4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I had a big cull of my list two years ago and removed people I hadn't had any contact with (outwith Christmas) for years. I still get cards from most of them (they obviously don't keep a list of received cards!) and have a slight twinge of guilt (it doesn't last long ).

 

Do you keep sending cards year after year to people you never see or hear from the rest of the year?

[chelsea]

this year I've decided to be harsh and send cards to only people we see or ones that we actually receive cards from. Next year I may not bother to send cards at all!

 

I've cut down on family cards also - always used to send "special" cards printed with "To a special mum/dad" etc but this year have just sent standard ones from a pack.

 

They only get thrown away dont they?

 

Dont feel bad ANH.

[Angels4]

I'm a little embarrassed but I have never sent Christmas cards.

[Egluntyne]

I'm a little embarrassed but I have never sent Christmas cards.

Don't be embarrassed. I am terribly impressed!

 

I'm veering more and more towards the ecard idea. I do send those to many people, but can't quite make the leap to sending them to everyone on my list.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

That sounds like a sensible approach to me, Mark!

 

I find it all a bit of a trial to be honest. I don't mind so much sending to faraway friends with a letter inside (but NOT a 'round robin'!). It's those that do the rounds at work that seem unneccessary. This year we all donated to send an Oxfam goat instead - much less wasteful and might do some good instead of all ending up in the bin.

 

My MIL does seem to find it very important to receive personalised cards - no problem finding cards from the DSs that say 'Nan', but as she is a Brummie she is not Mum but 'Mom'. It's impossible to find a card that says 'Mom' in the UK!

[jlo]

I have not sent cards for the last two years. I write a letter to people who I would like to stay in touch with and send Email messages to those that I can.

 

I also feel guilty when my friends give me a card but I think that it is becoming more normal to not send cards (apologies for the bad grammar in that!!)

 

We stopped sending cards at work a few years ago. My colleague's little girl was very ill and we donated money to the ward where she was being cared for. Sadly, she has since died ( a tragic story in itself) but we still maintain the "no card" policy and still send money to the same ward.

[Bassett]

We had a Christmas card board at work and just pinned 1 card each to all the staff on it, saved writing lots and lots of cards.

 

I've stopped writing to some people on my Christmas Card list who I had no interest in. But there are lots of people from my past lives, who I don't see much anymore, but I enjoy receiving a few lines from them about what they've been up and always write a couple of sentences in my card to them.

[Olly]

I struggle with this too - it's now 11 years since I moved to London, and so I can tell exactly how long it is since I've seen some of the people on my list! But I do like to keep in touch with them and would love to see them again, so they stay on.

 

I've already had two this year from people I haven't sent to - and yes, guilt will probably make me write out a card tonight, although I don't feel guilty enough to buy a first-class stamp so they probably won't arrive till after Christmas! I have not given cards this year to people I see every day though - I sent an email to tell them that I had made a donation to The Smile Train instead.

 

The thing I find hard is culling my address book. There are quite a few names in there of older friends/relatives who have died in the last few years. I can't quite bring myself to delete them, it seems so final; so I just write RIP against their name.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I am a bit sad, I have computer spreadsheet as my card list. Every New Year I go through all the cards we have recieved and delete those people that we didn't hear from.

 

I agree it does seem a bit final when you have to delete someone who has died, that hovering the cursor over the name and hitting delete........

[BERTIE MCSQUIRTY]

i dont really do cards either - i send cards to a handful of people who live far away with a little penned update, but other than that i dont send any others.

[Cooks]

I only send to family members near and far and close friends to be honest. I have chopped and chopped my list over the years.

[redfrock]

I must admit I cull my address book every time I move .... ie. fairly frequently, having moved every 2 or 3 years over the last 13 years or so. Hopefully we shall be staying here for a bit longer than that, but I actually found it quite cathartic removing those people who were emotional drains or who I had found over time to be quite unpleasant. It sounds awful I know. I have relocated around the country over the years so it has been quite easy to do.

 

I also have a spreadsheet of all those I send Christmas cards to . It is more because I can update it easily as my friends have more children so that I don't forget their names and also tend to stop and start card writing so this way I can highlight the ones I have done and not miss anybody off it. This year though I have started my card writing incredibly late and so made a decision to only send to those I really wanted to stay in touch with and so quite a few names dropped off the list. I feel terribly guilty about it, but I am sure my name has probably also dropped off quite a few lists too. I know that a lot of my friends don't even send cards now.

 

At work we also used to buy goats, water, bees and the like rather than the secret santa / Christmas card route, and all put £5 into the kitty. I really liked this idea.

 

However I do still enjoy sending cards to those who I am close to and those who I may not see frequently but who are still in my thoughts.

 

I did however say today I ought to buy a new address book, given the state of this one (ie. names crossed out and a certain couple of people who have upset me badly in the past whos name's I'd rather not see again) but like others have mentioned, there is a very close friend of ours, part of a 'couple', in there, who died, having been killed by a drunk driver, and that just makes it more difficult to update the new book to just the one name.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Guest

[Cinnamon]

I find it hard too, but must say that my Christmas card list has blossomed since joining this forum

 

I have just one card here on my desk to deliver still, to someone I adore but who I have not seen for over a year.I have never had a card from her,& would never expect one,but still want to send her my love at this time of year

[Jillus]

 

I agree it does seem a bit final when you have to delete someone who has died, that hovering the cursor over the name and hitting delete........

 

 

I have two friends on Net messenger that have died in the last year and are listed as 'offline' and I can still not bring myself to delete them, ditto in my email address book. But when I see the names it does make me smile and think fondly of them.

[Lesley]

I culled my list a few years ago and now only send cards to people i don't see often. I don't send cards to family that I see all the time and I send charity e-cards to others. My e-card list has grown at about the same rate as the forum has grown!

 

I only post 10 cards within the UK and 3 to the US.

[Karen & co.]

It is hard to decide to stop sending a card to people, but last year I had a severe dressing down in the form of a note inside a card from a friend who we hadn't managed to see for some time

 

Basically she told me to keep in touch as she was busy, and I should make more effort to maintain the friendship

 

I'm afraid to say I haven't sent her one this year

 

Karen x

[Lesley]

....and you're not busy of course?

[Egluntyne]

It is hard to decide to stop sending a card to people, but last year I had a severe dressing down in the form of a note inside a card from a friend who we hadn't managed to see for some time

 

Basically she told me to keep in touch as she was busy, and I should make more effort to maintain the friendship

 

I'm afraid to say I haven't sent her one this year

 

Karen x

 

 

Good Lord!

 

I wouldn't bother sending her one next year either. Why should you do all the running.

 

I can feel another radiator v drain thread coming on.

[Karen & co.]

I do find it strange that with some people you have to work at maintaining the friendship, and with others the same length of time can pass between visits or phone calls and it was as if it were the day before when you last got in touch I guess that's just the way the world turns

 

Karen x

[crazygal]

I keep a Christmas card list each year, and I have to say I find it a really emotional process- there are usually one or two names that have to be crossed off because they have died (I always shed a quiet tear- it seems so final ), but then I also add names for friends' babies that have been born during the year,

 

for example this year I had to cross off a very dear relative, but then added two new names of babies- there is a real sychnronicity to this- without wanting to get too deep- a kind of circle of life thing?

 

As for ditching people, well I ditched two people that I used to work with over 10 years ago when I lived in another part of the country and they still sent to me this year (one with a letter) so I've re-sent to them now

 

However, some of my closest friends don't do cards, so I don't bother either with them- a hug and a "merry christmas" suffices!!!

 

What I do adore is receiving cards from people that I didn't really know a year ago...I think its lovely to make new friends over the course of one year...I really am sentimental!!

[Guest]

I know what you mean about deleting people from lists etc....

 

My mum died 4 years ago now, but my brother still lives in her house! Her name is still against her number on my phones........it's comforting somehow!

 

I love snowdrops because of her (thats another story) and always look out for cards with them on! People who know the significance to me often e-mail me when they see the first snowdrop in their gardens! ....just as she used to do! - I planted hundreds in her garden and my brother rings me now when he sees the first one in flower!

 

Happy christmas everyone!

 

Louise

[freddie]

Happy Christmas everyone!! We send a card to each of our customers, to say thanks for the support, but havent sent to all of them this year, ran out of time!!

Personal cards are very sp"Ooops, word censored!", only to people we dont see, I dont get standing handing each other cards at all....

my kids have never done the card thing at school; they give some money to a charity of their choice and tell averyone what they've done and why

I think the cut back on cards has been a big plus for the recession!!

Love,

Scrooge

[Seagazer]

Oh dear - I didn't send a card to a friend in Hong Kong this year as for the last couple of years she has just stuck a general round robin typed letter in the card. I got a bit sniffy this year and thought - I won't bother. Guess what's turned up this year? Yes, a handwritten letter in a card I think I shall have to go with the idea that my card must have got lost in the post

[Hen Watch]

I reckon this is the only up side of the credit crunch. I just keep saying to friends "no cards this year, credit crunch, saving the environment and all that....."

 

I have not sent a single card this year........ not one. And I haven't told anyone and quite frankly "Ooops, word censored!"ody has noticed. I've saved a fortune in cards and stamps and when friends at school were handing out cards I just said I'm not sending any this year and everyone seemed OK (well to my face anyway......!!).