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Christmas

Any ideas on getting cards without Christmas in?

(65 Posts)
Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 11:56:42

We, like many others who are non Christian, struggle to find cards to send that do not have happy Christmas on or in them. I celebrate Yule, but would like to send cards to friends and family. I feel a bit hypocritical sending religious cards. I used to make my own, but am struggling this year and the pagan sites charge so much per card. I just want a box of plain seasons greetings cards, if they support a charity all the better. Can anyone help point me in the right direction.

DoraMarr Mon 12-Nov-18 12:14:14

I’ve got two packs from OXFAM so far. One design has children playing in the snow, the other has a woodblock print of a robin. UNICEF do some nice ones with greetings written in several languages. I’m not religious, but I don’t mind sending or receiving cards with religious scenes. My Hindu and Muslim friends send me Eid and Diwali cards which have greetings in the appropriate language, and I send them Christmas cards.

MawBroon Mon 12-Nov-18 12:17:30

There are loads, I would say the vast majority bear very little connection to Christmas.
My Dad used to refer to them as “Cock Robins in the Snow” cards and one year he had theirs printed with no picture on the front, just that statement as a greeting . Mum was livid!

EllanVannin Mon 12-Nov-18 12:19:49

A lot of charity cards have no writing inside---you write your own message.

ginny Mon 12-Nov-18 12:19:57

There are plenty of cards around with non religious pictures and ‘Seasons Greetings’
I’ve bought some in Tescos and ‘The Card factory’ Many support a charity as well,

mcem Mon 12-Nov-18 12:25:23

Try British Heart Foundation.

Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 12:27:51

All the ones I've seen, despite having seasons greeting on the front have happy Christmas inside. I will check out all the suggestions thank you.

M0nica Mon 12-Nov-18 15:11:41

The shops are awash with cards covered with pagan imagery, on their own and together. Evergreens, whether firs, yew, holly, ivy or mistletoe are all Pagan in origin. Not to mention the Robins on every other card you see.

Plenty of cards just have 'Seasons Greetings' inside, again this is becoming more common than Happy Christmas. You could always print some labels saying 'Seasons Greetings' to stick over the Happy Christmas message in any cards that says it.

This issue strikes me as being a non-problem

yggdrasil Mon 12-Nov-18 16:08:24

Hedingham Fair Yule cards aren't that expensive

oldbatty Mon 12-Nov-18 16:10:06

What is Yule please?

chocolatepudding Mon 12-Nov-18 16:33:24

Please try your nearest Cards For Good Causes shop which sells charity cards for various large national and smaller local charities. Most charities realize that "Happy Christmas" is not always the most suitable wording and produce blank cards.

As the shops are manned by volunteers about 70 pence in every pound you spend goes to the charities.

I have volunteered in our local shop for 18 years - every charity has a named volunteer going in every week to work a shift.

eazybee Mon 12-Nov-18 17:14:24

Yule or Yuletide is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. It later underwent Christianised reformulation resulting in the term Christmastide.
Apparently.

Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 17:38:51

Yule is the celebration of the winter solstice, welcoming the lengthening of the days and the return of the sun. Main images are those of the holly king.

Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 17:42:04

Monica I'm glad you see this as a non problem, I see your comment as a tad rude. I asked a genuine question, I have not been able to find suitable cards near to me. I'm grateful for those who have made suggestions, including your own.

B9exchange Mon 12-Nov-18 17:42:29

My problem is finding cards that do have a genuine Christmas theme! They are few and far between, almost non-existent in card shops, but fortunately charity cards usually have a few.

M0nica Mon 12-Nov-18 18:08:08

Mabel12, my apologies if my mail seemed rude, but I am really puzzled by what you say.

At random I looked at this site www.cardsforcharity.co.uk/shop-online/cards.html. The first page has 16 cards on it. 7 of them contain pagan symbolism in some form: robin and mistletoe, hare, wren in a non-humorous form, others are more frivolous with mistletoe and scottie dogs etc and I have excluded a picture of decorated fir trees and Santas. There are only 3 that contain any kind of Christian symbolism. The rest are entirely seasonal with no religious symbolism of any sort.

This suggests that suitable cards are freely available. I do not know what these cards say inside but, as I said, many say 'Seasons Greetings' inside these days because there are so many people of other religions or none in the population now and it is always possible to design the words 'Season's Greetings' or other appropriate greeting in an attractive typeface and suitable size or colour and printed out on a sheet of labels. I did that once when I bought notelets in mistake for Christmas cards.

Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 19:18:24

Monica, I have been hunting my local supermarkets, shopping centres and have had no luck finding cards that say seasons greetings on the outside and inside. That's why I asked if anyone knew of places to get them. I will be looking, as I said, at all the suggestions people have been kind enough to suggest.
I don't think I shall bother asking any further questions as obviously I'm just thick.

M0nica Mon 12-Nov-18 19:44:24

I would go online and look at charity cards. Either look at individual charities sites or general ones like the one I mention.

Are you looking for overtly pagan cards, or simply non-Christian cards?

I haven't bought any cards yet this year, but looking at a pack of charity cards left over from last year, they have conifer tree outlines in a sparkle finish on the front with the words 'Season's Greetings'. Open it up and it says 'May your season sparkle with joy'.

I looked at a number of cards on the site I mentioned above, if you click a card it either immediately gives the centre greeting or you then click on 'More Information' and you get it. Some had Christmas Greetings, but about half had non-christmas greetings in various forms. They have hundreds of cards so I am sure you will find what you need there.

In fact it is so good I am going to use it to buy all my cards!

HootyMcOwlface Mon 12-Nov-18 19:49:38

Well I have the opposite problem. There does not appear to be many if any cards with the real meaning of Christmas in/on them which I find quite bizarre! What are we celebrating if not the birth of Christ, it is CHRISTmas after all.

mumofmadboys Mon 12-Nov-18 19:50:48

Hey Mabel 2 please ask away! No -one has said you are thick.

M0nica Mon 12-Nov-18 20:03:12

Hooty the site I recommended had a good range of religious Christmas cards as well.

Mabel2 Mon 12-Nov-18 21:30:50

Hooty, dogs trust and the donkey sanctuary both have some nice cards with things like the stable scene and three wise men. Oxfam also had some. Just none that I was after smile

lemongrove Mon 12-Nov-18 21:37:33

hooty I agree, you have to look hard these days to find Christmas cards that have anything to do with the Christian religion on them, it’s a sea of robins, penguins, reindeer , trees, dogs and cats.
Make your own cards Mabel then you can print ‘have a cool yule’ or whatever you want inside.

Humbertbear Tue 13-Nov-18 07:30:35

We make our own non - religious cards. Every year we take a photo of my small teddy bear in fancy dress (doesn’t everyone have a bear with a large wardrobe?) and we get out cards printed on Vistaprint, online. Local shops and Costco also provide this service. It doesn’t have to cost a lot because some companies also offer flat cards, rather than folded. Our friends look forward to seeing our latest creation and some even collect them.

Humbertbear Tue 13-Nov-18 07:31:32

Sorry - other friends print off a selection of the year’s photographs of their family to send out.