I’ve known for years and I’m very fond of. For some of these people, we have shared experiences and in some cases shared sadnesses and losses. Often it’s simply a question of acknowledging and holding someone in mind.

Charity Christmas card sales really do help charities, though, especially if you buy from the cards for good causes selling places. And many of them are extra extraordinarily pretty.

People aren't anti-charity. They are anti-virtue signaling.

Don't send cards if you wish, but also don't pretend that you are giving a charity donation because it's "better". All the ex-recipent will see is you aren't worth the hassle/cost of a card. Texts are also pretty impersonal as you could easily have sent the same message out in bulk to 200 people without a second thought.

YANBU, and lets be honest, they don't give any money to charity, they just lie and say they do. It's just lazy tight arsers lying.

Or maybe they ‘announce’ they are donating to charity instead, so those that are expecting a pretty sparkly card to brighten up the house, know not to expect one, that it’s nothing personal and that they aren’t just being lazy or tight fisted by not sending them and paying for extortionately priced stamps, when charities can make mush better use of the cash, maybe

And you know this do you?

I don’t lie about it. I donate. Because it’s for my mum. I wouldn’t be that disrespectful.

I stopped sending physical Christmas cards several years ago. Instead I paint a lovely Christmas card that I send digitally.

I also give a fair bit of money to charity, throughout the year, because it is important to me and I can afford it.

The two are not related, and I do not ‘announce’ my charitable giving. Though I would not blame anyone who does, if they feel that people might get offended if they didn’t explain.

FWIW, all but one of my friends and family have switched to digital cards.

I dont do cards because.....I cant be arsed buying , writing or sending them and I'm completely indifferent about getting them.
No idea why that would need justified by charitable giving .