Cost of sending Christmas cards becoming prohibitive?

[bakedpotatoforlunch]

We've always sent Christmas cards to family and friends and appreciated receiving them in return including updates of their news etc. We've always thought it's a great way to stay in touch with old friends we'd otherwise probably lose contact with. I know e-Christmas cards have been around for years now but we've still stuck with actual cards partly to support various charities that produce them and partly because it just feels a bit more personal actually to write something with an actual pen (something I don't do very often these days apart from the shopping list!).

For the first time we are thinking, because of the cost of stamps, alongside everything else at Christmas, heating bills, food etc. we really maybe can't afford it. Not sending cards is not something we'd ever considered before. Anyone else in the same boat?

I don’t send cards at all. Use to give my nan a card in person but that was about it. I didn’t have the time to with everything else involved with Christmas plus having to help my son write his cards for his class when he was younger! I now tell people/ put a message on my social media that in lieu of cards I’ve made a donation of £10-£20 to the local animal shelter. No one gets arsey that you haven’t sent one if you’ve decided to help a charity in need instead!

We make a donation to charity in lieu of sending lots of Xmas cards, which I know some others do and spend less than what they would have done on cards…

so better for the environment
cheaper
a charity benefits

x

I like Christmas cards and imagine I’ll continue to send them even if I receive none. Actually, putting up Christmas cards is one of my nostalgic memories from childhood!

We participate in a global card exchange.

When I first started, I sent around 110 cards around the world and received the same back. Cost me about £60.

This year, I send 20 globally. And it cost me £45.

I also sent one woman in the states a parcel with £12 of decorations in. £25.61 cost to post.

Just don't do that pious social media boast of donating to charity instead of cards. Gives the the rage which I know is slightly irrational! Donate to charity by all means but don't post on social media about it!

I haven't sent cards for years now. Any I receive go straight in the recycling which I feel bad about but what am I meant to do with them? We don't have space to display them. It all just seems such a waste. E-cards are also really dated IMO. I hate receiving those twee Jacqui Lawson ones from elderly relatives. Maybe I'm just a misery guts 😆

Last year I didnt send cards at all but this year I've sent a fair few, because I weirdly missed cards last year. It was a pleasure to design the cards, the writing and addressing not so much fun. But it's absolutely the last year I do so. Utterly crazy how much the stamps are, you'd think they'd do a bargain price christmas stamp book deal or something. I agree with previous poster - the Royal Mail really DONT want us to send cards.
I used to hang strings of cards around the house, I hardly get enough to do that now.

with social media now i don't think using christmas cards to catch up is necessary anymore. To me it's a massive waste of paper and money.

I actually love choosing and sending cards, though I agree that increasingly the postage cost and effort is getting prohibitive. I do it because I think it’s important to stay in touch with old friends and relatives who aren’t necessarily on social media, and who appreciate it - those are the ones I post anyway despite the frankly ridiculous cost these days. The rest of mine (probably about half) are hand-deliver, to neighbours, or for eg. teachers and school mums and so on, and I don’t mind delivering those!

Around five years ago I used to send up to 80 cards, but now it’s more like 40-50. I normally have a busy time at work in early December, so I try to write them in November, or as many as I can before it gets a bit chaotic! I hate doing them at the last minute.

I used to send around 100 cards. I love sending, receiving and displaying cards but I'm having to seriously rethink this year.

I bought 5 x 10 packs of cards in charity shops last January at 99p per pack. I've settled on 30 or so core people who will definitely get a card and aim to hand-deliver around half of these. I'll then write and send cards to those who send to me, outside of that core list. It feels really mean and unlike me but it's the best compromise I have reached.

Does anyone know if we can still use old Christmas stamps with no barcode on? I've just found one! I looked online and it's a bit confusing. Thanks.

Rome no you can't; annoyingly I found two complete books of non-barcode Christmas stamps left over from last year (fallen behind a desk) - I checked at our local PO but there are no longer valid.

I'm only sending cards to immediate family this year (DM, 2 DCs, 2 siblings). I've got a lot of friends and family on Facebook and see everyone's news on there and can wish them seasons greetings through the platform. I never enjoyed writing out scores of cards (and it always fell to me), so this year I'll make a donation to the local hospice instead.

But people don’t . Calling or messaging someone from your past can seem a bit stalky or needy.
Christmas cards on the other hand are a perfectly acceptable way to say hi just because it’s breakfast.

“ breakfast” ? FFS Christmas.

I think you can still cash the old ones in for new barcode stamps. Your local post office will advise. I wouldn't use the non barcoded ones myself

I love sending and receiving them. To cut costs we’ll give a load to PIL to hand deliver when they hand deliver theirs a few days before Christmas, and I’ll do the same with the few I send to my DPs friends.

I like sending them to elderly relatives and old family friends, and my own friends who I rarely see but want to know I remember them. It’s a nice tradition and I like feeling like I’ve made the recipient happy. We will send fewer though to friends our own age who don’t reciprocate this year, on account of the exhorbitant cost of postage. We’re receiving fewer every year, a shame I think.

I get regular messages on SM from friends from the past in December to tell me what they have been up to or asking how I am. I also message people back/initiate the chat.

Most don't have my actual address or phone number, we all moved so often, so it's a great way to say Hi at least once a year.