Taking recycling to silly extremes - is my friend Ebenezer Scrooge in disguise?

[MeMeMeMeOw]

I had a Christmas card sent to me in an obviously recycled brown envelope with a sticker over the previous address. Then the card itself was a bigger surprise. The card had been sent to him previously, he'd crossed the names out and replaced with mine and him as the sender. Not even used tippex! He's not short of money. He's also done the same with other friends.

It's made me think about recycling mine but I'd buy card blanks and mount the pictures from the original cards, not do this which might be well intentioned but makes him look a bit batty and scroogey.

I agree, remounting or sticking something over the names i would see as fine, crossing out the names is weird 😂

Maybe see how long you can keep it going back and forth!

Especially if he has a bereavement and you can cross out the Christmas and write ‘Sorry for your loss’!

Recycling the envelopes - fine, and thrifty. Crossing out the names in the card - bit weird. Most people would probably just cut up the old cards to use as next year's gift tags if they were interested in recycling them.

Why not just return all your cards to the people who sent them to you when you see them throughout the year and then they can give them to you again next Christmas? Mostly no amendments required. Or not bother sending cards, either would be fine.

Beyond strange - why even bother...

I'd assume MH issues tbh....

Weirdo.

We do this with present labels.

That seems an odd why of recycling. If you don't want waste from Christmas cards just don't send any Christmas Cards. It's a tradition that is on its last legs anyway.

I quite like the idea of giving them back to people to re send the following year 🤣 although if you had to post them back that wouldn’t be great I suppose !
Maybe I could write to/from interchangeably… and send the same card back and forth ! 🤔

Keep it to send back next year. Just cross out To and From and swap them

Ha ha, yes!

Everyone could start folding a piece of paper with the message inside the card and leave the card blank for reuse

I love this 😂 definitely keep to send back to him next year! Could be a new tradition!

My grandma did this to me once but took it one better, she crossed out the names but also included the other half of the communion wafer that had been in the original card after she'd broken off and eaten the first half!!

(She only did it the once and it was intended and taken as a joke, for years afterwards we would bring it up in mock outrage and she would laugh so much she would not be able to breathe. I miss her!!)

I’d send it back to him for his birthday ! That will nip that one in the bud !

I wouldn’t think Scrooge or mad about recycling these people would send you txt/ FB messages, or handmade cards, or nothing.
It’s not normal, not. I would conclude mental health issues. And I wouldn’t joke about it tbh.

Agreed that the only answer is to send it back again next year…!

I have a friend who is notoriously tight who sent us a wedding card where they’d clearly cut the side with the writing off - then just written on the back of the picture. So - your friend isn’t the only one.

I mean buying card blanks essentially defeats the object of recycling your old card because you've just bought the same amount of card again surely? But yes that does seem odd!

Me and a friend used to do this as a joke between us. We'd also reuse wrapping paper, tags and decorations. It escalated to stealing inexpensive items from each other then regifting back then we just stopped as it had got silly & daft.

You and he are both being unreasonable to still be sending Christmas cards. Everyone I know under 80 has stopped.

This is a performance of recycling and virtue signalling. We live a sustainable lifestyle and do not sent Xmas cards. Ones we receive we thank the sender and cut to make gift tags, like my grandma did in the 70s.

Seems a lot of effort that, especially when you can get like 10 for a couple of quid from home bargains 🤣 deffo Scrooge behaviour in my opinion

It's weird, but I love it!

Definitely send it back next year.

(Unless you think this is an indication that he's having a mental breakdown, in which case do see if he needs any support).

Funnily enough I just bought him a card on Moonpig for his birthday which is next week!

Now that is eccentric! I can see using old cards to cut up and stick on blank stock - some can be quite beautiful. But simply crossing the names out is odd, especially as it’s the postage that costs, the cards themselves can be cheap.