AIBU to opt out of Christmas cards?

[abraid]

I was thinking of only sending cards to elderly friends and relatives and people we can't easily email to wish a Happy Christmas.

This would partly be for credit crunch reasons and partly because I just can't face writing them.

Is this tight?

Now to break it to my husband...

I always send cards but would like to cut down on the volume, I had a count-up last year + we send cards to around 70 people!!

Admittedly a lot of these are people we don't see that much + some live abroad, but my dh tends to leave all the card writing to me, even though a lot of them are people I've only got to know through him!

Some people also like a letter, photos of the dc's etc, so I tend to start around beginning of November with all this! All these people send cards to us though, every year without fail so it's a hard habit to break!!

I havent sent cards for about 3 years. We still receive masses. I wish there was a way of telling everyone I don't want any! I can't stand the things.

You are not tight. Its a chronic waste of money, and resources. And most of the cards you send are to folk you see every week anyway! whats the point?

I can't believe how many of you don't send them! I feel I shouldn't bother now!!

I rarely get them back from all the people I send them too and now my ds gets them from his whole class I don't have room for them all and then they just get in the way. I like some glittery ones to fill the shelves then the rest are a nusiance to be honest but at the same time as I send them I do know who has and hasn't sent them too!!

Love Christmas!!! could quite easily excite my dcs into frenzied Xmas hype but would then regret it

I only send a few to people with whom my only contact is this annual card.

I claim it is because it is environmentally unsound.

But the truth is, I can't be arsed

A friend last year decided to email a Christmas message rather than sending cards - but she put in the email that she would be donating the money otherwise spent on cards to charity. Way too smug IMO

What about your DCs sending cards? DS1 has just moved up to senior school, and it was bad enough the amount he wanted to send to junior school classmates, now he has about 100 new friends he will want to send to.
Personally, I cant be arsed either. DH calls me humbug, so I end up doing it anyway, this year I'll just tell him I've done them and not bother.
Last year my mum put a sticker on envelopoes that said "this is the last xmas card you will receive from me, as next year I'm donating the money to charity"

I send cards to those I don't see. I try to put a little chat or summary of our year in each. and a photo of the kids.

the kids have to send each class member a card. it's expected of them. I make them write the cards themselves.

At work we give to a charity instead of sending cards to everyone.

Don't fret.

Well, it certainly seems like there is a critical mass of us!

I never sent cards. My parents never did either, and we always used to get cards from very distant friends - those strange family photoshoot cards signed by unknowns. The real friends knew better. HOWEVER, now my 75 year old father is a bit mortified and sneaks out a few, and I am now really enjoying choosing them for neighbours and old friends. I realised how much the children loved getting cards from their friends, and all the different designs wow... The real problem is that I always want to write a proper message update lifestory to the people I haven't seen recently. It's no good doing it in October, you have to have that rush of Advent emotion. That takes a looong time and half don't get written. P.S. I never sent birthday cards either nor did my parents. Sometimes a scrawled pc of some very erudite unrelated subject like Tower of London or Velasquez.

We'll be cutting back substantially this year because DH will (in theory) be doing his side of the family for once!

We've been doing this for the past couple of years. I only send about 20, mainly to older realtives or people I know who would mind. I do still send them to the neigybours though, as everyone on our road does this and I don't want to be seen as snotty.

I've mainly stopped sending them to epoel i am close enough to say to 'we're not bothering with christmas cards', and where our relatiship is not based on Christmas cards. No one seems to mind at all.

Inever bothered at work and no one seemed to notice.

We do now yet less in return which I view as a good thing as I only ever put a small selction up on the mantlpiece anyway, but I know my in-laws love to get masses of cards, from everone they've ever met on holiday, and this is important to them.

I used to make my own to send to people I dont get to see often & wont get the chance to wish merry christmas to in person and then some for close family. DP is a whizz on photoshop so creates something to email to everyone & will get DD to knock something up for the nanas which will keep both her & them happy.

I know my views are going to be unpopular here, but I think it's a bit sad that fewer people are sending cards. It does take a bit of effort, but I think it's great to send them to friends who you don't see much of particularly if you can write them a little note inside as well. I HATE geting e-cards because to me they're just saying 'Can't be bothered to write you a real one but am doing this to cover my guilt!' If you're bothered about the environment use recycled paper - and homemade cards are the best!! I think it's a mini form of letter writing which is sadly becoming a lost art...

I always send cards - usually about 100

A lot are to elderly relatives, relatives who live abroad and a lot of older people who live alone. I always enclose a letter/note and photo of the children.

The children probably make about 20 or 30 to send to relatives

YANBU if you are in regular contact with the people in some other way. At least you are being honest about your motives - a lot of people say they don't do cards for environmental reasons, but I think it's mainly for cost reasons or sheer laziness. I wonder how many people who say they are donating to charity actually do so?

Personally I think it's a bit mean not to send Christmas cards, as they can be bought very cheaply. But that's just a personal view, only you know how tight your budget is. I actually like the long-drawn out ritual of making my cards -usually out of bits cut out of last year's cards - writing a letter to go with each one (NEVER a round robin!), sticking the address labels on and finally posting them in the first week of December.

I also enjoy getting other people's cards and sticking them up in the lounge, it makes it look very Christmassy. I get good use out of them for gift tags, shopping lists, telephone messages etc. If I don't get a Christmas card from someone who did send me one last year, I do wonder if they are OK and give them one more year before striking them off the list.

But like the OP I do think it is pointless giving cards out to everybody you meet at school, work etc. and to close family members.

YANBU if you are in regular contact with the people in some other way. At least you are being honest about your motives - a lot of people say they don't do cards for environmental reasons, but I think it's mainly for cost reasons or sheer laziness. I wonder how many people who say they are donating to charity actually do so?

Personally I think it's a bit mean not to send Christmas cards, as they can be bought very cheaply. But that's just a personal view, only you know how tight your budget is. I actually like the long-drawn out ritual of making my cards -usually out of bits cut out of last year's cards - writing a letter to go with each one (NEVER a round robin!), sticking the address labels on and finally posting them in the first week of December.

I also enjoy getting other people's cards and sticking them up in the lounge, it makes it look very Christmassy. I get good use out of them for gift tags, shopping lists, telephone messages etc. If I don't get a Christmas card from someone who did send me one last year, I do wonder if they are OK and give them one more year before striking them off the list.

But like the OP I do think it is pointless giving cards out to everybody you meet at school, work etc. and to close family members.

YANBU if you are in regular contact with the people in some other way. At least you are being honest about your motives - a lot of people say they don't do cards for environmental reasons, but I think it's mainly for cost reasons or sheer laziness. I wonder how many people who say they are donating to charity actually do so?

Personally I think it's a bit mean not to send Christmas cards, as they can be bought very cheaply. But that's just a personal view, only you know how tight your budget is. I actually like the long-drawn out ritual of making my cards -usually out of bits cut out of last year's cards - writing a letter to go with each one (NEVER a round robin!), sticking the address labels on and finally posting them in the first week of December.

I also enjoy getting other people's cards and sticking them up in the lounge, it makes it look very Christmassy. I get good use out of them for gift tags, shopping lists, telephone messages etc. If I don't get a Christmas card from someone who did send me one last year, I do wonder if they are OK and give them one more year before striking them off the list.

But like the OP I do think it is pointless giving cards out to everybody you meet at school, work etc. and to close family members.

I send about 12 - basically to people who send us one. And a couple of friends who've moved away and with whom this is now my only form of contact (deciding to drop one this year as she was so odd in the last one but that's another story ...)

We receive about 12 too. I think cards are largely dying out for those under 50.

I'm with mersmam. It's a good opportunity to keep in touch and catch up with people you don't regularly see. I also send to friends I do see regularly. IMO writing a card is important - it means you are thinking of that person for the few seconds it takes - and they are more attractive than texts or emails! I do try and write notes in xmas cards - although I draw the line at those bizarre 'round robin let me tell you abt my wonderful year' letters - which we still occasionally get, although they seem to be dying out! Occasionally we get cards from people we haven't seen for ages with no note at all - can't see the point of that!

Am quite at how many of you don't send Christmas cards. I though it was something everyone did. Also in the 'I think it's sad that people aren't sending them anymore' camp. It's just a minding after all.

I always send Christmas cards to family and friends. Maybe about 50 or so to do this year. I enjoy it though, it gets me in the holiday mood!

Because I can't afford to send everyone presents, I just send cards instead. This then means that I'm only left to buy for my dd, mum, dad, 2 sisters and my Gran.

Mine haven't cost a lot to buy this year. Money's too tight to spend lots of money on cards. I got 20 for £1.99 and they're actually really nice cards, so have a few packs of them. I also haven't spent a lot on personal cards, i.e. dd, mum, dad and 2 sisters. Paid 60p for each I think.

I've sent ecards to all but my Dad for the last few years, Hate writing Christmas cards.

I have had enough of sending 50 plus cards, now the children send around 30 each as well. Not this year let me tell you....mean scrooge head on....

I do like sending and receiving to/rom family and friends who live away and we don't see often. But for local friends and work colleagues who I will see within a few days of Christmas I don't bother. I usually take a tin of biscuits into work and tell everyone to help themselves to this tastier version of Xmas cards so I don't look like a miserable anti social scrooge though.