Not sending Christmas cards - how does it work?

[Olderandboulder]

It seems to be the thing now that people are stopping sending Christmas cards. Cost, waste, sheer arse numbing boredom of having to write them all being good valid reasons. I’d like to join the defectors. I’ve got a few old friends and family members that I’d like to keep sending cards to just to keep in touch, but really feel I could get rid of most of the list.
My question is how do people do this? Do you send cards and say “this is the last one you’ll be getting from us, bye”? Or a mass email? Or just stop doing it?
All suggestions very welcome.

Just stop doing it. I’ve also seen Facebook updates to say that instead of sending cards we are contributing to X charity. We still send some cards but not many.

I just stopped doing it!

Just stopped doing it about ten years ago. They are pointless. My mil didnt even open them! I still send a couple to my elderley relatives abroad.

This is the last year I’m sending cards as a couple have said they don’t bother to put them up so why should I waste my money.

Just stop doing it. It's very liberating and you realise that you've wasted hours of your life for something that just gets plonked on a shelf and not looked at. I only do cards for immediate family now

Why don't you send a text to those people instead?

We stopped several years ago. Didn’t feel it necessary to announce it, nor post a sanctimonious message anywhere saying we were donating to charity instead. Nobody cares.

I warned everyone it was the last year for cards and asked for their email address for future greetings. Now tbh I cba even to do a brief round robin email!

Just stop doing it don't do the x donation to x charity post. For me that rubs me up the wrong way. I don't need to.know you donate to charity.

We just do cards to about 10 people now. When we were first together (30 years ago) our list was.70 cards. That took some time.

Some people I keep it up for as it's a nice thing to do. Like my.late friends family I send to so they know I am thinking about them. We are far distance wise and I am not close in their life. However when our children were small we were close and our children used auntie enko/auntie friends name. So the connection for me is meaningful.

Just stop doing it, it's fine!

Although I do find it a bit strange, the number of people who have stopped sending Christmas cards for 'environmental reasons' or because it's 'wasteful', who are still driving their SUV's and getting all their plastic wrapped veg from the supermarket 😅

Christmas cards are made of paper, they are biodegradable - not sending them isn't exactly the biggest way you can help the environment!

It's like come on, you're probably really just not sending them because you CBA - that's fine but just own it 😅 Don't be all sanctimonious about the environment!

I think most people have stopped. We only receive cards from older, more traditional people now, and they are the only ones we send them to, because we know they like them.

I get it totally, and am trimming my list this year because of the cost of postage. But I'm mindful of older relations and friends that might not get many cards, and that are not on social media. Obvs if anyone makes "the announcement", then they get deleted from my list.
I'd only say that if you don't want to send cards anymore, just say so without dressing it up with the good cause stuff.. If you're really giving to a good cause instead, name it and include a link.

Just stop.

We have had the sum total of one Christmas card this year and it’s from the company that deliver our heating oil 😂

I just stopped.
It really winds my mum up. She thinks that Xmas cards should be posted the moment December arrives.

I still do it because I like doing it and I like receiving cards. If other people don't do it, that's fine. Charity cards perform the function of being a donation but they also raise awareness. They often provide a meaningful activity for disabled people at Christmas as drawings done by them are often on the actual cards

Same. The number we received just dwindled over the years for the same reason. I used to send quite a few to friends and family who live abroad (where I'm from) and I therefore wouldn't see at Christmas but the postage alone was £50! I just can't afford it although I miss it and I miss receiving them.

I'll send about 5/6 cards to older relatives or family friends and that's it.

Thanks for all your replies. Definitely not doing the “giving to charity instead” nonsense. As a PP has said, it’s going to be very liberating not having this hanging over my head!

It depends how you want to do it. I just have cards to send to people who send to me first. If you do it that way the number will fall over time. I rarely get over 10. Likewise just stopping is fine too.

My mum’s generation were a lot more into cards. Now it’s acceptable not to send. I remember she had a large book with names and addresses and would have multiple packs of cards. We used to go out with her to post to nearly every house in our street. Even in the shops you don’t really see the giant packs you used to with 50 cards.

I still send them. I think it's nice.

I’ve been ahead of the trend on this one, I don’t think I’ve sent a Christmas card this century 🤷‍♀️ I think they’re a waste, they go in the recycling bag. People that know me know I don’t do cards, although I did send someone a condolences card last year. I rarely get Christmas or birthday cards, as I don’t celebrate either, so don’t really care.

Just don't do it this time and from now on. If you want to swap cards with something else, you can make video greeting cards instead, but if you want to stop with it entirely, just do so.

I don't do cards in the main anymore , just to a couple of people who appreciate them . I've just received a message from a good friend saying ' she hopes I don't mind but she is not doing cards this year but sending a donation to a favourite charity instead ' . Fabulous . I'm doing the same .

I stopped doing it a few years ago, once kids grew out of need to send to the whole class. I only send them to the immediate family who insist on sending them to us (DH’s aunt and parents who still send my kids personalised ‘DGC’ specific cards) - ie, about three a year. When asked, I just said I prefer to donate a tenner to charity at christmas rather than get conned by charity christmas cards and supposedly recycled paper/cards.

I still send them, but not nearly as many as I used to. It's one of the rare times I get actual mail, so I'm happy to continue (most of them are sent overseas, so cost a fortune in postage!).