What!!!!

Just lost my post supporting mary and paddy re Mary's Meals. The charities commission website officially confirms all they've said. Until March all donations are being doubled with funds from the overseas aid budget. My DS's best friend does an excellent job with them and I trust him implicitly.
Volunteers here and abroad provide meals and education at minimal cost but pay small wages to the school cooks. Google them to find out more.

My mother was seriously ill and subsequently died around Christmas, so sending cards was the last thing on my mind.
The number of cards I received dropped dramatically!

Wow,Mary that gives me hope in a dark world.

I understand the sentiment behind not sending cards and instead donating the money to charity. And I can understand why it is necessary to tell people, because otherwise they might wonder why they no longer receive a card.

Of course, it could be people just showing off but on the other hand they might genuinely prefer to do something more useful with the money. However, I think it's a bit cheeky to express disappointment at not receiving a card if you don't send any yourself.

Personally, I enjoy sending and receiving cards. Money can be donated to charity at any time and economies made elsewhere.

LuckyFour, I totally agree with Paddyann's post. Only 4% of donations to Mary's meals are spent on admin costs.
It originally started by feeding 200 children in Malawi and has grown to feeding a million children a day. Not only are the children fed, they are educated and given the opportunities to make a better life.
My friend's husband has been to the shed a number of times and I can assure you it is a genuine charity, which does not line the pockets of its founders.
I have spoken to a number of volunteers who fund raise and give up their time and weekends to raise money across Scotland.
It is an amazing charity.

My mum was very keen on sending cards.
As she grew less able, I would be sent to buy "to people we used to be neighbours with 36 years ago"
"For a lovely couple"
"To friends we don't forget"
"From my house to yours" and so on...

“ Humbug anyone?"

I’ve only sent 9 cards this year to close friends and family scattered about. I’ll donate what I’ve saved to the Salvation Army and a donkey charity.

I lived next door to a neighbour who i sent a christmas card to every year for 37 years.
Him nor his wife ever sent me one back .Nor did we ever disscuss why.
We were perfectly amiable neighbours, and helped them out many a time .
No postage involved as we lived next door .
They sold up this year and are gone , without a word of farewell.
People hey
Give me dogs anytime

I always put out a happy Christmas message to everyone and remind everyone that we donate to charity instead of sending cards. I worked out it costs £50 at least to buy, write and post cards. I give that (and more) to two charities every christmas, one animal charity and one human. They won't put my donation in the recycling bin in January.

I like that grumppa. Many years ago when I was working in a large corporation there was a flurry of 'I'm-donating-to-charity-rather-than-sending-cards e-mails'. It was quite a new thing then and many of the messages were very self-righteous (and very long), giving the charity and the reason why. Not sure whether colleagues doubted the motives but, before long, they were followed by many 'I-will-be sending-cards-as-usual' e-mails. Soon after all they were completely silenced by a single 'I will be donating to charity and sending cards. One does not preclude the other.' When I get a bit weighed down by saving the planet, postage and preparation, I remember that message every year and it makes me smile.

Sending e-cards is free.
So a charity donation and sending cards can be achieved.

She said she wasn't sending cards and donating to charity doesn't mean she can't receive them

I am not bothered about receiving Christmas cards but I am very aware that people who are older than me (I'm 70) and either living alone or in old people's homes tend to measure their worth via the number of cards they receive. I would not want to hurt someone by making them feel that they did not matter.

We haven't done cards for a number of years (before that always charity's cards bought direct from them). As a family we decided that we would donate to Crisis's Reserve a Place for Christmas for a Homeless Person for 2 people to benefit from this. We DO give the money and obviously it needs to be donated at Christmas so is a Christmas gesture. I sent a link with my email 1st year we donated in the event anyone else wanted to donate/was interested but havent since as I don't want to make a thing of it. I don't mind getting no cards personally, tbh I find them wasteful and an email is fine for me. TBH most of my family/friends know I'd rather they put a bit of money in charity box than send me cards for Xmas/birthday etc. I understand that people do like to receive them and the love, friendship, sentiment and effort etc behind them, Granny always gets them from us!! Its just what we do and I put a lot of thought into the emails I send.

I send quite a few cards to people who don’t live nearby and won’t be seeing. They include friends from the past, school, university, last job, former neighbours etc, as well as geographically distant relatives. It is a way of keeping in touch. Each year more and more are emailed messages and some get a letter too.
What I think is weird is giving to local people. How do you decide which members of your choir/ tennis club/ U3A group to give a card to? I sit there feeling ‘ so I am not considered your friend then?’ when people are giving them out to some and not others.

My husband died three years ago in November; my grandaughter died two years ago in December. I dont have much spirit but I press on for my other grands. I dont send cards, but I do send Valentines in February. People have said how cheered and surprised they are by the unexpected cards.

I only send to people we receive Christmas cards from - if mine go out first, then I probably do send to one or two who don't reply, but then I usually cross them off my card list.

I know all charities sell cards, but I was taught at Sunday school not to be like the publican who thanked God that he was not as other men are, and that giving to charity should be done in secret, so I would never buy cards that advertised for a charity, and like many others I dislike being told that so-and-so has given to this, that or the other charity.

It is a wonderfully simple and effective idea.

Mary's Meals feeds over one million children a day .

Over 93% of all donations go straight to the children,its a porridge type meal they have and they only get it when they go to school ...so it does two things at once.Children get fed and they get educated.Mary's Meals feeds over 1 million chidren EVERY day .Parents are roped in to make the food ,giving them emplyment and often other parents make uniforms.
Its a wonderful charity whose head office is a shed in Argyll.We had the founder Magnus to speak at Rotary and he is an inspiration

I always send Christmas cards, and enjoy receiving them especially from friends who include a mini letter.

To me and others I know, it's not a waste of time because it's a good way to keep communications open. Some friends don't use the internet at all.

I make my own cards for those who mean a lot to me, and I enjoy writing out a message with few extra words or include a letter. Good old pen & ink I say!

mcem, It seems impossible that a child can receive a hot meal every day for a year just by someone sending a donation of £10. How many people sending £10 are needed to make this actually happen. How many children are they actually feeding.

I am very sceptical about charities particularly when we hear how much the Chief Execs are paid. Sorry to be a bit sour, I love Christmas and would give any child a hot meal any time.

Yes, it reminds me of a conversation I had with a woman at church 2 years ago. She was telling me how she loves getting Christmas cards, so I said: "have you sent yours out yet?" "Oh no, I don't send cards out. I never have. I think they're a waste of money". I mean - what a cheek (and she came straight off MY Christmas card list!)

I tried to give up sending cards a few years ago and my friends and family moaned so I started again and now some of them are telling me they are giving up. The cost is ridiculous I sent a parcel abroad, bought some sticky tape and 40- second class stamps - £70 I nearly fainted.