General Chat

I've had 3 so far, and am just working through the list of those I send ( slowly as I can't write much, but adding a typed letter) ).

I go for the more traditional ones, something cheery if I can.

Do you like traditional or modern when it comes to cards? Humorous? Religious? Do you adapt your choice to the people you're sending to?

I buy a variety of cards, but generally not humorous ones.
If they are modern, I still like them to have a Christmas look and am quite happy to consider unusual colours as long as the image is clear.
I also buy cards with a religious theme and do vary the cards according to who will receive them.
Most of my cards are bought from the library, where they annually have a stall selling Cards for Good Causes.

As for the greetings... I prefer to buy cards that say Happy Christmas rather than Merry Christmas. For my Muslim neighbours, I choose one saying Seasons Greetings ( or similar ) and their card might have a winter scene or dove of peace on it.

I prefer traditional Christmas cards in traditional colours. For me that means reds, greens whites and golds. I don't like very modern cards or anything that is mainly blue. Such a lot of Christmas lights around us are blue and I don't think they are at all "Christmassy".

I send cards with a religious theme to people who I know are religious and Santa themed cards to the kids in the family.

The only trouble I have is that less and less people are actually sending cards and I love them as I class them as a big part of my decorations. My son and daughter-in-law didn't even display the cards they got last year and they didn't send any out - just best wishes by text.

Kath. x

We stopped buying cards for anyone except immediate family and the great nieces and nephews about 5 years ago.

We used to buy UNICEF cards, but always had difficulty finding out where to buy them once they gave up their tiny store. For a couple of years they were sold in IKEA .............. a small stand just outside the checkout. Then they would be in another big multi-branch store or another. The local superstore sometimes carried about half-a-dozen designs by them. Basically anywhere where they could get space for free.

But then we realised how much were spending. We were sending out about 130-140 cards, with over 100 going overseas ......... we can only send overseas mail by Air Mail, don't have a cheaper rate like you do.

We realised that we could no longer afford to spend over $600 (ca £400-500 depending on the exchange rate).

So we now restrict ourselves to a typed Christmas letter of no more than 1 page, reduced the address list, and reduced the number and size of calendars that we were also sending over and above the cards.

The majority of our mailings still go overseas! Therefore it still costs us between $200 and $300 (ca £120-175), plus the cost of buying and mailing 9 calendars and the kiddie cards.

I've also reduced the mailed letters by using email ......... but a lot of our overseas friends don't have email, or change email addresses so often that last year's address only results in "undeliverable"

Immediate family cards are handed over in person, and will be as long as we keep making the journey across Canada to our daughter and family.

The human imagination breaks free at Christmas, urged on by the desire to see our world as it isn't.

We received our first card on 9th of November :-0 the next was 1st December!
I haven't even bought any yet.
When I've had time I've made them, otherwise I buy from UK based charities.

I choose cards according to recipients.

I'm wondering whether to bother this year ;-)

Blooming 'eck, Sylvia, you were spending a fortune! :-0

I think your new system sounds better.

I have cut back this year and informed those I see regularly that they will always have my good wishes so not to bother with cards for me.

After Michael passed in Oct 2015 I found Christmas too much so did a message on Facebook saying if you don t get a card from me it’s not i don’t live yer but I have to cut back on cards

I make a donation to the hospice where he passed in him memory

They are a charity only partly funded but the NHS so need help in carrying on the care they give

I buy the close family cards and hand deliver .
I do send one to out sister in Canada and a couple of close friends