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AIBU

Sending Christmas cards or not ?

(97 Posts)
NanKate Thu 04-Dec-14 07:44:24

This year I am cutting back on sending Christmas cards.

I will of course continue with friends who live a distance away and some people who live on their own, but otherwise that's it.

I am not being Scroogelike just feel it is a waste of money. However I will up my contribution to my favourite charities.

Brendawymms Thu 04-Dec-14 08:21:45

Yes sending cards but severely pruned the number back. It's not the cost of the card it's the cost of postage.

annodomini Thu 04-Dec-14 09:32:32

£1 to send two cards! I agree, Brendawymms, the cost is prohibitive and I will be sending cards only to people who don't have email addresses. Otherwise it will be e-cards which, sadly, can't be propped up on the mantelpiece but will convey the same message.

kittylester Thu 04-Dec-14 09:37:04

I love receiving Christmas cards so I do send them to people we rarely see. The scouts do a delivery service in our village so I use that for locals. We do get far fewer nowadays though sad

Teetime Thu 04-Dec-14 09:37:34

Sent mine- we had about 20 to send between us but it gets less and less each year as we have few older relatives left- bit sad really.

Lapwing Thu 04-Dec-14 09:43:24

I post cards to friends and family who live far away, if I am giving presents the card will be enclosed.

I also used to send cards to old friends of my mum and dad but they have all gone now.

Charleygirl Thu 04-Dec-14 09:46:34

I started pruning last year but even so the postage was horrendous, especially as I send a few to Canada and Ireland. The Royal Mail or whatever they call themselves are pricing themselves out of business by over pricing the cost of stamps.

Anne58 Thu 04-Dec-14 09:51:58

I seem to remember that those in receipt of pension credits could get stamps at a lower rate, but not sure if that still applies.

henetha Thu 04-Dec-14 09:55:52

To prune or not to prune, that is the question. Yes, a bit I think. But generally I like sending and receiving cards. I do agree that Royal Mail are downright greedy these days and the price of stamps is unreasonable.
So I've been buying just 2 stamps a week for ages and have now got enough to cope with christmas card postings.

Nonu Thu 04-Dec-14 10:03:54

We are cutting back, what with the price of stamps , it is getting a bit out of hand.
Also sending cards to people who you haven't seen for 20 years or seems bit pointless. We just send just a few, then give to people as we see them .
tchhmm

Nonu Thu 04-Dec-14 10:09:08

Also the Aunts & Uncles are all dying off !

granjura Thu 04-Dec-14 10:09:34

Well we can't get Christmas cards here- so I bought them all in the UK last year. Took them with us when we went to grandchildren sit last 2 weeks- to write them and send from from uk- but got too busy.... and left them there!!!

So I've decided not to send any this time- and will instead send long e-mails and phone friends- a phone call will be cheaper than send cards these days. Or will make our own if we get over this awful cold before its too late. Bah humbug.

How much is a 2nd class stamp these days?

Teetime Thu 04-Dec-14 10:58:48

£4.66 smile well it will be soon!

Ana Thu 04-Dec-14 11:15:11

10/6 in old money! shock

annodomini Thu 04-Dec-14 11:16:51

53p, granjura.
www.royalmailgroup.com/first-and-second-class-stamp-prices

papaoscar Thu 04-Dec-14 13:11:00

We use one of the on-line card suppliers (Jacqui Lawson) for Christmas and birthdays. You pay a small annual fee and the results have proved very satisfactory, cost- and quality- wise. By so doing we have cut down on costs yet are able to keep in touch with many friends and family, many of whom respond in a similar way.

Starling Thu 04-Dec-14 14:04:06

I just posted a lot of cards without thinking about the total - am now shocked to realise I paid 53p per card (£1.28 for Canada & Australia).

TerriBull Thu 04-Dec-14 14:50:50

I have sent one so far, to a set of neighbours who are off abroad tomorrow for Christmas and return mid January. There are about 60 or so more to do lying on the kitchen table beckoning. We haven't even tackled our foreign ones yet which we do try and get off early December. It's a bit of a penance really, I can see it will all die out with successive generations. I'm full of good intentions when we go and buy them at a local church. I'm lacking motivation at the moment, I blame the weather!

soontobe Thu 04-Dec-14 15:52:03

I am like you with the 20 years bit Nonu.
I cut out some of them a few years ago. One or two carried on sending to me, so I felt bound to carry on.
And I still feel a bit mean about one of them. She was a friend who I rarely saw. And, when I suggested meeting up for lunch or coffee a couple of times, she would say yes, but then not follow through. So I pruned her! shock
I dont even see her around now, but somehow I am left feeling a bit bad. Perhaps it is more sad?

soontobe Thu 04-Dec-14 15:53:28

Should be
And I still feel a bit mean about one of the ones I cut out.

merlotgran Thu 04-Dec-14 16:00:06

I gave up on the Jacqui Lawson e-cards after doing it for one year - beautiful though they are.

By the time you've gone through them all choosing the ones you want to send you know them off by heart so if you receive some it's not worth opening them.

I used to send them to the small grandchildren when they first learned to use a computer which was a bit of fun but they're all too old for that now. sad

I'll be writing my Christmas cards tonight. All the elderly rellies are dead and I've pruned my list to include just close friends and family members I won't be seeing.

I do love receiving them though and I remember the days when there were so many you ran out of spaces to display them. Sad that a much loved Christmas tradition is falling victim to increasing costs.

Greyduster Thu 04-Dec-14 16:07:47

I said I definitely wasn't sending them this year, but I have relented. I managed to whittle the list down, but whether I'll stick to my guns remains to be seen! 53p! Blimey!

numberplease Thu 04-Dec-14 16:55:35

I keep trying to leave out people I knew at work, (I left there in 1992), but 2 people keep bon sending me cards every year, and I feel mean if I don`t respond. Last year I thought I`d at last succeeded, then on Dec 23rd, my daughter, who still works there, brought cards round from the 2 people again, too late to respond, I ended up sending them each a New Year card.

granjura Thu 04-Dec-14 17:30:14

Just got a couple from the UK today- 97p stamp. Now I feel really guilty!

Stansgran Thu 04-Dec-14 17:33:41

There are some out of the ordinary ecards from Liverpool Museums .im assuming they are free . You can send the same one up to ten times I did use the British Library ones once but they weren't terribly interesting.
I can't blue this for some reason. Sigh .
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ecards/vintage-xmas/index.aspx