Christmas Cards.

[Nishu]

I hate them.

Really.

I don't really get the point. Maybe they started out at something sweet, perhaps a yearly letter to relatives you don't see often? You go to the store, you buy a box of preprinted, mass produced cards that have some nice holiday themed picture and some sappy wishes of well being... and then you sign the bottom, address it, and pop it in the mail with about 20 other cards.


Why? Do we do it because we really want to wish someone Merry Christmas and a phone call or a hand written letter is too tough? Do we do it because everyone else does? Do we really read each and every card and say "Hey, that's moving, I need to send my gramps this card because it expresses my sentiments exactly!

I just don't understand the point. It's stressful, impersonal, and really not that wonderful to recieve. No, I haven't ruled out the fact that I'm just ungrateful. Honestly I don't even read the print inside.

I do send cards, but when I do, I always write a short letter on the inside. If I have nothing to say in a letter to that person, I don't bother sending them a card.

So what's up, guys? Am I just a dirtbag?

[Momto2Boyz]

I agree with the impersonal messages in the cards. I'm not a huge fan of store bought cards.

We make our own cards every year. I make my own recycled pulp paper, then I either paint, draw, paper-piece the card, or one year, I had my son color a Christmas picture, and then I shrank it and photocopied it onto each card. I enjoy doing it, which is why we do it that way. It gives me a creative outlet. I have some relatives that love it, and some who poo poo me and tell me I have too much time on my hands (and you know what? those people no longer recieve cards from us. period.)

So, I agree and disagree. The majority of the cards we receive either come with photos or family newsletters, so I get a huge kick out of seeing our friends & families kids grow up and hearing about what they are doing! So I do enjoy receieving them!

[geckoace]

i am amazed that you make you own paper and then make the cards....i aspire to be you but i am a mess LOL

i was just having a conversation with my sister about this last nite. i send a photo card, i do not sign it, there is a message printed on it and last year i printed out address labels (not because im too lazy but because my handwriting is atrocious and the previous year almost half of my cards came back undelivered and i had to re-address them .....sigh) this year i had dh do some of them

personally i am grateful to anyone who sends me any recognition at the holidays or anytime, i dont poo poo people store bought cards or well wishing emails. and i wish that anyone who wishes my cards were more personal would let me know so that i could skip them save a couple pennies......hmm that does not sound christmasy of me

Nishu i dont think youre a dirtbag we all are entitled to our feelings, im sure the people who send you the cards do not intend to be impersonal

[Katybird]

I think that Christmas cards are a nice way to say that you are thinking of the recipient and that you wish them a happy and prosperous new year. I can only speak for myself but I never mind getting a store purchased card, it still tells me that someone thought enough of me to take the time to send a card my way. I do not enjoy talking on the phone so appreciate a card as a way of sending a holiday greeting.

[freebs]

I like to receive cards, i send out only 5 to family all the rest of them i send out are ones for online card swaps!

[LynnLC]

I don't do christmas cards. Guess I'm a scrooge. lol

[pip]

I like to receive any Christmas/Holiday card, but my favorites are the ones with pictures. We send picture cards of our family every year and people tell us that they look forward to seeng them.

[IntlMom]

I don't do them......ever!

[Nishu]

Ok, just to make myself clear... I don't mean to "poo poo" at anyone personally for sending them out. I'm more poo pooing at the whole concept in general. There's a difference, right?

Should I send out a card for people who send me one, even if I wasn't planning on it originally? I dunno. I'm not good with these matters!

[Jeanna]

My concept of Christmas Cards is this. There are people I see or even talk to only once or twice a year because of one reason or another and I can't afford to send them a present or even call them sometimes. I have always thought that sending them a Christmas card is a way to let them know that during this season, which is about love, that I am thinking about them. That they mean something to me. I think it is a shame that people do not take the time to send them like they used to. Oh and I usually write a note in the ones I send. Just my 2 cents.

[perSue]

i think it depends on who is doing the giving of the card.
one place i worked at a long time ago, the cards were a competitive thing... each family going out and taking "special" pictures & putting them on cards & "who gave the nicest card" was all anyone talked about.

sometimes a card is a way of saying i dont wanna deal with you this year. And rather than spend a lotta money on something they wont like or will complain about, send a card... if you really wanna go all out, slip a GC in there.

otherwise i dont send cards. if i like you well enough, i'll get/make you a gift. i'll TELL you "happy yule" or whatever.

besides, it kills trees & ends up in the landfill anyway. why waste the postage?

[HandyMom]

I only send out 17 cards. I do it because I think the people I send to appreciate it. I like to receive cards and I tape them to my front door so I am looking at them often and I also save them. I take a lot of time picking cards out even when I buy a whole box and I always keep one for myself to save.

I also collect old valentine cards from the 30's and up. I love cards!

[Neeley]

I love to send out cards. I send them out several times a year. I have 10 friends and family members I send each a card to for Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and thier birthdays.

The way I see it, most people only get crappy stuff in the mail like bills and junk mail. Why not send someone a card, so they can get "happy mail" for a change. Getting a card makes me smile. It is nice to go to the mailbox and unexpectedly get a card. It reminds me that someone out there was thinking of me. If I can put a smile on someone's face and just let them know they were thought of with something as simple as a card, then I do it.

An elderly lady I know lost her hubby a few years ago. I sent her a card once a week for a little over a year. She later wrote me and told me how much she looked forward to my cards. She said it helped her get through some of the toughest moments and how much it meant to her. Her letter confirmed to me I was doing the right thing by sending out cards to those I love. I still send her cards a few times a year. I know she really appreciates them and she knows she has a special place in my heart.

[madhen]

I like getting cards, although for years, I have sent them to a dozen or more family members and NEVER get one back! I like sending them anyway, and I typically write a short message on them. I look at it this way: I don't have time to sit down and write a letter to each and every person I am thinking of. If I tried to do that, I would either not get to everyone, or I would just freeze up at the daunting task of writing to everyone and no one would get a letter, or they'd all get basically exactly the same letter.

To me, each card I send is a token, albeit a small one, that the recipient is important enough to me that I will take the proactive step of getting them a card, addressing it, and getting it to the post office. I suspect, however, that if the people who send you cards knew how you felt about them, they would not send them. Not out of ire or spite, but because the spirit in which cards are sent is typically love or affection. I don't send "obligatory" cards. Everyone who gets a card from me gets one because I like them and want to send them a token of my respect and friendship. If I knew that the person getting my cards found them irritating, out of respect for their feelings, I would not send one.

[Patty A]

I send cards, those poopy ones form the store, but they are hand picked because something about them speak to me about the season. I also send cards to wish people happiness, love and good health in the new year, hoping that my simple words might bring a smile or good thought to them letting them know I have been thinking about them. I value my old cards! I have a special box that I keep my cards in. I have kept them for years, and when I get the chance I sit and look thought them. This reminds me of how much I am loved, how much I miss the people that have passed on, and I can almost hear their voices once again from years past.
I value the thought and care that someone would take time from their busy days, write a note, address it and pay the HUGE postage they charge now to simple say....."I am thinking of you today", you know that the time and effort spent on doing Christmas cards is small, and they often bring HUGE returns in that my old cards from my family that are gone is priceless to me! Yes, just an old Christmas card, but filled with memories that no price could ever be set on how much they mean to me......