Are Christmas Cards a Waste?

Christmas cards, along with other seasonal/holiday/occasion cards are indeed overpriced, expensive to mail, and are often discarded when all is said and done, but for many (myself included), being able to select a special card for someone just has a way of helping to brighten my day, and I know those who I exchange cards with, it helps brighten their day, too, and because I have a short and distinguished list as to who I buy cards for, I don't allow the expense to get in the way.
 

No personal cards in my mailbox have showed up yet.....unless you count the ones from all the charities requesting money, I doubt many respond to those mailings and the charity spends loot mailing them out, money that could have been better spent.

I did send out a few cards to special people who I know send out themselves.
 
Aunt Marg said:
What happened, Gaer, where you decided not to send any out this year?
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Hahahaha! I honestly don't know! I'm involved in several art projects right now, writing magazine articles, poetry, children's books, and am studying literature, philosophy, physics and really involved in my bronze sculpting. I might call some of my relatives at Christmas to let them know I'm still alive and kicking! I'm kind of the weird duck of the family anyway! hahahahaha!
 
Gaer said:
Hahahaha! I honestly don't know! I'm involved in several art projects right now, writing magazine articles, poetry, children's books, and am studying literature, philosophy, physics and really involved in my bronze sculpting. I might call some of my relatives at Christmas to let them know I'm still alive and kicking! I'm kind of the weird duck of the family anyway! hahahahaha!
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Well, Gaer, you're staying occupied, and that's all that matters.

Kudos to you on all the projects you're working on! :love:
 
Lee said:
With cheap long distance nowadays it's cheaper to make a call than buying a card and postage.
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Indeed, it is, but there's something so warm about seeing a card in the mailbox addressed to you, then opening the envelope and holding the car in your hands and reading it. The words inside hand-written by someone and with meaning, and then setting that same card out for days, sometimes weeks to reflect upon again and again.
 

Are Christmas Cards a Waste?​


I always thought they were
My lady would string 'em all up over the hearth
Years later, the incoming cards kinda dissipated, so she'd string up the old ones
(yeah, she kept 'em)
Now?
I made four cards, for my four long time buds
Kinda fun
My lady bought a few at the dollar store to tuck money into for the grands
(we have seventeen grands, so that adds up)

Otherwise, online cards/wishes seem best these days
 
I get maybe one a year...from Rick's step daughter, who encloses her son's most recent school pictures. He graduates next year, so not sure if they will continue after. I stopped sending them years ago, usually preferring to call or send an email greeting.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Indeed, it is, but there's something so warm about seeing a card in the mailbox addressed to you, then opening the envelope and holding the car in your hands and reading it. The words inside hand-written by someone and with meaning, and then setting that same card out for days, sometimes weeks to reflect upon again and again.
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Especially if the person takes the time to write a personal note or short letter--always better then just a signature--a few words mean a lot to many lonely people these days.
 
Before the days of easy electronic communication, cards for the Holidays were something special and families looked forward to them. When I was a kid, (30's-40's) my folks would rarely even make a long distance call as , to them, it was too costly. Christmas cards were an annual "catch up on the news" note, sometimes accompanied by a separate letter in the envelope.

Toady we have a very small list. Mostly old acquaintances who we don't communicate with, except for the Holiday greeting and note. If people still enjoy the sending and receiving, so-be-it.
 
To my maternal grandmother, it seemed cards were even more important that gifts. She kept a notebook of who she sent to and who she received. If she sent one and didn't receive one back from that person, they were eliminated from her book, She tacked them around her archways and hung them on strings he put across the room near the ceiling. Since she owned waterfront property, she ran a guest house in the summer and she sent cards to the people that had stayed there. Some reciprocated, some didn't.
 
To us, a card and/or a thoughtful note received in the mail is a gift. We love receiving them. The confirmation that another was thinking of us and cared enough to make the effort to reach out is always heartwarming. A simple note on plain paper is just as good as a $7 card.

We, particularly my wife, send out many at Christmas time and throughout the year. We do send far more than we receive, but "giving to get" has never been our way.
 
I do not buy expensive or fancy ones any longer. I bought two boxes of cards at Walmart for about $6.and they are nice. I write special messages to the ones I send out. I do not send that many out, mostly to my cousins and my aunt. It is a way of connecting to them at Christmas. In my apartment building we exchange cards. I open my door and my basket that hangs outside the door is full of cards.When I open a card, I smile. If I can make someone else smile by what I spent a few minutes on, then it is worth it.
 
I have this software, Hallmark Card Studio, which lets me choose from a large variety of stock cards or design my own. I used to send a lot of cards, but now it's down to a select few people. These are people I feel close to, so our cards are personal and meaningful.
 
Well, I have to say that I do feel special when I receive one now. In the past EVERYONE that you ever met sent a card. In today’s world not so much so when I DO get one, it feels special to me. We only send out a few. Special ones for some of our immediate family and maybe a dozen or so to elderly friends who are alone and so look forward to personal mail.
 
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