Christmas/Holiday Cards

[Bonny]

Do you do them?

How many?

I've just finished up my nearly 100 (pretty much our annual average). I genuinely want to hear from these folks but if I haven't heard from them in three years I stop sending cards. I don't care how folks contact me; cards, e-mail or a phone call as long as they stay in touch.

Do you have"'cut-off" rules? If so, what are they?

[Jaguar]

I do them as well, I have about 60 to do this year.

[dannylion]

I have no family to speak of and a smaller circle of friends, so I only send out about 20 cards.   I have a 3-year no-contact cut-off, too. It seems to me that if they've been getting cards from me for 3 years and have not felt the urge to reciprocate or otherwise get in touch with me, there is a message in the lack of contact and I should heed it and stop annoying them by trying to maintain a relationship.

[Peace Of Mind]

I quit sending them.  Nobody seems to care about them any more and the only one's I get now are from people I never see any more or relatives I've never met.  Ohhhhh.   That's why I keep getting them from these people.  I've not had the opportunity to piss them off yet.  I need to get in contact with them so I can stop having to send them cards. 

[b2r]

  

[Blonde Granny]

There was a time I actually cared about sending and receiving Christmas cards....but that time has long since passed.  Anyone I would care enough about and would send cards to is already in my daily life.

[Deleted]

I started sending out cards the first year I was living away from my home town, almost 40 years ago. I sent them only to friends and family who were out of town, and enclosed a letter in each. Not a form letter telling the FaceBook version of my life, but a hand-written one to each recipient. I love that ritual- compared to most people's Christmas budgets it's cheap, and it's a gift of my time.

I run about 20 to 25 of these each year. Many of the original recipients have died since they were grandparents, aunts and uncles but have added some from DH's family. I also add a page of pictures, printed up at the local store. Many times over the years people have told me how much they look forward to getting my Christmas card.  Once a spouse of a cousin, whom I'd met only at their wedding, remembered me a few years later because he'd read my letter at his in-laws' (Aunt and Uncle) house every year. Pretty much every one who gets a card also sends me one although sometimes it's just the signature.

I've got 8 out so far.

 

[Shooby]

I don't send them anymore. The people I see I can say Merry Christmas too and the others I can greet on Facebook.

[Tennesseer]

Mailing Christmas cards was okay when the postal service was the only means of communicating with distant family and friends.

Today, what with the internet, Skype, social media, ease of phoning others, etc, Christmas cards really are no longer necessary. A quant custom, but some customs are no longer necessary for many folks.

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

[Bonny]

Dec 6, 2014 9:33:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mailing Christmas cards was okay when the postal service was the only means of communicating with distant family and friends.

Today, what with the internet, Skype, social media, ease of phoning others, etc, Christmas cards really are no longer necessary. A quant custom, but some customs are no longer necessary for many folks.

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

I'm not a big Face Booker or a Linked In person. Some of my contacts are "over sharers" so I tend to ignore a lot of it because I find it overwhelming.

Of course no one understand my addiction to this forum either!

[Tennesseer]

Dec 6, 2014 10:17:52 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Dec 6, 2014 9:33:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mailing Christmas cards was okay when the postal service was the only means of communicating with distant family and friends.

Today, what with the internet, Skype, social media, ease of phoning others, etc, Christmas cards really are no longer necessary. A quant custom, but some customs are no longer necessary for many folks.

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

I'm not a big Face Booker or a Linked In person. Some of my contacts are "over sharers" so I tend to ignore a lot of it because I find it overwhelming.

Of course no one understand my addition to this forum either!

Humans are quirky, aren'they.

[Bonny]

Dec 6, 2014 10:21:26 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Dec 6, 2014 10:17:52 GMT -5 Bonny said:

I'm not a big Face Booker or a Linked In person. Some of my contacts are "over sharers" so I tend to ignore a lot of it because I find it overwhelming.

Of course no one understand my addition to this forum either!

Humans are quirky, aren'they.

I could have never done your job. I'm just not that nice nor do I have the patience!

[Tennesseer]

Dec 6, 2014 10:25:40 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Dec 6, 2014 10:21:26 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Humans are quirky, aren'they.

I could have never done your job. I'm just not that nice nor do I have the patience!

On occassion, I lost my patience and let the employee or manager have it in no uncertain terms.

I was once interviewing an applicant for a position. Her background was face-to face customer service. Additionally, she grew up with a hearing impaired sister so she knew American sign language.

So during the interview, I asked her how she dealt with difficult customers at her current job. She replied that her comments and face expressed empathy to the customer's concerns but with her hands hidden below the desk, she was signing away to her self what she really thought of the complaining customers.

She got the job but not just because of her ASL skills. 

[Deleted]

Dec 6, 2014 9:33:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

Totally agree. It's one of the reasons my list is so short!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I've decdied to send out cards via American greetings online site. We've some financial setbacks--some by choice and some due to the houses--and the $100 I normally spend on cards and postage has been cut from my budget this month. I've had the subscription to American greetings since the summer, so that's money Already spent. 

[Deleted]

Dec 6, 2014 12:35:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I've decdied to send out cards via American greetings online site. We've some financial setbacks--some by choice and some due to the houses--and the $100 I normally spend on cards and postage has been cut from my budget this month. I've had the subscription to American greetings since the summer, so that's money Already spent. 

wow!  how many do you normally send that you spend $100?  I usually buy cards on clearance the year before so maybe $10 for 50 cards and then however much postage is. 

[Deleted]

I don't do Christmas cards.  All my friends and family are on Facebook, so they can see pics of the kids and know what's going on and I can message them there.  I was never into cards and snail mail.  The only mass mailing that I ever did was for my wedding and the thank you cards for the gifts after.  I thought that was torture.  

[Bonny]

Dec 6, 2014 12:53:55 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

Dec 6, 2014 12:35:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I've decdied to send out cards via American greetings online site. We've some financial setbacks--some by choice and some due to the houses--and the $100 I normally spend on cards and postage has been cut from my budget this month. I've had the subscription to American greetings since the summer, so that's money Already spent. 

wow!  how many do you normally send that you spend $100?  I usually buy cards on clearance the year before so maybe $10 for 50 cards and then however much postage is. 

I spend close to $100 when one includes cards and postage for 100 cards. 10 of my cards are going overseas.

[Artemis Windsong]

I go the cheap route and buy the cards at the dollar store or on closeout.  I have the family list I send to.  There is something about sending the Xmas card the means I stay in touch and care.  I have friends I send to.  I also keep a list of who I sent cards to because, like this year, I ran out.

This year the gift cards are in the family Xmas cards.

On DH's side, one keeps track of how nice the card is.  Nit picky. 

[msventoux]

My family never did cards when I was growing up and I never got in the habit either.  I also don't receive any.  But then I don't have family who live out of state that I'm in contact with, nor have any of my friends moved out of state.  I've always loved the idea of sitting down and writing messages in cards, but it's never happened.  Too short of an attention span and very lousy penmanship. 

[busymom]

We send out quite a few Christmas cards (around 80). Both DH's & my extended family are spread out. I enjoy reading other people's newsy Christmas letters telling about what has happened in the last year!   (Unless the letter is more than a couple of pages.) 

[thyme4change]

My sister called them "Brag and Gag" cards and told me everyone hated them.  Personally, I wasn't a fan of getting a card that just had someone's signature on it.  It seemed really impersonal to me - useless really.  I gave up when my life got busy.  My family has a way of shitting on things.  And after that, they are ruined.  

[Deleted]

I  send 3. Unless I'm mailing a gift card or something.  Last year it was 4. 

Probably 2 next year. 

Sucks. 

[TheOtherMe]

I enjoy receiving cards as did my mother. That means I send cards, but I enjoy it.  I send about 50, 3 went overseas.  I did give up on my letter.  I cut people off after 3 or 4 years of no contact.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I like sending/receiving cards at Christmas. I don't just sign them but also don't do the long "brag-book" Christmas letter that so many seem to want to do each year.

I usually add a short message of Best Wishes and other personal greetings, and a Miss You for those out-of-towners.

My immediate family is dwindling (both parents gone, and lost one brother 3 yrs ago, and another last year right before Christmas) - but I love getting the cards from my SILs and other brother, as well as nieces and nephews who include pics of them and their kids, and friends dating back to elementary school who I still keep in touch with.


E-mails or Facebook seem far too impersonal for me when it comes to Birthdays or Holidays. An actual card means you're actually thinking of them and took the time to WRITE something and take the time to mail it to them. YMMV.




.

[lynnerself]

Dec 6, 2014 9:33:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

Or worse, getting a card from someone that you seldom hear from and all you get it is a signature, not a note or update or anything.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 7, 2014 2:23:36 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

Dec 6, 2014 9:33:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Receiving a Christmas card from someone you were working with yesterday and who you are having dinner with tomorrow evening seems unnecessary. And the only thing (probably) hand-written within the card itself is the signature of the sender. Meh.

Or worse, getting a card from someone that you seldom hear from and all you get it is a signature, not a note or update or anything.

And you're never thought of again until next Christmas when the address book is taken out of the junk drawer.

[Deleted]

Dec 6, 2014 18:33:37 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

My sister called them "Brag and Gag" cards and told me everyone hated them.  

A former co-worker does that by e-mail now.  His son is the most brilliant student at Northwest U. headed for a stellar career in robotics.  (He posted on FB when they went to Harvard for interviews.  Guess he didn't get in.  That wasn't mentioned in the letter.)  His daughter is an award-winning dancer, carries a straight-A average and does charitable work in her spare time.  I'm looking forward to finding out in future years how she supports herself.

Yes, they should be proud of their kids, but I'd rather have a more balanced view of their lives.  C'mon, people. it can't be THAT perfect.

[thyme4change]

Dec 7, 2014 9:04:19 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Dec 6, 2014 18:33:37 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

My sister called them "Brag and Gag" cards and told me everyone hated them.  

A former co-worker does that by e-mail now.  His son is the most brilliant student at Northwest U. headed for a stellar career in robotics.  (He posted on FB when they went to Harvard for interviews.  Guess he didn't get in.  That wasn't mentioned in the letter.)  His daughter is an award-winning dancer, carries a straight-A average and does charitable work in her spare time.  I'm looking forward to finding out in future years how she supports herself.

Yes, they should be proud of their kids, but I'd rather have a more balanced view of their lives.  C'mon, people. it can't be THAT perfect.

One year a friend of ours sent a letter that detailed out the marriage counseling they went to and the subsequent individual counseling her husband went to because marriage counseling exposed "serious issues."  That was 14 years ago and I still feel awkward around them.  I didn't need to know any of that.  I'm fine with you giving me your greatest hits.  I won't embarrass my children by putting their flaws out there - especially uninvited and public, like facebook.  If they want to expose their failures and hard times, that is their choice, but from me you will hear how awesome they are - good at everything and perfectly behaved.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Dec 6, 2014 12:53:55 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

Dec 6, 2014 12:35:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I've decdied to send out cards via American greetings online site. We've some financial setbacks--some by choice and some due to the houses--and the $100 I normally spend on cards and postage has been cut from my budget this month. I've had the subscription to American greetings since the summer, so that's money Already spent. 

wow!  how many do you normally send that you spend $100?  I usually buy cards on clearance the year before so maybe $10 for 50 cards and then however much postage is. 

We (my daughters and I ) used to make ours by hand, so it's hard to tell exactly how much they cost. Last year, I gave in and admitted I didn't have time (unless I didn't want more that four or five hours of sleep for the week prior to Christmas) to make them. We bought them at Costco for about $15 per set of 20, IIRC. Because I was buying them, we only about bought 150. We mail out 60 (that's $30 right there). Normally, we make 250, but we cut out any one who works indirectly for DH. 

So, this year, we'll try the e-card thing. If I don't feel comfortable with that, then we're return to either purchasing or making. If we return to making, then we'll start making them in the summer instead of starting after Thanksgiving.