Are you sending Christmas cards this year?

I will only be sending cards I deem essential to maintain Diplomatic Relations.

And it's all because of the scandalous cost of stamps plus the utterly lousy delivery service.

butterandjam - an aside: I know two little girls called Audrey.

Yes, to family, clever se friends and those I rarely see but care about.

The cost of postage combines with the number of people sending a Christmas email rather than a card means I’ll send less than in the past

An ex neighbour who’d been a friend years ago, but who we’d kept sporadic touch with, did for some years send a 🎄card, and I always sent one back.
But for a few years there was nothing, then out of the blue she was in contact again, and I invited her for lunch - she was a half hour drive away. She came, and we had a very enjoyable time.

After that, absolutely nothing again for a few years, although she’d said she’d invite us back.

She’s a bit older than me, probably 80+ now, so I did start to wonder. Then, out of the blue a few months ago, a phone call!

I said, ‘Goodness, Maggie*, I’d started to think you were dead!’ 😂

*not her real name.

keepingquiet

Like anything else some Christmas traditions change over time.

I used to take a pillow case to bed and get an orange and some nuts in the bottom...

I think that when Christmas cards were invented they were supposed to enable the sender to wish Merry Christmas to those they couldn’t do so in person. In my life that seems to be coming full circle.
I have cut down considerably and will write them to those family and friends that I won’t see this afternoon because I’ve got flu and am in bed.
My mum will still get one even though she lives in our annex! Too late to change her habits.

Woops! Thanks for the reminder. I spotted a box of cards left over from last year (or the year before) and decided it was about time to send some off. I'm afraid I am wont to send email cards nowadays, but there are a few old friends and colleagues who deserve better. And you can't put email cards on the mantelpiece!

Somebody said to me the other day that newspapers and christmas cards will die out when the oldest generation are gone.

Quite depressing. Save a few trees I suppose.

I love Christmas cards. Most are delivered by hand and 15 or so by post.
Sending a card from Surrey over land and sea to Orkney for 87p seems like a real bargain to me!

I agree Nell. The delivery firms have taken over the profitable parcel delivery market, but have no interest in delivering a card to Shetland for 78p ( second class, that's me) which will make them very little money
They leave that to Royal Mail

I used to send a lot of cards but send fewer every year and this year am saying to some people that I will not be sending cards next year, and will instead make a donation to charity. Stamps are so expensive now! But I do love sending cards to people I feel really close to and also receiving them.
Happy Christmas everyone!🎄

As the years go by, more names are crossed off the list with a heavy heart. However, the joy of receiving cards, particularly from those people I never /seldom see e.g. because they live further away, never diminishes. Plus there are usually at least one or two new people to add. I am a bit concerned that so far have only had one card in the post. Different families have different traditions of course. We always give special cards, usually by hand, chosen for the individual, to near family and friends. I find it a genuine expression of good will, love and best wishes. Email cards don’t count to me - zero effort verging on insult! Hey ho!

We've just received one from someone (yes, addressed to both of us) and have no idea who he is.
Can't read the post mark, it's smudged.
🤔

annodomini

Woops! Thanks for the reminder. I spotted a box of cards left over from last year (or the year before) and decided it was about time to send some off. I'm afraid I am wont to send email cards nowadays, but there are a few old friends and colleagues who deserve better. And you can't put email cards on the mantelpiece!

We hang ours on ribbons.

They make good decorations as we don't go OTT with the decorations any more.
I used to gather greenery and make garlands etc but no longer.

Once your other cards come in, you might manage to guess who sent your mystery card, Allira.
Four pages on and I am still giggling, merlot.
Sad though, about the friends who are gone. This is when it comes back to you, as you move past their names on your old list.

I hope so, Maremia!
So far, it's a mystery. He knows who we are whoever he is!

We did have a card that arrived here but had a completely different address on it but I have posted that one on.

Like others, Christmas card list is shorter, but will be sending them. Quite a few people on their own who appreciate a card. One difference I have made, my cards to USA and Canada are Ecards now. Canada Post is still having intermittent strike days and they still have a huge backlog. Overseas postage was going to cost about £8 for two Christmas cards. It's cost me £3 by Ecard. Not the same I know but the family knows we have thought of them, which is the main thing. For UK cards, I buy my stamps throughout the year so I don't notice the price rise so much.

Just read this thread ,- that was great Merlot and so funny. Out an old gal out of her nursery and tell which thread it was meant for please

Oh crikey - why does my text change even though I've made sure it's right. It should have read as ' put an old gal out of her misery.

Nell82

I love Christmas cards. Most are delivered by hand and 15 or so by post.
Sending a card from Surrey over land and sea to Orkney for 87p seems like a real bargain to me!

£3.55 to send a card to France!!
The same price as sending one to Australia.

Allira

Nell82

I love Christmas cards. Most are delivered by hand and 15 or so by post.
Sending a card from Surrey over land and sea to Orkney for 87p seems like a real bargain to me!

£3.55 to send a card to France!!
The same price as sending one to Australia.

Just checked with DH

£3.40 to France
£3.40 to Australia

No, I won’t be sending any cards to anyone. All my family and friends know I wish them joy etc at Xmas.

I've sent my mum , my cousin and 2 friends cards in post ....Nice ones ...not from a pack....and thats it ....don't send friends or neighbours

I used to send lots of Christmas cards, but the list has become shorter now. I send to special people in my life and always to neighbours. I still love the tradition of sending a real card, some people appreciate them more than others, so I tend to also send messages by text, email etc. I hope sending proper cards will still go alongside using technology, rather than replacing them. I never understand why some people think it's better to give to charity instead of sending love and joy in a Christmas card to people, especially people who live alone, it deprives people of heartfelt messages. Give to charity as well as, not instead of, that's just my view. I have saved lots of Christmas cards over all the years and I love getting them out sometimes, some of them you just don't see them any more. Loved those lovely magical glittery ones, I keep them in my treasure boxes, they are so lovely. Merry Christmas everybody! : )

As I say every year, Christmas cards are not really a thing here in Germany. And you certainly don't give cards to people you are going to see in person. Some German friends are always extremely surprised and ring us up to thank us and we have a nice long chat.

However, my list is also getting shorter.

However I still send about 40 and receive about 30. I have made 25 and still have about 20 from last year. We also get begging letters from charities in the run-up to Christmas with 4-5 cards in each, in the hope that we will make a donation. Not sure if this is worth the effort for those charities, but the cards are in the main useable.

For the ones I have made, see the thread "another Christmas project" in the Arts and Crafts forum.

I am really shocked at the price of postage from the UK though and am especially grateful to my UK friends who have sent me cards. From Germany it is €1.25 for cards/letters abroad up to 20g. Less than half the price of £3.40 which I see on the cards from England. My home-made cards weigh 15g with a paper insert included, so I am well within the limit.

Once I start writing a few notes in the card about what we have done through the year, I realise it's getting a bit long and have a!ready promised e-mails to half a dozen people in my cards. So it'smore about having something to stand on the mantlepiece than keeping in touch.

My sister-in-law always comments without fail when she comes for lunch on Christmas day that we have loads of cards. The concept of a Christmas card list is literally quite foreign to her. Germans write a letter perhaps, but mainly they phone their friends.

And then, of course, there are e-mails. I print them out and display them with the cards, but they are not as pretty and are cumbersome to hang up.

I shall be posting my cards today or tomorrow - yes, also including the ones abroad. (UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland).

I always include my address, phone number and e-mail either with a little sticker, or printed in the text if I'm writing a separate letter, even though everyone has my details. Despite this, there are still those who get the address wrong.

If I am writing to someone abroad I always check the correct formatting for addresses in the recipient's country, but many seem to think this doesn't matter. I have received Christmas cards in June after they have been on an an Oddysey round the country due to illegible or incorrect addressing.

You know you've lived in a house for a while when you stop getting cards for the previous owner (just binned in the event - as I knew she was dead).