Are Christmas cards dying out?

podperson

I'm early 30s. I send cards to close family and that's it now. It does seem like a bit of a waste of money and paper to me - especially as I see most of the people around xmas anyway but they're mainly an older generation and I know say my mum and gran like getting cards so will make the effort for them.
I don't buy them for friends my own age. I used to but tbh I rarely got any back and since a lot of my friends are guys I don't think they really bother all that much about cards.

Birdy12

Lifeisbutadream wrote: »

I hate them!

I havent sent cards for about 5 yearsnow and its starting to show in the ones coming back to me, I get less and less every year, which is fine by me I hate them cluttering everywhere up!

The kids seem to like sending them, which is fine as it encourages them to write, but they sort their own out, im not getting involved.

I think in this day and age where we can contact people in a millisecond, there is no need for expensive, old fashioned traditions (unless you want to of course!)

ETA - im 39

Ditto.

I send two (Mum would be most narked if I didn't).

DS sends none (not interested at his age).

DD sends as many as she can.

OH sends two (one of them to me, but I wouldn't be fussed if he didn't).

I suspect (and feel free to shoot me down on this) there are some people out there who send LOADS each year so they can received LOADS back and, thus, feel popular . Obviously, correct me if I'm wrong...

Oh, and 40.

lazer

I lvoe Christmas cards!

I love sitting on front of the fire writing them with the christmas music in the background!

I love receiving christmas cards too, makes the house look all christmassy - I am not one for the new fangled Christmas decorations with everything matching etc.

I like the multi-coloured christmas lights, the random decorations on the tree etc.

margaretclare

The tradition of sending Christmas cards started way back in the 1840s with the introduction of the Penny Post - before then, if you received an item of mail it was the recipient who paid. It was a revolutionary idea, paying one penny and knowing it would be delivered, often on the same day!!

That's the history lesson. For me (mid-to-late 70s) it's probably the only bit of Christmas, apart from going to church, that I still do. I've gradually left off almost everything else. Don't buy presents, don't have Christmas food.

There are people I exchange cards with whom I never hear from at any other time. I've tried stopping sending cards altogether but I still get them. Even when they include a typed screed with photos included, about all that the family has done/achieved during the year, where they've gone on holiday, what exam results they achieved, who's been born, married, died etc. All this will be particularly painful for me this year.

I don't get cards from most family members. I do get them from my stepdaughter and my late daughter's best friend, who was my matron-of-honour. Apart from that, as already said, it's people I only hear from once a year.

I don't 'give' cards to people I see normally - neighbours etc. Only people I don't see otherwise. And I can't boast about what family members are doing, apart from step-family. I can write about where we went on holiday. But when we do that, what's the point of a card as well? Added to which, it's a costly exercise now. The price of postage puts it out of court. I can also communicate by email, send e-cards etc. And you're wrong that 'many of the older generation are technologically-challenged'. DH has been a volunteer and has set up skype etc for 90-year-olds! It's not rocket science as they say. You just have to want to do it and to see how it can enrich life in lots of ways.

Gra76

I'm 36 and I haven't sent a Christmas card since I was at school back in the 90's.

I have no plans to either. They're expensive, people generally don't appreciate them and they end up in the bin. Complete waste of money imho.

If you want to put cards up on your walls to make it feel like Christmas then buy your own and re-use them every year. At least then you can colour co-ordinate them with your wallpaper...

System

I send them to family and close friends only.

GooliesOfFire

I don't send cards and I don't receive any. Same at work I don't do cards. I don't do Birthday cards either. I phone people.

My now 4 years old son get's Christmas Tree and presents but Santa or Father Christmas whatever you call it have no meaning to him.

My in-laws live in Asia and are Buddhists so obviously they know nothing about sending/receiving Christmas cards. In Korea they don't even do normal postcards.

Emmarillo

I like buying and sending Christmas cards, and send to all out family and friends plus do the ones for husbands work colleagues/contacts BUT I don't much like receiving them. My daughters are still at an age where they send and receive hundreds, and we end up with far too many to display. I put up the first that arrive but then they just end up in a stack. I think I'll put up a string in the girls room to hang them on, then that'll be theirs out of the way! For me its not about feeling popular as the majority of the cards we get aren't for me!

bestpud

I don't send them as I've never seen the point.

Most people I know are either local and I see them often, or not local and I communicate with them on FB most days. In either case, I can wish them a happy christmas without the need for a card.

I probably would send a few, or maybe an email version, if I had close friends and/or relatives spread around the world though.

kara7758

I'm 54. I stopped sending Christmas cards to work colleagues, acquaintances etc and now only send to close friends and family.

In place of buying cards I buy something from Oxfam's charity gifts including getting my nieces one each as a stocking filler.

Link:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/christmas/charity-gifts