Have you received any holiday cards in the mail?

[Phentex]

I know it's a dying concept but we usually receive at least 20 or so.

So far, aside from the bulk mail card from Jimmy Carter, we have received one in the mail. We don't use Facebook so I have no idea if that's what people are doing instead of cards.

Do you send them? Have you gotten any yet?

[underpants]

1. Just got 3 out of the mailbox this morning.

[Siwsan]

2. I haven't sent them, in years

I used to get one from the company I worked for, but now the only ones I get are usually from my bank.

I did get a lovely, personalized serving platter from my financial advisor. Much nicer than a card!

[gopiscrap]

3. 2

[Frustratedlady]

4. I have received 4, which is the highest I've heard (sound like Trump?)

I've asked others how they were doing and the highest was 3. I haven't sent any yet, but will. I usually send 50 or so, but will cut back this year, I guess.

Sad!

[AJT]

5. I stopped sending cards last year. I sent out an email letting people know we won't

be mailing cards. I will call people I'm close with on Christmas eve and day. Sitting and mindlessly signing cards was an insincere act.

[LuckyCharms]

6. Yes, maybe 10 to 15 so far. That is less than previous years. n/t

[tymorial]

7. I have a large family and we always exchange cards

I have 25 at the moment. Ours are just going out today. We are sending 40

[SamKnause]

8. ...

1

[PragmaticDem]

9. I got 4 this year.

I never bother to send any cards out. Facebook is good for that stuff.

[hlthe2b]

10. only one--early and actually personalized-- from CHEWY.COM (!)

It was also my early card (and frankly nicest one) last year.

BTW,
Chewy.com was a family owned business bought out by PetSmart and I was afraid that would be that with them. But, they do still manage it and so far, not much has changed except they apparently have become "bigger".

[CountAllVotes]

13. and they charge tax now ...

and they now sell the poison that killed my beloved cat!

I'm now a customer of petflow.com ...

[hlthe2b]

18. I am really sorry to hear about your kitty. That is so painful.

[CountAllVotes]

19. Yes I contacted them when they began selling *it*

I received a robot reply.

My friend, who is a doctor turned vet in retirement, wrote them a very long concise, detailed letter about this poison and she too got the robot reply.

When you go corporation, everything is up for grabs, including the life of you and your beloved pets.

I too received a Xmas card from them. Not quite sure what to think of it.

Merry Xmas and we sell that poison at a discount is one message I got from it loud and clear!

[hlthe2b]

20. Interesting, but I have gotten call-backs several times about issues

Once (after the merger) from one of the original founders. I don't know if that has changed, or they just have put crappy folks in charge of their comments/questions online.

I assume your physician friend likewise went to Veterinary School? I had a friend who did both.

[CountAllVotes]

25. She has been taking courses on feline health/behavior

They cost a fortune, I know that much.

At present, she has 32 cats she is caring for! 32!

And I thought three was a load!

As for the people at Chewy, I've often got some guy named "Matt" on the phone. He does nothing and has no power to do anything. I asked him, "What will you say/do when you get a call from a devastated pet owner telling you their pet has died from this crap you are selling?". He has no reply to my query.

I may continue to buy from them if desperate but otherwise I'm getting a better deal via auto-ship on petflow.com.

[Phentex]

24. I forgot about that one!

got one of those as well. I have had very good service with them since I've been using them.

[PatrickforO]

11. Yes, we've gotten maybe four or five.

We don't send them out any more. I think the last time we sent out holiday cards was maybe 2007 or so. After that, it just went by the wayside, because...why?

Well, I can get in touch with everyone I know and care to stay in touch with instantly through email, text or even telephone/skype. My wife had relatives in Beijing at one point, and she skyped with them at least once a week. Just no need to send a card at Christmas.

Then, it became faddish to send a synopsis of how you spent the year - the places you went, the things you did, events in your family. These got to the point where they covered both sides of an 8.5X11 sheet, complete with photos.

Not everybody can pull that off, though. I have a delightful cousin, in her mid-70s, who sends one of these each year. Hers is usually two pages or more, because she travels all over the world. She's a great lady, and I actually look forward to her little synopsis at the end of each year.

Others in my family, not so much, because you just get some pictures and that's it.

Truly, if you look at the names of people in your old fashioned address book and actually think it through, there is no real reason to send cards to those with whom you've not had any contact the entire year. Is there?

[CountAllVotes]

12. Six (6) so far

and sent off 11 yesterday!

I got one from Ireland (Made in Ireland btw!) that has a lovely Xmas greeting in Gaelic! Its a keeper!

[femmocrat]

14. Two.

I will send out about a dozen. Most of the relatives that I used to keep in touch with have passed away, sadly.

[redstatebluegirl]

15. We have gotten 3 or 4 this year.

We had a friend take a picture of us with the pups, I sent out about 20 or so to family and friends. It is dying off though.

[DinahMoeHum]

16. 7 so far. . .and more coming.

I usually send cards to those associates and loved ones I normally don't see during the year. To me, it's tacky to send e-mails or e-cards for them.

[CountAllVotes]

17. Those tend to be the same

The ones you pay X amount of $ per year for -- e-cards by Jacquie Lawson in particular seems to have quite a monopoly on this business. Click on the tree, click on the stocking, click click click ...

I don't even listen to these cards. I play/delete them as the keep sending them to you until you read/play the dumb thing(s).

Needless to say I agree w/you. They are tacky!!

[beveeheart]

21. Have received 15 so far, sent 20.

Only 1 card had typed page and a half of their family news, 2 had short hand-written notes.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

22. No. We usually don't send any, and usually

only get them from family with little kids. We did get several boxed gifts, though. And my wife sends 5 to 10 gifts every year.

[freddyvh]

23. excluding

ones from businesses, I have gotten 6.

including those?
18

the best was from my old Vet.
They included a pic of my doc that went to sleep 2 1/2 years ago

[Skittles]

35. I do hope you meant dog

very nice gesture indeed

[freddyvh]

39. oops

[Binkie The Clown]

26. In my 72 years I've never sent a Christmas card and never received one.

It's a waste of resources, like paying a dollar for a plastic bottle full of 5 cents worth of iced tea. It's just plain outrageously stupid.

[janterry]

27. My financial adviser

He sent one to my teen daughter, as well

[Historic NY]

28. Yes mostly from people afar.

[Golden Raisin]

29. 3 so far. I sent snail-mail, traditional cards my entire adult life

(and I'm not young) but this is the year I stopped sending any.

[Sanity Claws]

30. No personal ones

A couple from businesses.

I stopped sending cards about ten years ago. There was a time when I used to send out 20 to 40 every year.
Times have changed.

[FSogol]

31. Sent 46, have gotten 7 so far. We'll end up getting just under 20.

[llmart]

32. Only received one so far...

I'd actually be glad to see this tradition go away. Let's face it. They mostly get thrown in the trash after the holidays anyway. Such a waste of resources and money.

I only sent a few - probably 6 altogether to people in other states that I've known for years but rarely get to see.

[Kali]

33. three so far

didn't check the mail yesterday or today though. one is a super special custom photograph one. one is from a hiking club that hikes out here in the spring. the third was from my sister, actually it is a homemade photo as well. I may get my lame boxed cards sent before x-mas, but don't bet on it!

[Skittles]

34. I have received nine so far

I sent out about 35; many I receive quite late - some after Christmas

on a sad note, my great aunt in England, to whom I snail-mailed for 55 years, passed a few days ago at a nursing home, with my Christmas card near her...she was 93

[hermetic]

41. Ooh, so sorry for your loss

What a nice way for you to remember her, though.

[Skittles]

42. yes

I still snail-mail her husband, who is in another nursing home.....I sent them the same card, and told him hers had the same stickers on the envelope....he liked that

[UTUSN]

46. I knew you are a Big Softie

[Phentex]

50. So sorry...

but a sweet story, indeed.

[mnhtnbb]

36. For 25 years I wrote a holiday letter

to go with the card we sent to a list of 80-100 people. The list was getting smaller every year. Each card also had a hand written personal message.

This year I separated from my husband in early November. No letter or cards going out from me this year. Have received one card from my vet. I suspect any other cards are being received by my husband who is living in our house and cards addressed to both of us will go to him and not be forwarded to me.

Kind of a sad end to a tradition. I kept a book of our letters and cards that we sent and the 25 years worth make a rather nice synopsis of the high points over the years.

[Duppers]

38. So sorry to hear...

about your separation. That a real bummer. 😟

Although I've never had the energy to write long personal notes for each card and never mailed more than 30-something, I still like the tradition. I'm sentimental.

Most people I now sent cards to live far and wide, even in the UK and China. We're all too busy to write much.

My thoughts on cards...
- theyre a friendly wave to say hi and say we still think about you. I thinks it makes people happy to know that they're being thought of.
- hubs and I like getting the family pics and news.
- we send to folks in their 80's and 1 90yo who never uses email.
- we are flattered to receive the cards.

Otherwise, this old atheist is a bit of a humbug on C'mas. Hubs and I never exchange Christmas gifts and except for our son, we buy very few gifts for family and friends. My tree for the last 5 yrs has been our tall old potted Norfolk pine with some tinsel roping thrown on it.

To each his own. I try not to knock the traditions of others.

[Phentex]

56. If you mentioned this in another post, I am sorry missed it...

I hope your true friends will seek out your new address and surprise you.

When my kids were little, the cards were of them and the dogs. I framed them and have them hanging up. It's fun to see how much the kids have grown and remember the good times with those pups!

[RobinA]

37. Call Me Crazy

but I love getting and receiving Christmas cards. I sent out 19 today, down from about 25. People keep dying. I won’t get that many because lot of people seem to have stopped sending them. Thinking of other people is one of those things people have no time for anymore. My father died this year and not one of my friends thought to send a card or a flower. My mother got some addressed to us all and it was really nice to get them at a sad time. But then, I still send post cards. I like to get them too. Or would if I ever got any.

[Phentex]

52. Crazy RobinA!

I am a letter writer. Note cards and birthday cards and post cards occasionally. I enjoy surprising someone with a real piece of mail every now and then. But I have scaled back on cards at holiday times.

I had pen pals at an early age and the thrill never wore off!

[hermetic]

40. Jimmy Carter!

Yes, OMG, I have been getting a card for what...40 some years now? Without fail. I think I have the very first one saved somewhere. And I have never sent him one back.

Otherwise, I just mailed out my 4 yesterday, all to relatives and I expect 4 in return. I will keep the really pretty ones until it's time to move again and I need to lighten the load.

Merry Christmas!

[Glorfindel]

43. Yes, I love sending and receiving cards; always have.

I sent about 30 this year. I have received eight so far. That's really not many compared to the numbers I used to send and receive, but my siblings are all dead and so are most of my first cousins. Just a natural process of attrition as one grows older. My nieces and nephews are very thoughtful, though, for which I am grateful.

[Phentex]

59. I think you're right...

but it seems like as the kids had kids, so to speak, they'd send cards and that would make up for those who had passed away. Now, I don't think they do that anymore.

Happy to hear you have some good relatives. I am down to one aunt and a few cousins on one side of the family. I send them a card and they always tell me how much they look forward to it.

[Wolf Frankula]

44. I received a 'Happy Holidays' card in Vietnamese

for people who have never lived here.

WTF?

Wolf

[crazycatlady]

45. The annual one from my sister

With an adorable pic of her girls.

I've recently received junk mail disguised as holiday cards too.

[Luciferous]

47. We've gotten 4

[Algernon Moncrieff]

48. We've received several, and we send out about 40

We send a card and enclose a letter with family news of the preceding year.

Older friends and family send Hallmark-type cards; younger members tend to send the family photo cards you can get via Target, Costco, Shutterfly, etc.

[murielm99]

49. Two.

We still have some older family members who send out those Christmas letters. I am waiting for those.

One is quite funny. She tells us all the bad news about health woes, deaths, accidents, etc. Then she wishes us happiness in the coming year and has a sentence or two about how wonderful everything is in her neck of the woods.

[Phentex]

57. Ha! I think we are down to two of those letters...

and I love them both. They are excellent humor writers and don't include health issues or bragging about trips and such.

I've mentioned the crazy ones we have had over the years, like the couple who described in excruciating detail all of their home renovations.

[Sophia4]

51. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[tblue37]

53. I don't send them--haven't since about 1980. If I get one with a letter, I

appreciate it, but without a letter, cards are a waste of paper and stamps.

[Cattledog]

54. Yes indeed!

[CrispyQ]

55. I get annual update cards from a few friends.

I like them - a photo on one side & a family update on the other. I have over 20 years of cards from one friend. I however, don't send cards, or celebrate Christmas. Ba, humbug.

[greatauntoftriplets]

58. I've had three so far.

It's good to know that I'm not the only one.