The last of the Christmas cards ?

jos28 · 26-11-2013 3:39pm #1

I was off work yesterday and decided to get WAY ahead of myself and write the Christmas cards. The younger members of the household think this is hilarious and wonder why I still send cards by snail mail. It got me thinking -
I don't mind posting them to friends that I am not in regular contact with or friends who are not on FB but it seems ridiculous to post cards to people that I will actually see over Christmas. I didn't send them once and the amount of comments I got from family (his not mine :P) was astounding.
Then there's the cost, between cards and stamps I will shell out €50. This money could be put to much better use if I donated it to Crumlin Childrens Hospital or The Hospice.
Are card senders a dying breed, are we the last generation to use envelopes and stamps to say Happy Christmas.

Bah Humbug

:D:

OldGoat · 26-11-2013 5:29pm

Thread banned till December. :cool:

Jellybaby1 · 26-11-2013 8:58pm

I always write C.cards (OG, if I don't say or spell it out, then it doesn't count!:rolleyes:), but I won't start until well into December. I will never stop sending them by snail mail. Unfortunately my list has become shorter over the years as some relatives/friends have passed on. I am not a big fan of Christmas but I stick to the traditions of having the C.pudding, C.cake, C.cards, C.mince pies, even C.sprouts (:eek: yucky!) and singing traditional C.carols. I deliver the very local C.cards by hand and post the rest, and I am always very late with the UK ones but they usually get them by C.Eve! And that's all I will say on the matter for now. :P

OldGoat · 27-11-2013 12:45am

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

(OG, if I don't say or spell it out, then it doesn't count!:rolleyes: ... I am not a big fan of Christmas but I stick to the tradit

AHA!

Jellybaby1 · 27-11-2013 2:21am

OldGoat wrote: »

AHA!

Soddit!

OldGoat · 27-11-2013 10:14am

And after all the effort you put in. Still, made me chortle so there ya go, every cloud...

Jellybaby1 · 27-11-2013 4:44pm

The only reason I am on the earth is to create, in folk, a least one chortle!

Layinghen · 27-11-2013 4:49pm

Stopped sending c. cards a few years ago. Ran it down over the first two years by only returning cards to people who sent to us. Found it amazing talking to people who would normally be on the list that they were doing the same thing and they were just as relieved not to get cards. Guess with group texting and Facebook etc. the c. card could end up being a thing of the past.

Jellybaby1 · 28-11-2013 2:28am

Tonight, LayingHen, you will be visited by the ghost of C.past! BOO!

Layinghen · 28-11-2013 2:35am

Ah so that's why I can't sleep :eek:

Jellybaby1 · 28-11-2013 2:42am

Me neither! Typical night for me. Eyes wide awake, but the rest of me is asleep though. I've been wandering these corridors for ages and all I can hear is zeds coming from all the rooms. Think I will find a pillow for myself now and see if I can get unconscious! Make sure OG is tucked in before you lock up. Nighty night!

Layinghen · 28-11-2013 2:45am

Night Jellybaby.

Jellybaby1 · 28-11-2013 2:46am

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur
Happy kitty, sleep kitty, purr, purr, purr.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

annieoburns · 28-11-2013 10:45am

Yes sadly christmas cards seem an exclusive 'oldies' habit. And yes my list gets smaller... But there is always some odd person that you might have had contact with during the year and a c card is nice acknowledgement of that.

Contact at christmas used to be a way of keeping in touch, with the dreaded roundrobin enclosed. But with email and better value phone deals, it seems a poor substitute and a bit hypocritical if that is the right word?

jos28 · 28-11-2013 4:38pm

Thinking along the same lines myself Annie. I really don't mind sending them to people that I have met at various stages in my life and don't keep regular contact with in cyber world. It's a nice way to let them know you are thinking of them and you are wishing them a Happy C (I remembered, OG

)I just think it is ridiculous to send them to people that I will be raising a glass with on Christmas Day ! I can Happy C in person !!
My close friends and I decided not to send them to each other but when I mentioned it to the in-laws they were not happy bunnies (or should that be elves

) My suggestion went down like a lead balloon

Teagwee · 01-12-2013 5:37pm

Where my OH comes from, the tradition is not to send any CCs if there's been a death in the family that year. Some years ago, I explained this to all and sundry in my own family so that there would be no ill feelings. We dutifully skipped those years and sent cards on the other years.
Now here's where I have to make a confession .... after the last family bereavement (4 years ago) I didn't re-start the process and people just assumed we'd had a death on his or my side

I didn't enlighten anyone, so nowadays I just give the money to SVP and save myself the bother!

jos28 · 02-12-2013 9:41pm

I like your style Teagwee

We didn't send them when each of my parents died but unfortunately I wasn't as smart as you - I resumed the process

Teagwee · 03-12-2013 10:15am

jos28 wrote: »

I like your style Teagwee We didn't send them when each of my parents died but unfortunately I wasn't as smart as you - I resumed the process

The thing is jos28, because it's highly unlikely (in our family anyway) that there's much contact between in-laws, each side will assume that we're not sending cards because of a bereavement in the other. And, unfortunately, at this point in our lives, there's always someone who has departed, no matter how tenuous the connection.

I am honouring those 'nearly dear' departed by refraining from a frivolous practice and instead giving to the poor in their honour. What's not to like!

BBDBB · 03-12-2013 5:03pm

My condolences to all

cuilteanna · 05-12-2013 6:44pm

I dared send cards the year my MIL died - it has never been a custom in my family to skip the year and she had died in early January. OH heard about my "disrespect" from his family.

Now I'd love nothing better than to stop the whole thing. While I am delighted that the aunts / uncles are alive and in good health, I'd rather not have to post off their cards every year. BAN THE XMAS CARD! (Please.)

Jellybaby1 · 12-12-2013 2:04am

Only getting down to writing the Christmas cards now. Checked the cost of postage, and its so expensive this year I'll be delivering quite a few of them by hand. I've been digging out the cards I squirrelled away since the last January sales. I also keep a box of old cards sent to me over the years and I've noticed quite a lot of them have animals on them, puppies, kittens, polar bears. I don't mind reindeer oddly enough but I have a dislike of the rest of them. Putting a Santa hat on a puppy and taking a photo of it, a Christmas card, does not make, in my 'umble opinion. So I wondered is anyone else as picky as me when it comes to Christmas cards. Any likes or hates?

I hate (a) any animal that is not a reindeer, (b) baubles (c) all cartoon characters (d) cold snowy scenes with no colour in them.

I love (a) tasteful nativity scenes, (b) robins, (c) Victorian scenes, (d) children, (e) snowy scenes with warm colours shining through windows, (f) fireplaces all aglow, (g) I might accept a decent image of Santa, (h) reindeer, and (i) lots of glitter!

After all that, I realise there is only one item on my list which actually depicts Christmas.

BBDBB · 12-12-2013 8:49am

My Grandmother used to throw out any Xmas cards that had a picture of a robin on as she said it was unlucky to have them in the house, this for ones she had bought in order to send and even the ones she received

Jellybaby1 · 12-12-2013 1:51pm

Never heard about robins in that light before. All I know about robins is they are bad tempered little brutes, whilst being pretty at the same time.

I heard it was bad luck to bring lilac into the house, which is just ridiculous! Its perfume just begs to be everywhere.

looksee · 12-12-2013 4:54pm

Also hawthorn, and Queen Anne's Lace, which is called Motherdie in Yorkshire! (Tells self off for going off topic)

BBDBB · 12-12-2013 4:55pm

hear that Rube? ^^ Lilac - For Men!

I can see the advert now

jos28 · 12-12-2013 5:35pm

Lilac for men

:D:D

I heard the robin thing too, apparently their appearance is the sign of an impending death. And there's me encouraging them to nest in the garden

Jellybaby1 · 12-12-2013 10:12pm

And....we all know one little Robin which hops in and out of these threads from time to time don't we? Know what I mean? Know what I mean?

Layinghen · 12-12-2013 10:20pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

And....we all know one little Robin which hops in and out of these threads from time to time don't we? Know what I mean? Know what I mean?

:eek::eek::eek:

Can we still talk to him now that we know what robins represent?????

Jellybaby1 · 12-12-2013 10:23pm

Some might say 'curmudgeonly'......is that more pleasant than 'bad-tempered'. Doubt I'll be getting a Christmas card from Wales now!

Rubecula · 20-12-2013 1:30pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

And....we all know one little Robin which hops in and out of these threads from time to time don't we? Know what I mean? Know what I mean?

Awww

Who do you mean?

Rubecula · 20-12-2013 1:31pm

Layinghen wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

Can we still talk to him now that we know what robins represent?????

NO not unless you bring jellybabies and dolly mixtures

The last of the Christmas cards ?

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