Who has stopped sending out Christmas cards?

[mainstreetmagic]

I stopped sending out cards a few years ago. I used to do it for EVERYONE - but then I noticed that I was the ONLY one that did that. I would send out 50, and get back maybe 2. So because it doesn't seem like anyone else in my circle is 'into' sending out Christmas cards, I just kind of stopped. And nobody has ever said a word to me either way, so now I just use the money that I would have spent on postage and junk to pay for another present for my daughter.

 

[samshane]

Last year I sent out 50 Christmas cards - I received 6.

The year before I got 15 or so.

I told Dh I was not doing it this year and if he wanted to do it himself, he could. He said he might - but I haven't seen him taking any action so I think our Christmas card days are over.

 

[buzz5985]

I love sending cards and receiving them. I don't keep count on those received and cut back. It's all about the holiday spirit. I have a tree that the cards a placed on and everyone that visits during the holidays always seems to enjoy the presentation. I also have old photo cards to show how some of the children have grown. I would love to have the time to personalize each card - but I work 60 hours a week during the Christmas season - so anyone that receives a card from me knows that yes I am thinking of them and love them enough to spend the time to take a picture of DS, order the card, mail the card.

This year we have a new dog - he is about 10 months old. We were in Costco shopping and saw a Snuggie for dogs. We bought it - leopard skin fabric. Then I saw a adult snuggie for DS - so I bought it. He received it at our first family Christmas party last weekend. So the theme is the dog and kid in their matching Snuggies. And the message - Make sure you take the time to Snuggle with your loved ones this Christmas Season.

I love cards!!! Dont stop sending them!!!

 

[mikechan]

We did card when the kids were real small, but stopped after a couple of years. Great feeling when you do it, but too lazy.

 

[iconian]

it is a real phenomena nowadays, people become some kind of "lazy" now.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

This is just in defense of us who are not lazy. I could if I wanted too...go to a photo website...figure out the exact cards that I want...send them to be printed today and picked up...print the address labels...go by the post office and pick up the stamps...stuff all the cards...stamp all the cards...and put address labels all on the cards...and have them ready to go by tonight. That would be 70+ cards...or at least that is what I sent last year. No, there is no personalization, however; it was a simple way to say Merry Christmas...here's how my family looks today.


Some of us just think that the tradition is fading away, and that the ways of communication have changed. No laziness here!


Crystal

 

[SaraJayne]

Mailed all of mine today.

I don't even open e-cards. They go right to the delete file. Too many viruses.

 

[mafibisha]

I have actually passed the job on to my DH the past few years which has meant that they haven't been sent until well after Christmas - March one year!

I LOVE late cards! We get alot between Christmas and New Years and later! The hectic part is over and we can focus on the pictures and messages.

I posted on a similar thread FWIW:


Ya'll, don't worry about sending cards late. Here's our tradition (and also many of our friends) for sending AND receiving:

We like cards as close to Christmas Day possible. Its more like being in person saying Merry Christmas!

During super busy December, we barely glance at the cards we get early. We put them in a cute card holder and then read through them Christmas Eve before dinner. Then we have time to relax and really enjoy the cards and pics andits like our family and friends are (almost) with us with their greetings!

 

[AndreaDM]

I'm not doing them this year either, but not because I don't want to, but because our family dynamics have changed and I'm just not into it this year. I have 21 and 19 year old daughters from a previous marriage and DH and I have a daughter almost 8. We've usually done a photo card of the 3 of them, last year's were of them in Puerto Rico with a message saying we were sending them WARM holiday wishes. Oldest DD moved out the beginning of the year and is living with her boyfriend (whole 'nother story), so it just felt weird sending out pictures of the other two, or even of just the youngest one. Blended families can be tricky sometimes. So anyway, Santa was at DH's work on Sat., so we got some cute pics of DD7, and I'm just sending those to the grandparents and aunts & uncles. That's it! O, I do have a box of generic cards I got on clearance at Target last year that I'll keep around for things like DD's teacher and to attach to a plate of cookies for the neighbor that snow blows our driveway, etc.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I did a photo card this year - last year I did a cute ecard that I put together on www.smilebox.com - it was animated.

 

[Ava]

I rarely sent out cards until we had DD. Now we do photo cards of her. I actually use the cards I get as part of my decorating, I hang them from the bookshelves in the living room. I got that from my mom, she hangs all her Christmas cards along a wall behind the table in her kitchen. So far this year I've only gotten one card though! It's early so hopefully more come, otherwise that one card is going to be pretty lonely.

 

[lpandorf]

Since I had kids (1st born in 2000) I've always taken them to JC Penney and had a nice picture taken and purchased the phot cards from them. This year I don't have the energy or time to stand in line for at least an hour waiting our turn plus the time of getting them ready and driving to the store so just finding some cute vacation pics and making my cards on Shutterfly. I do like to get a nice professional pic of the kids 1x per year, but I think I will take them after the first of the year and the crowds are gone.

 

[DVCBELLE]

We didn't send them out last year...things were hectic and money was tight so my sister and I decided not to send them.

I felt like we got a lot less last year as well...this year my DH is out of work so we definitely aren't sending them.

To be honest - I only liked the ones that had a picture or update in it...it was nice to find out what friends were up to and see pictures of their kids - with facebook I am in contact more often now and am okay not getting as many cards.

Now - my mom on the other hand has TWO HUGE corkboards that she keeps in her entryway that she puts up the photos she receives in her cards each year and she keeps them there all year long - it is fun to look at the pictures and everyone who visits her knows they are there so she still gets a ton of pictures every year - in fact there are people who know if they don't send to her - then she will give them a hard time about it!! So my mom gets a card with a picture of my kids but that is about it!

 

[krcit]

I love receiving the pictures of people's kids. I hang them all up around my kitchen/dining room arch. I keep them all and every year when we get out the decorations, I look through and enjoy seeing how all the kid ahave grown. With that being said, I'm on the fence about sending them this year myself. My kids want nothing to do with taking a picture(15, 12 and 9) and it is such an expense since I send out about 100. I don't know. I'll decide this week. Much easier now then it used to be...I remember taking 3 rolls of film in the hopes of getting 1 decent picture of them, lol.

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

I am still sending -went out today in fact. I will say that if I don't get cards in the mail from you you will fall off my list(older relatives are excluded). I keep all the pictures of the kids on my fridge each year and change them out with the new ones-old ones go in a quick album to look back at all the friends kids thru the years. We have a small (ten or less) tight group that always swap out and I would hate to see it end.

 

[Belle5]

I post so many pics on FB that it almost seems silly to mail one of the family. This might be the first year we call the Christmas card thing quits!

I might have to send something out to older friends who don't have computers or get on FB.

 

[edk35]

I am still sending -went out today in fact. I will say that if I don't get cards in the mail from you you will fall off my list(older relatives are excluded). I keep all the pictures of the kids on my fridge each year and change them out with the new ones-old ones go in a quick album to look back at all the friends kids thru the years. We have a small (ten or less) tight group that always swap out and I would hate to see it end.

I pretty much do exactly what you do. I swap out pictures that people send me when I get their new ones. Sometimes I keep them to compare from year to year.. sometimes I don't. I have slowly dwindled my list down. If I don't hear from someone for say 2 or 3 Christmas card rounds.... I drop ya. If you don't ever pick up the phone or email for say 2 or 3 rounds.. chances are..you are dropped. I just see no reason to stay in touch with people that can't keep in touch but once a year. Everyone has email and more and more people have facebook..so it is easier to stay in touch now compared to years ago. Of course we do stay in touch with our elderly relatives during the year and at Christmas.

 

[Ava]

I post so many pics on FB that it almost seems silly to mail one of the family. This might be the first year we call the Christmas card thing quits!

I might have to send something out to older friends who don't have computers or get on FB.

I send cards to family and closest friends only. Then a week or so after the cards go out I post a scan of it on FB. All of our friends are on FB so they can see it there. (Not many of our friends have kids yet and the ones who do don't send us a card either.) I only send 25-30 cards - although this year we got from Snapfish & had to buy 40 - anyone want a card of some kid you don't know?

 

[bokolo]

We send out about 100 cards per year. All of our family on both sides live all across the country as well as many friends too. We send photo cards of our children. It's nice for people to see them change from year to year. We also send them to local friends and neighbors. We enjoy receiving photo cards from family and friends that we don't get to see very often (or in years). My oldest is 10, and soon he won't want to be a part of the photos, so I know our years of sending out photo cards will be ending soon and we probably wouldn't send out regular Christmas cards without photos. We end up receiving 75+ cards.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Took 2 years off and am back at it. Though I am behind.

I like receiving photos and Christmas letters. But after all the hate regarding Christmas letters, I quit sending that a few years ago.

I stamp my own cards.