Christmas cards vs donations

[Workingman]

Christmas hasn't come down to swapping things, has it?

If someone told me that they were not sending cards because they were donating to xyz that would not stop me sending them a card. They are not sending cards because they have other priorities, I am sending them a card because they are special to me and it's what I want to do.

[JoM]

Don't get me wromg Frank, I still send cards to people just because I think a lot of them regardless of whether I get one back or not.

For instance, there are my cousins, J and B. J is 37 and B is 34. J always sends cards and gives a gift to each of us, and I always buy for J, her husband and their toddler. B has never sent me a card in his life, or given a gift, I know he's a man and he's probably not into all of this malarkey so much but even before his divorce there wasn't ever a card from him and his wife...but I've always sent a card, and he gets a gift too (as does his little boy) because a) I don't want them feeling left out when his sister and her family get them from us and b) he's my cousin and I think a lot of him

[Workingman]

Jo, you have just said what I was meaning. We send cards/gifts because it is what we do. What comes the other way is neither here nor there, but if we are given a reason for it, it does make it easier to understand.

Shell's friends' reactions are a bit 'off', from my POV. I wasn't surprised that she was surprised.

[miasmum]

I do love sending cards, I like choosing them, I pick ones I think people will like and to be honest I did miss sending them. But I have a huge list, most of which is habit, so I will use this as a way of cutting down, because like Frank I thought it was a bit off. I think it is nice if people give a donation, so to me they deserve an extra nice card, not no card at all, cos I didn't send them one I think that was all it was Di, I don't think they thought of it any deeper.

The other thing is I always buy charity cards, from the charity card shop, and they aren't cheap but they do give a good percentage back

[JoM]

I have a huge list, most of which is habit

That describes my list perfectly. One couple are the parents of the girl who was my best friend at infants school before they moved away, I haven't seen them for 30+, nearly 40, years and in fact I've not seen their daughter since 1988 and we lost touch not long after that! I've not had a card from them yet this year and they're usually quite early so maybe they've pruned their list?

[debih]

I love sending cards and go through my whole address book!!!

But I hate getting them. They just get in the way and look messy. The first few go up and then I get sick of them falling over so I just put them in a pile.

Last year my boss told me how she stuck hers onto a long strip of cellotape and then attached the cellotape to the wall. I now do two strips like this to go either side of the fireplace. If I get your card early enough it goes on the strip - if I don't it goes in the pile.

God I'm an ungrateful cow.

[Kaz]

I've noticed that we seem to have less than usual this year. Maybe we've just pee'd a lot of people off

So far we have fewer this year, I think many people are sending fewer because of the rise in postage Either that, or we've pee'd a lot of people off too

I stick ours to the back of the living room and kitchen doors, with Blu Tack It keeps them looking 'neat' and uncluttered......

[Lozzles]

I love cards Di, every year I am staggered at the waste of money, but I still love them.

I send so many, that I just thought this year I will give a donation to a local charity.

I just meant that the people who usually receive one wouldn't necessarily understand the reasoning. Some people do rant a lot about the whole wastage thing, so some may have felt you'd be offended by being sent one iyswim

I can understand that. My first thought is that as 'you' wouldn't be sending cards (for a very good reason), you wouldn't expect a card in return.

[miasmum]

Oh but I did

[Gal]

After Christmas though I list who we've had cards from so that I know who to send one to the following year so it's doubtful that they'd get one the next Christmas.

Jo I do that too!! I have pruned several on top of that as well this year though, mostly on account of postage costs, and to those that I haven't sent a card to, I have them among my FB friends anyway and they know why

I have friends who complain about cards looking messy...I have to admit I find similar although I did buy a lovely thing a year or two back, it's a long roll of gold 'mesh', on one end is a cardboard star with a cord at the top, where you hang it to your wall, and there are tiny gold pegs supplied to attach your cards - I'd a mind to buy a few of these as one isn't enough for the amount of cards we get!!