I am not sending Christmas cards for the first time this year

[Sparklingbrook]

How do you tell people that you aren't when you don't see them? I have email addresses for some but not all.

[lisaro]

I've never done it! Partly idle, partly because as a family we just don't and partly because its an offensive waste of money. I buy one big ish one to everybody at work saying please don't send me one, (sound like a miserable bag, think people realise I'm not) I don't send Christmas cards, so don't take offense and I either put £30 in an inoffensive charity (air ambulance, Macmillan) or the recommended charity we have going in work. I've never had any body say they were offended and indeed had lots of positive comments. And it's caught on.

[MarjorieAntrobus]

Oh, Sparkling, yes, most cards just have a list of names in.

Occasional ones give you a complete catch-up of where an old friend is at. Those are worth hanging onto for a bit.

[Sparklingbrook]

Some card have photos of people's children in. Or the card is a picture of the children.

[SwedishEdith]

Think of the lost jobs if everyone stopped sending cards ever. I love xmas cards though but would appreciate a list of names of the miserable bastards who bin them immediately so that I could cross them off my list

[Sparklingbrook]

I think the postman would be relieved TBH.

[MarjorieAntrobus]

Me too, Sparkling. i think they will die out in the next few years.

[Sparklingbrook]

Just because I choose to not send a bit of cardboard with a robin and glitter on or 'Keep Calm it's Christmas' on doesn't mean I don't wish them a Merry Christmas though. I am sure they will realise that.

[Alliwantisaroomsomewhere]

DS' school has had the kids do this bloody "design-your-own-card-and-get-your-mum-to-fork-out-millions" crap so I have been suckered into buying 30 cards. And this is despite swearing blind that I would not be sending any this year.

PS DS's card is gorgeous, though Of course.

[Sparklingbrook]

I remember those well All. One year i had to buy two lots because of the two DSs. They were the most expensive cards I have ever bought.

[SageMist]

A thought for those that are considering emailing people to say that you are going to give to charity instead.
A guy a work did this once, to everyone in a big open plan office, several teams, some he worked with some he didn't. The general consensus was that he was really saying 'look at me, I'm so much nicer than you'.
Moral of story, be careful how you word the email!

[YouMayLogOut]

If people want to do their bit for the environment, there are so many things to target ahead of Christmas cards, which spread goodwill to others, aren't there?

Why is it that so many people suddenly want to appear interested in saving trees and fuel at Christmas, yet all the rest of the year, they buy themselves cardboard-packed sandwiches and food products, out-of-season food from overseas, magazines/newspapers they could have read online, they don't ask people not to send them birthday cards, they buy non-essentials like wine (why not think of the enormous waste of glass, and the fuel miles, for a drink with no nutritional value?), they take the car to work instead of lift-sharing or using public transport, etc. etc.

It's ostentatious and worthy to announce you're making a charity donation. Why don't people give to charity quietly and privately, instead of using the no-cards thing as an opportunity to proclaim their own charitability? (And how charitable is it really, when it's money you would have otherwise spent anyway?)

Best to donate instead (without forfeiting someone else's Christmas card or announcing your donation) at another time of year when the charities aren't receiving everyone else's Christmas donations as well. Same goes for soup kitchens who don't need all these charitable-for-one-day types on Christmas Day/New Years Eve as everyone else wants to help on those days too - and then go back to normal life for another year.

Sparkling I do agree with you on cards featuring people's children. I'd like to celebrate Christmas, not other people's fecundity. Can't stand the Round Robin smug-fest either. But these are in no way essential aspects of card-sending.

[PickledFanjoCat]

Sparkling when I did this the charity let you do e cards everyone else what about a text saying

Merry Christmas blah no card blah charity. Have a nice day. Blah.

[PickledFanjoCat]

Because you may

1. I couldnt be bothered
   
2. other people send me cards
   
3. I don't want them to know i can't be bothered
   
4. it's the season for giving
   
5. a time for forgiving

[Sparklingbrook]

I was going to mention the charity thing because I didn't want people to think I am a tight arse. I won't bother now if people will think I am ostentatious.

I do try to be aware all year round as well You which is why I am incorporating Christmas too this year.


I may just write 'blah' Pickled.

[pictish]

For me it's just the first point - which is that I can't be bothered. My family is huge. I have 43 first cousins. Plus all the other people I know that I am not related to.
It used to take me four full evenings to do all the cards.

And the amount I received? I had nowhere to put them!

One year I just thought - you know what? I cba.

That was a great Christmas.

[Sparklingbrook]

Oh noooo. I am ostentatious and smug and worthy and buy prepacked sandwiches.

[NorksAreMessy]

I am a 'miserable bastard' who bins cards.
And a Victor Meldrew
And I cant be bothered and I dont care who knows it.
I am not smug or worthy though, because I dont send charity emails either

Perhaps I should have a tee-shirt made that says
'Unrepentent-bah-humbug-card-non-sender'

On the other hand, I make a REAL fuss about birthdays

[ethelb]

I've just written my Christmas card list

[PickledFanjoCat]

It's a bit against the seasonal spirit to say people are smug & worthy for giving card money to charity.

I think it's a great idea, me.

Massive grinchos.

[ethelb]

Plus its quite hard to buy cards that aren't charity cards. I have bought mixed "own brand" cards and opened them up to discover the cards are charity cards and have the logo on the back.

[Lottapianos]

'I'd like to celebrate Christmas, not other people's fecundity'

Love this

I haven't done cards for years. When work colleagues give me cards (Why? I see you every day ), I say thank you and wish them a happy Xmas and say that I don't do cards so don't think I've forgotten you. No-one gives a fig seems to have a problem with it.

For friends that I don't see every day, I usually just put a general Merry Xmas message on Facebook.

If we do get Xmas cards,I put them up over the telly but that's it - no trees or fairylights or nuffink

[ethelb]

'I'd like to celebrate Christmas, not other people's fecundity'

Oh the irony

[Lottapianos]

Perhaps I should have a tee-shirt made that says
'Unrepentent-bah-humbug-card-non-sender'

I want one

'On the other hand, I make a REAL fuss about birthdays'

Me too Norks - love birthdays, my own and other people's, and have no problems giving birthday cards at all.

[YouMayLogOut]