Christmas cards - I don't send them.

[MIch elle]

Am I the only one?

 

:001_huh:

[melissel]

Nope! We don't either. I always promised myself I would when I had the time. Somehow, I just can't seem to find that time! Other things always seem much more pressing. Ah well!

[plain jane]

No, I stopped sending them a few years ago. To be honest, I'm quite happy I did and don't miss it one bit.:001_smile:

[Mejane]

Nope. :001_smile:

[SquirrellyMama]

Yes you are. :001_smile:

 

I'm kidding. I'm sure you aren't not the only one. Next year I am thinking about sending our annual letter out as a New Years Letter and not Christmas card. I like sending out something funny and letting people know how old the kids are and what they look like.

 

Kelly

[Lolosoli]

I do not send them either. I find it is a complete waste of everything...paper, resources, time, etc.,

 

They end up in the garbage most times....

 

I also try not to use wrapping paper either...

 

I do however love those family update letters that people send at Christmas!

[DaffodilDreams]

This is my first year to not send them, and so far I've filled that time with doing things with my dd - - baking, homemade ornaments, ice skating, winter crafts, etc. Dh is the only one who wishes we were sending them, but it's an expense we don't need right now. Also, since our time was limited this year due to theatre, I'd rather fill the free time with memorable family stuff. Of course Dh wanted to send cards like usual - because he never had to fill them out! And I don't think he realizes how much the cards plus postage cost each year.

 

We're not the only ones. We have certainly received less this year than in years past - and I don't think it's retaliation. :tongue_smilie: We haven't mentioned to anyone (except right here, right now) that we aren't doing cards.

[sassenach]

I've given up. In a perfect world, I would send them. My world is just so darn imperfect!

[sweetTN]

You're not alone. I stopped sending cards years ago and have never regretted it. Such a waste of time. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

[danybug]

On and off. This year I did not. Just not my thing.

[Impish]

Honestly, it seems like such a waste of money for something that's just going to be tossed out.

[kewb]

Depends on the year. This year-no.

[Mimm]

I don't either. I just don't have the energy to add that to my holiday. :)

[jasar31629]

We do either a letter, a photocard or both. This year it's just a photocard...got 60 of them overnighted for $5 :D

 

We aren't particularly close with our extended family and this is the way we keep in touch...other than weddings and funerals :tongue_smilie:

 

If you don't want to though, I say don't- do what works for your family. Those that are close to you don't need one and the others aren't owed one, right?

[Jennifer in MI]

I usually do, but this year I just haven't had the time. I already have copies of our pictures though. So, I think I'll send a VAlentine's letter!

[Robin M]

I usually don't. Then end up buying cards because I think I will 'this' year and then don't send them. Yep. I bought some again this year and guess what - haven't gotten there yet. Think I'll do what my dad and brother did on facebook and send an electronic yearly christmas letter.

[Plucky]

I don't send them. We don't get many Christmas cards now since we stopped. Dh complained about it, but he hasn't decided to send any out. LOL

[ChrisB]

We don't.

[Unicorn.]

Am I the only one?

 

:001_huh:

 

No. I would like to, and enjoy getting them, but I don't have the time.

[Tabrett]

We stopped many year ago. I think it made some of our family members mad, but I don't get the point of cards.:confused: You spend lots of time and money for something that is going to be tossed in a week!

[Mom-ninja.]

I stopped a couple years ago. It lifted stress from my life.

[AngieW in Texas]

I have never done Christmas cards.

[lllll]

..

[Lady Florida.]

I used to send them on and off, then a few years ago I just stopped altogether.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

No, I stopped sending them a few years ago. To be honest, I'm quite happy I did and don't miss it one bit.:001_smile:

 

Same here.

[amydavis]

I'll be the odd one on this thread...I do send them out and I love receiving them! The children really enjoy getting the mail each day and they get so excited over things like cards - heck, I'm pretty excited myself, for anything that's not a bill! :D They also enjoy helping me find a place to hang them all. We don't have an elaborate display or anything, but I have to admit I enjoy seeing them taped all around the door. I'm also the weirdo that takes a lot of time picking out the right cards that "hit me." All of that being said, this was the first year that it took me until just a couple of days ago to get the cards sent out, so I do understand.

[Soror]

Me neither.

 

I see them as a total waste as well

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

I used to, but quickly realized that about a week or so after I sent my cards, Holiday Greetings started pouring in. :confused: I hated the feeling of getting a card just because I made someone feel guilty by sending them one.

 

So I quit sending them about 3 or 4 years ago. Now I only receive 2 or 3 cards every year, and that's fine. It's from the people I speak with/visit with on a regular basis anyway. The way it should be.

 

I don't miss the time, effort, expense, or clutter. AT ALL!

[Princess Peach]

I send photo cards of the kids out every year. I got 50 free cards using an online code, printed out address labels and return address labels and popped them in the mail. Our family and friends live all around the country and for many of them, this is the one time a year that they get to "see" the kids.

[LibraryLover]

I love love love getting the photos cards. I look forward to that every year. Don't stop sending them. :)

 

I send out photo cards with a quick note: 'Thinking about you!"

[Wee Pip]

we have never sent Christmas cards. I also dropped Christmas gift exchanges with most family, as well. Just call me Scrooge:D

There is more to Christmas than cards and gifts.

I like to sometimes surprise someone with a gift they didn't expect. And I don't mind receiving cards or gifts. I just don't like having any sense of obligation.

I would drop gift giving for the kids, too, if I could. It's too hard to shop for them when they are with me 24/7. It feels like I'm accomplishing some big miracle every year if I can get gifts bought & wrapped without them knowing what it is.

[Mommamia]

This is the first year that we didn't send cards. It feels odd, but refreshing.

 

Now I feel sort of guilty when I receive Christmas cards. I'm worried that people will think I just didn't sent them one. Oh well.

[Denisemomof4]

:(

 

http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231800

[WarriorMama]

Next year...

 

(...is what I've been saying for the past seven years...)

:tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

We did photo cards this year. I love receiving them, seeing how much people's kids have grown, etc. We didn't do a studio shot, we just had a friend of ours take a photo of all of us.

[Mom in High Heels]

Nope. It drives my mom crazy that I don't send them, but it's not like she can make me send them. :D I don't have the time or inclination to send them. They are expensive and get tossed, so why bother? I keep up with people on FB. They don't need cards.

[Princess Peach]

:(

 

http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231800

 

Too late for this year, but what I normally do, because it is too hard to get my kids all looking at the camera and actually smiling at the same time, is I do 3 separate photos, then put them on the photo card that way. Would that work for you next year?

[IsabelC]

This is the first year we haven't sent them and it's great. I always designed and printed my own from a photo, and it was a huge amount of work, not to mention the cost of color printing and mailing them out. I have actually been meaning to stop doing it for a couple of years, but I was too worried about what people would think. Then I decided that people who want to be in touch can easily do so, and anyone who doesn't talk to me from one year to the next yet gets offended if I don't send a card, well I'm not that worried about their opinion. ;)

[Homeschooling6]

We send family picture from Sears to family and friends (that we know aren't throwing them out ;))

As for the cards that we receive, I save them. I know, pretty nutty but I can't just throw them out after someone cared enough to send us one. Besided it's fun looking through them every-so-often.

[StaceyinLA]

I mainly send to older family members that we don't see often, and I send to all of my great nieces and nephews because they love the mail!

 

I have contemplated a change, and perhaps next year I'll do a letter with some photos on it since I should have a new grandbaby to brag about!

[Miss Sherry]

Yes, I send them. It has been a good way to keep in touch with people I would have lost track of years ago. I have a lot of half-brothers and sisters I did not grow up with who live out of state and I don't think I would've made it to the family reunion a few years ago if it were not for keeping up with exchanging Christmas cards.No one would have known my address after moving a few times. Our Dad passed away when I was a teenager so there is not someone who is in touch with all of us, keeping us all in touch with each other.

I have really enjoyed the many photos I have received this year.

 

If you want to purchase Christmas cards inexpensively, check the sales after Christmas.

I purchased several boxes after Christmas last year for only 50 cents a box - some were marked as retailing for $14 and $16 a box. Of course, this was not an advertised sale.

I think sending a Christmas card with a note is a good way to honor all of the senior members on both sides of the family.

[Miss Sherry]

:(

 

http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231800

We don't all read every post everyday so it seems that no matter what someone posts about it is still new to someone.

I enjoyed this thread. Sorry you felt :( about it. :001_huh: or are you just frowning at the idea of doing Christmas cards, rather than this thread ? Online frowns can easily be misinterpreted.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[MIch elle]

As for the cards that we receive, I save them. I know, pretty nutty but I can't just throw them out after someone cared enough to send us one. .

 

I have about 10+ yrs of Christmas cards; I single hole-punch them and thread them on the greenery.

[Pippen]

I always like getting photos and letters from people we don't see often so I try to at least do those most years.

 

Often I don't even get them opened in time. I sit down after Christmas and read them all when I have time to enjoy them.

[Annabel Lee]

I save certain cards, and am glad I saved all cards & letters from my grandmother since she has passed.

 

I used to send a card w/ letter & portraits to everybody, but life just closes in on me & there's not time or $$. I'll probably email out a makeshift New Year's letter just so people can see pictures of the kids & keep up; but the list is limited to family & very close friends. Do you think an email Christmas letter is too tacky? Worse than nothing at all? Friends that I keep up w/ in day-to-day life don't need one.

 

If I get around to nothing else, I want to send a hard copy letter & pictures to me & dh's (ok, what is the proper grammar for that? dh & I's or me & dh's?) aging family members that are not online & don't see or hear from us as often.

[Lady Florida.]

 

Now I feel sort of guilty when I receive Christmas cards. I'm worried that people will think I just didn't sent them one. Oh well.

 

 

I used to feel like that, but little by little I've let it drop that I don't send cards anymore. Some people might think I'm wrong not to send cards, but at least they don't feel personally slighted, thinking they were dropped from my list.

 

And now when we get cards, I know it's because the person wants to send one. They don't do it because they feel obligated, or because I sent them one.

[jenn-]

I wasn't going to do Christmas cards this year. I had never sent them just a few years back, but then I signed up for an online forum card exchange so I couldn't send to "strangers" without sending to family as well. This year though, I wasn't going to do them. I didn't want to plain and simple. Then Friday rolled around. DH looks at me, "Hey I need a card to send to XYZ, where's the stack?" Me, "Uh, at the store?" He gives me "the look". I made Christmas cards. I uploaded a photo to Costco late Friday night, DH picked them up early Saturday morning, I printed my list from Outlook straight to the envelopes, stuffed and stamped them all in the span of 2 hours time. They went out on Monday. Next year, I'll warn him that we aren't doing Christmas cards.

[woolybear]

The only year I ever sent Christmas cards was when my first son was a baby. We sent a picture of him. After that I didn't find the time. Then maybe it was the money and now I don't really see the point. My parents never sent Christmas cards and they were just fine. So we don't either. Whew. One less thing I "have" to do.:)

[MamaT]

I stopped sending them years ago. It was just one more thing to make me frazzled during the holidays. I would like to start sending C-Mas letters to update people we rarely see on the goings-on of our family - maybe next year. :001_smile:

[saja1029]

I hate sending Xmas cards....just one more thing to do! Last year, we nixed sending them because my son was sick and we just weren't feeling the spirit. Got all kinds of grief about it.....whatever :confused:

 

This year we sent photocards of the kids to those who I actually thought would care- older relative, out of state friends, etc.

 

Isn't it strange to get a photocard of kids you don't even know?? I mean, like you don't even know their names or that the people even had kids! Just saying :)