Christmas

BlueBelle

Oh stop it Fidelity 🤣
As Croistitchfan says it’s August !!!
No way am I remotely thinking about the dreaded C word

You might not be thinking about Christmas but just try getting away from it! The shops, the media and any relatives under 10 years old will dedicate themselves to going on and on and on about it.

Aaaaaargh!

I will send the same number of cards as I usually do( about 50 ). It is the nicest part of Christmas for me and I always put some news on them.I already have my cards as I buy them reduced after Christmas and I will buy all the stamps in the weeks to come so that by the time I send them I will have forgotten the cost.

None at all as I'm an Athiest and never bother with Christmas in any shape or form!

To answer the original question, I won't be posting as many cards this year, due to the cost. I shall send cards with the very few presents I shall be posting, using the cheapest method, which I suspect won't be Royal Mail. Also I shall hand deliver as many as I can and enjoy the exercise around town and probably drive to those a bit far to walk to. I have actually found a few postage stamps that I mislaid a couple of years ago, which will keep this year's costs down. Sorry (not sorry) but I enjoy Christmas preparations and planning. I have 3 short holidays planned before Christmas and no doubt will be buying something Christmas related when there. I bought cards in Jan this year at a very reduced amount along with some fancy Christmas Crackers, which were 75% off. There is a Facebook Group I enjoy called FlyLady Countdown to Christmas, which suggests tasks to do every day from (I think) October so that everything is done slowly and easily.

I get that some people like to spread the cost and start buying cards & presents (& stamps!) early - but I think the mince pies will be very much out of date by the time Xmas arrives...

I suppose it’s just a sign of the times.

School uniforms and ‘back to school’ being advertised before the summer holidays have even started!

Crème eggs and hot cross buns in the supermarkets before Christmas.

Summer holidays being pushed at us in early winter.

No wonder we all think time flies, the adverts have us wishing our lives away.

It’s sad, and am sure it contributes to anxiety and mental health issues.

We were at a market in a nearby small town yesterday. There’s a stall that sells jams and chutneys. The man was taking orders for Christmas cakes both iced or the cake to ice yourself. Another lady was browsing as well as me and the stall holder informed us to order ASAP as he doesn’t bake after October to let them mature. I was tempted but got too much on at the moment to contemplate Christmas .

I have a friend who has started C*******s gift shopping and booked her hairdresser in December already.
Some people just love it.
Cards will die out eventually like cheque books I believe.

I cross-stitch cards for my nearest and dearest, so have embarked on the winter birthdays and the ..er..festive season.
Sorry, posters !

I gave up on cards many,many moons ago, when I didn’t send cards because my mother was dying. The following year there was a distinct drop in the number I received, so that made me think!
With social media it’s now easier to keep in touch, so I think it will soon die out altogether.
What does make me laugh is those smug posts on social media saying, ‘ We are not sending cards this year, instead we are donating to * insert name of charity here*. Now, I’m willing to bet that the donation to said charity will be in no way equal to the cost of sending dozens of cards by even second class post!
I did like a Facebook post I saw last year saying she was not sending cards, but was spending the money on gin.

Posting about 12, we’ll be giving about 30 in total.

I’ll let you know the second week in December….

I’ll be sending them to close family who live away and who I don’t see as often as I wish I could.

We’ve already cut down on acquaintances but I think a few more will be off the list this year (although some have an email address so I might send them an electronic greeting instead).

Postage is extortionate these days, so economies have to be made, as I very much doubt that Royal Mail will consider a lower Christmas postal rate for cards. They seem intent on ruining themselves, as I’m sure if they reduced the cost more people would send cards, so in effect they’d make more profit.

The trouble now though, is that people already feel postage is too high so reduce how much they send to friends and family and are unlikely to return to sending mail - (the damage is done) - but resort to other methods - email, texts, electronic greetings etc.

Not sending any in the post- money will go to Alzheimer’s. I said last year not to send us any, I will put some lovely cards up from year before. I’ve bought some beautiful hand made cards for our neighbours though.
Nothing wrong with that person asking about postage- it’s scandalous what RM charge.

Why all the agro? Fidelity2Asked a perfectly reasonable question with the price of stamps being so high.

None. We hand deliver.

Sadgrandma

Why all the agro? Fidelity2Asked a perfectly reasonable question with the price of stamps being so high.

Absolutely! Can take some people months to save for Christmas presents, which will now probably include stamps!

Norah

None. We hand deliver.

Do you only send cards to people who live locally, then? Mine go all over the country, and some abroad.

I’d like to stop sending cards, but it’s not easy. People I rarely see will think I’m dead, or at least not well. Also, I like getting them!

Well I ordered three Christmas hampers from ringtons doorstep delivery. I thought they’d come in at least October they arrived today! Top of the wardrobe in spare room now!😂😂

I start buying gifts September it suits me spreading the cost. I don’t send the cards I used to send not because of the price of stamps. People who just send emails etc don’t get cards from me now simple as that.

Grandma70s

Norah

None. We hand deliver.

Do you only send cards to people who live locally, then? Mine go all over the country, and some abroad.

I’d like to stop sending cards, but it’s not easy. People I rarely see will think I’m dead, or at least not well. Also, I like getting them!

I email people who are not family. I read the question as cards.

Our local scouts group used to do a delivery service quite cheaply across 3 or 4 towns. They sorted the cards into towns and then the local group would deliver them. I must check if they still do it.

You are accusing some of us of being condescending and nasty for expressing our personal opinions, which is nasty in itself, yet follow that by saying, ‘let’s be tolerant and accept others’ views’. You don’t see the contradiction in that?

No, I don't, just respect the poster who asked a reasonable question. I don't do Christmas until December but accept other people start earlier. I also do not talk about banning things because I don't like them.

I don`t send cards

However I do plan ahead via regular savings and have three of these, set up since last november. Not for christmas specifically but called christmas regular savers. Interest rates are excellent and I need them for the bills that arrive soon after christmas every year

Re christmas presents, I start making things for my family from around june, lovely knitted hats, socks, shawls etc. Good on those who do advance planning btw

My organic people started to put christmas meats, veg and fruit boxes onto their site yesterday. I placed my order, I can always cancel closer to christmas

IMO, people can talk and write about christmas whenever they want, the shouters are very rude and self-centred

Harris27

Well I ordered three Christmas hampers from ringtons doorstep delivery. I thought they’d come in at least October they arrived today! Top of the wardrobe in spare room now!😂😂

I hope the contents are well in date.

An elderly friend used Ringtons for Christmas presents, and sometimes the biscuits were out of date by then.

( Of course, they might have been saved up from the previous year…)