Who still sends out Christmas cards?

[rodentraiser]

I am seriously rethinking this. I paid $22 for a box of 16 cards, then bought an additional two cards, and two books of stamps. The additional cards were for my two cousins. I send one card each to my aunt and my cousins and God forbid they should all be the same card on account of they all live within a mile of each other and they all sit around and compare them. My family and relatives are all so freaking weird.

My mother used to put up such a stink about how much birthday cards cost (she got hers from the dollar store but it would cost me the same amount in gas to drive a 50 mile round trip to get them at the dollar store here as to buy one that cost $5.99) that I started inking out the price on the back. Then I would write "nyah, nyah, nyah" on the back because I knew she would flip them over to check the price.

But I digress. So after pulling money from my credit card yet AGAIN, I honestly think I won't send any cards out at all next year. I can call people around the holidays and isn't that something - did you ever expect calling long distance to about ten people would ever be cheaper than mailing out Christmas cards? On top of everything else, me getting cards out before Christmas is a Christmas miracle. People getting them in December is something to be applauded. If they arrive after New Year's, that's pretty normal.

Add to everything else, the old people in my life (unfortunately way too many of them and all living to 100 years or more), all expect a wrap up of what I've been doing all year. I think this year's version of the annual Christmas letter will include accounts of me robbing banks and setting the local Christmas trees on fire just to keep myself from being bored while writing. And it's a given none of them have any tech prowness or even own computers, so I can't even email. Anyway, all of this can be conveyed in a phone call. The phone call has the added advantage of me going, "Wait...what? I can't hear you? If you can hear me I think we got discon..."

So what do you guys all do when it comes to Christmas cards? And speaking of which, I guess I better go get a start on the damn things.

 

[Andy M.]

Christmas cards.

We open the mail, look at who sent us cards and display some of them until the day after Christmas.

 

[Katie H]

We send cards to a select few, along with our children who are spread far and wide. There are also some very special "senior" family members who get cards because it helps brighten their holiday, especially those who have lost a spouse this year.

 

[caseydog]

I haven't sent out Christmas cards in 25 years. My ex-wife used to send them, and I usually designed them and had a printer that I did a lot of business with who printed them. The ex hand addressed them and got them in the mail in time.

CD

 

[rodentraiser]

It's nice to know some people are normal with normal families.

 

[cjmmytunes]

I sent cards out this year for the first time since before my Mom passed away. $5 for a box of 40 cards from Ollie's, one book of stamps. I will give a lot of close family cards at our family Christmas party Sunday.

 

[grumpyoldman]

i didn't know anyone still did that

 

[rodentraiser]

I haven't sent out Christmas cards in 25 years. My ex-wife used to send them, and I usually designed them and had a printer that I did a lot of business with who printed them. The ex hand addressed them and got them in the mail in time.

CD

So maybe you could design something around this for me next year. If I had more time this year, this is the card I would be sending out. I think this one would manage to offend everyone and then no one would want a card from me ever again.

 

[thymeless]

Never did. Don't plan to start

 

[Meryl]

I only send one to my cousin in the UK, we've been exchanging Christmas cards for thirty years.

 

[blissful]

I don't blame people for not sending christmas cards but I do get irritated if they only send them so that everyone else must send one back or be shamed for not doing it.
Some years I send cards, for old times sake. Sometimes I paint cards and send those but that doesn't mean I'll paint them the next year I might not have time for it or have a feel for it.
I've had some prints made for cards from paintings, that works well but I haven't done that for Christmas yet. I'm not going to have time this year. There is never enough time for everything.

 

[Kathleen]

We went them with gifts this year. I had planned to send some out, but the idea fell by the wayside.

Of late, I have made holiday and birthday cards rather than buying them. (When I do buy them, I also go to Ollies because they are so much less there.) This year, Frank created ours with AI. I wrote the message inside. I bought envelopes off of Amazon to fit a quad-fold card.

 

[The Ghan]

Personally, I think cards are a waste of money despite their intention. I think most people who get them put them up until Boxing Day then throw them in the garbage.

I'd much prefer to call people (yes use a telephone) or visit them and wish them a Merry Xmas if I was going to do that.