UKC

Just took a wee stroll to pop a bunch off Christmas cards after writing them over the weekend. Each year I see a fair few posts on social media "we're not doing cards this year, making a charity donation instead" things along those lines (which I always see as a bit of a cop-out).

I haven't always been a card sender, but as last year's Covid Christmas approached, I thought why not take a few minutes to jot down a wee hello to those I haven't seen or spoken to this year. I'm not the sort that calls people up for a chat, and I don't think I've ever written anyone a letter so this was my way of "touching base" (apologies for that).

Do you still dish out cards to family and friends?

Yes, although only people I won't see face to face. I always write a note to my cousins, extended family and old friends. It's a bit of a chore but we love receiving cards in our family. We pile them up each day then open them together over dinner and share the news and pictures. The children love it, it's a great part of Christmas for me. We also have to guess from the handwriting who it's from before we open it. I realise this is quite boring but it is the truth.

Yes - but only family and a few close friends, not everyone I've ever known.

I still send out a few cards. Post the odd few (since cost of postage became expensive), deliver the rest by hand. This year I have printed them out at home since my fav printers went bust/retired and the quote from a few I tried were over £100 (previously £25 for 200)

I send about 10 to immediate family who (generationally) might be put out if they didn't get them, plus my sister's kids who genuinely appreciate them.  I don't send any others, and make a charitable donation of what I'd spend each year.  One of those rare cases where taking the moral high ground also allows one to be lazy.

I started doing this ages ago and it was a fairly rare approach, but now it's very common.  Only actually received 3 so far.

I send one to my mum and that's it. The Mrs sends one to her mum. 

Kinda wish I did. Mostly cos I'd like to receive them

But no, I send one to the parents, but that's it. Usually I'd give cards to my team along with some chocs, but we've been in lockdown/working from home since August, so not this year.

I send cards to relatives I wouldn’t ordinarily see but still like to keep in touch with and also one or two old friends.

I love to receive cards and hear peoples news.  

We send hundreds and receive the same number. I don't really mind except for the bastards who send those round robin updates telling us how well Jamie is doing in his piano lessons and how Bryan swept the board at this year's caber tossing championships.

Send about 20, get about the same. I like getting them. I suppose it's a huge waste of money but overall, worth it, no problem here 

We send about 20. Mostly distant family and friends we don't see very much, a short message inside (not round robin letter) is nice for keeping in touch with news.

I have given up on sending them to friends we see regularly, so pretty much all my cards get sent by post.

ooh I love a round robin! I never get them anymore. We used to enjoy reading them, not only keeping up with news but having a laugh. The husbands of one of my Mum's friends always wrote about his wife's hospital visits & the results of every medical test - classic. If anyone is considering them, please go ahead they are appreciated here. I used to send one but it was slightly customised for everyone, not sure if it counts. And I didn't have children then so it was more about my (not very) exciting single life.

No. And we don't get many.

I keep in touch with people I want to via other means. If I've not contacted someone, there's a reason for that. 

Also view them as another, for me, pointless resource use. The one from my FiL...probably one of dozens he signed off on the day they decided 'best get the cards done'. Same as every year down to the picture on the front and message inside. A Chistmas task ticked off.

If I am sending a present to someone, I tend to include a card. Or some years we have invited our corner of the street round for mulled wine and mince pies so I use Christmas cards as invitations. 

I don't just send them out to everyone, there needs to be something specific to say in it, other than merry Christmas. Never send them to people I will see anyway.

I still send about 50, as a way of keeping in touch with people I don't otherwise see (or finding out if some 'ancient' contacts are still alive!).  And seem to get quite a few back on the same basis, which is nice (pace, the argument that if you don't otherwise see them, why bother etc).  I design my own using Vistaprint and use a photo of something that been a highlight my year*, and print a few lines of news on the bottom.  I also hand-write something personal of relevance on each card.  I print address labels.  The pre-printing takes the drudgery out of the Xmas card rod-for-our-own-backs each year, and I'm excited about writing a little bit to each individual.  I am also converting quite a few to e-mail equivalents (esp the international contacts).  E-mail also means I can send the e-mail on about 23rd Dec (in time for arrive for Christmas) rather than a month earlier to be in line with Royal Mail "you will post your Xmas card before this date or we won't deliver them in time".  I don't send Round Robins and I used to dislike getting them, but some of them are now such a parody (without realising) that it does make me laugh!

*: After about 10 years of doing my own photo, I have discovered quite a few people are quite interested to see what photo is on front of my card each year!

It's the same with postcards: when (if / if ever again) I travel abroad, I do send postcards (if I can find any to purchase, which is increasingly rare!).  I quite like getting unexpected postcards from unusal places round the world, so to do that, I reckon I need to send a few (also take pre-printed address labels which makes like easier, and posted when back in the UK cos it's quicker than the typical 3 weeks it takes a postcard to get back to the UK from a small island).

I used to post about twenty-plus to distant family and friends, and hand-deliver maybe another ten. I'd write notes to elderly relatives and, when my children were young, include a photo.

In recent years I've found that fewer people bother to post them - and not just to me, other people I know have said the same - and I'm also at the point where my children are older and elderly relatives are increasingly not around any more. So this year I've posted many fewer and will hand-deliver about the same.

It saddens me as I always enjoyed the ritual, and it's probably the most handwriting I do in a year. It used to feel like a good way to keep in touch, in a vaguely undemanding way, but now I'm not so sure. Things change, perhaps.

I send a lot of Christmas messages but no cards. Generally I am not sure if cards are super environmentally friendly? (No judgement mind) But that's not why I originally didn't send any it's just not what my generation really does.

With no evidence to go on, I imagine thise going to some of the troubles above are 60+.

I'm 51 and most of my friends don't bother with them. A few will hand out cards if we get together for a Christmas meal and drinks. That's it though.

I am 53, we send cards mainly to the generation above us.

CB

I'm in my 60s, send cards to the few remaining aunts & uncles of my parents generation (mostly in their late 80s or early 90s) plus a few old friends who I know I won't see in the near future (living in Japan, New Zealand etc) which are as much a letter as a card. Almost nothing compared to the N° my parents used to send (& receive) when I was a kid.

I still send cards - and a brief round robin of what we're all up to - every year. It's been given particular impetus this year as we've moved, but it's always been a great ritual marking the start of Christmas, getting my address book out , starting at the 'A's and working my way through to the 'W's.

Besides, 'A man, sir, should keep his friendship in a constant repair.'

(Actually re-reading that it doesn't seem to mean what I always thought it meant, but never mind!)

I've only sent four this year.....is that cos I've a small circle of friends n family?

Before the pandemic I'd usually dole out at least 20

Send Christmas cards? Boulderer, I take it...

I would say no they are not, one of my customers is a printer who mainly does cards. Their compressed air use alone runs to 300kw per hour 24 hours a day 6.5 days a week with another 75 ish kW of vacuum pumps. I'm not sure if my maths are correct but I get that to 3,042,000 KW per year just in Air moving, I don't know what the lighting and printing machines use. 

Me - no. Mrs Pete - a few. Happy to deliver cards to our neighbours if she writes them. None to mates, they know I don't hold with it... I'm in my 70s, and my birthday gets overwhelmed by that of Jesus...

Probably pales into insignificance compared to the energy cost of the card & paper & transport.