Probably been done before but...Christmas cards that annoy me

[Tommy]

I know I should be grateful that people send me christmas cards and I should stop being such a humbug but it really annoys me when I get a card that doesn't have "To Tommy, DH, DS1 and DS2" and just says "from whoever....." So they've just spent the whole evening signing their names in cards and not think about the person they're sending them to at all.
Why bother sending cards of you can't be bothered putting the person's name in it?

Sorry....rant over

On the addressing envelopes thing, we get some very interesting combinations sent to us, which I am always amused by. The best so far this year was:

Ms & Mr T R Smith & F Jones

Obviously I've changed the names, but basically I am Ms T R Smith, DP is F Jones, and ds is T Jones. So who this "Mr Smith" is I don't know - there is no-one else with the same surname as me in my house. All this would be just mildly amusing if it weren't for the fact that it was my own dad who addressed this card - he has the same surname as me, and knows exactly what dp & ds' surname is. Knowing him as I do, he wasn't being nasty or making a point, he was playing games with his mail merge!

We've had cards addressed to ds from my relatives who know one thing: ds doesn't have my surname, but they don't know what his actual surname is. So they address it to Mr T not-Smith!

Oh i like that ebeaninamanger!
My ex boyfriend (from years back) told me that one year the only Christmas card he got was from a hotel where we had stayed just prior to breaking up (very bitterly!) complete with cheery handwritten note along the lines of 'DO come back and see us soon!'
He told me that he emitted a primal noise, ripped it up and hurled it at the wall!!

I've just done mine, aided by bottle of fizz DP bought to lubricate the occasion, so to speak.

Fisil - like that. I had a friend who asked me : "What should I put on the envelope then?" I said "You can out anything you like - as long as the address is right - I'll open it whoever it's addressed to..."
Why do people who never use your surname normally feel they have to put it on an envelope? What's wrong with "Tommy, DH, Ds1 and DS2" at the top of the address?

Glad to see the response to my original rant though - and that I'm not the only one!!

I often just put From JulieF, dh, dd and ds when I can't remember the names of partners and children.

I expect it depends on how many cards you have to write. I am seriously thinking of buying one of those handwritten stamps for next year. Apparently you can't tell the difference between the stamp and handwriting.

I always carefully choose the design of a card out of the pack to suit different people though.

Sorry, but I sometimes don't put the names of the people I am sending a card to. e.g., my neighbours over the road - we speak most days (as in 'hello', 'nice day'), but I don't know their names. Also, I put 'To Dave, Lisa and family' if they have hordes of kids, whose names I can't be expected to remember, because we only ever see the couple socially, not their children. So there.

My Aunt last year sent a card to 'Dior, Mr Dior and Ben', when my ds's name is not Ben! This year it was just, 'To Dior and Mr Dior'...does she think we have got rid of ds??

I got one last year from an old Uni friend which said "to moo and John [dh is not called John - and she knew him at Uni as we were going out then] and kids [obviously couldn't remember their names]"

Haven't sent her one this year - every year she writes "We MUST keep in touch!" the nothing 'til the following December.

In fact I have streamlined my card sending this year, and dispensed with my customary Round Robin (thanks to you miserable bah humbugging, Simon Hoggart spouting lot).

If you like or love Christmas Round robins, read this atricle from Saturday's Guardian Magazine

...meant to say like or loathe.....

My neighbour has six kids and I can't remember their name so I have put 'to XXX and XXX, enjoy the festive season with your family, from XXX' (is that bad?).

My SIL once sent me a thank you note addressed to me, DH and Joseph (my DS is called Jacob)...

Yes, bah humbug - moved to a new area this Spring and my best friend at my old workplace whom I haven't seen since the move just signed her name at the bottom of the card - what's that all about???

BUT on the other hand, just had a lovely card from new neighbours 5 doors away saying hope you all enjoy your first Christmas in your new house - we've never even spoken!

We had a card last year which clearly read "To dh and (dh's previous girlfriend's name), overscored with my name in thicker biro. His batty aunt had remembered at the last minute that dh was no longer with his ex, but was too much of a tightwad to tear up the card and start again. It was hilarious and so obvious.

We just got one from Australia with a lovely message, all our names written correctly, and absolutely no idea who it is from as it is unsigned.

I have an apology to make to my Auntie (see my post dated 14th December). She has recently sent a card solely addressed to ds, which she meant to include in our Xmas card, with a cheque for £15 [blush[. Feel bad? Yup, what a bitch I am. Sorry Auntie!

Meant