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Anyone send Christmas cards anymore?

By Catherine Toth Fox • December 5, 2011 • Musings, The Daily Dish

I had an interesting discussion about greeting cards the other day in, of all places, Twitter.

One friend tweeted that she wasn’t going to send Christmas cards. Another responded she wasn’t, either. Instead, they were going to send e-cards — or some kind of mass electronic greeting — to save on the stress of writing, addressing, stamping and mailing dozens of cards to people who — let’s be honest — will likely toss them come January.

I’m still one of those traditional hold-outs, I guess. I actually enjoy sending out Christmas cards — and, believe it or not, receiving them. I hang them up in my living room as Christmas decorations, gazing at the smiling faces that seem happy to be there. I love it.

But the Internet — and our busier-than-ever lifestyles — have contributed to the decline of traditional greeting cards. According to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times, the Greeting Card Association, the U.S. trade association for the industry, expects 1.5 billion cards to be sold this year, down from 2.7 billion in 1995. One in four consumers don’t plan to send cards this Christmas, pointing to time, expense and hassle as reasons. Of those sending greeting cards, about 20 percent said they planned to send an e-greeting instead and another 11 percent are mailing family newsletters.

Greeting cards may soon become a thing of the past. And that’s depressing to think about.

There are few things I do every Christmas — it’s almost my tradition — and mailing cards is one of them.

Anyone else still sending Christmas cards? Or am I holding onto something that’s slowly become passe?

***

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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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23 Comments

  • Reply David Jackson December 5, 2011 at 2:26 am

    Just not into Christmas cards. Having said that it is a wonderful tradition and you should keep doing it. Everyone needs to celebrate things in their own way.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:41 pm

      I was talking with this woman who said she still values a handwritten thank-you card. But I wonder if she’s a minority now…

  • Reply oldshoes December 5, 2011 at 2:57 am

    nothing beats a Christmas card with a five dollar bill in it!

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:41 pm

      Uh, how about one with a $20? 🙂

  • Reply WildeOscar December 5, 2011 at 4:10 am

    I still send Christmas cards, and will do so again this year. My 15-year-old daughter has been helping her grandfather (my father) prepare his for three years now. At this point, his capacity is so limited that she arrives at his assisted living facility with cards, addresses, and stamps, and she does everything while they talk. This way she gets to know about his life, and friends, and family. I’m sure they don’t mind that the cards are not in his handwriting. She doesn’t mind that he asks her every ninety seconds or so what year she is in at high school or that five minutes after she leaves he has forgotten that she was there. It is a bond that they share. I doubt that she will ever send a paper Christmas card of her own during her lifetime, but she got to experience this preparing and mailing of cards, thinking of the people in a life’s history, in a way that few people her age will.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:42 pm

      What an incredible story. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure your daughter will reflect back on this later in life and be SO glad she did it.

      Great parenting, WildeOscar. 🙂

    • Reply Charla December 20, 2011 at 1:26 pm

      That little story is so nice, thank you for sharing. Absolutely heart warming to think of your 15 year old daughter treating her grandfather with compassion and respect. She will be blessed with this memory for her entire life, and she has enriched another’s life regardless of how long he can recall the kindness.
      Blessings to you as well, obviously a parent who has imbued character in your child.

  • Reply randi December 5, 2011 at 7:11 am

    I send Christmas photo cards.. I know most people throw them away, but I like sending them out, receiving them, and catching a glimpse of mine on the recipient’s fridge (or wall, table, etc).

    I think it was an older tradition that never was picked up by the younger generations. My husband was always included in his parents cards up until we got married (he was 28!), he could care less. My family never sent out cards, and I always felt left out — so as soon as I was married, and especially now that I have a kid, I jumped on the bandwagon. I think it’s a great way to send updates to family and friends that we might not get to see as often!

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:43 pm

      I’m a photo card person, too, actually. I think people like to SEE how we are — instead of just reading. I have a friend who actually saves EVERY PHOTO CARD she receives. I’m talking YEARS worth of cards. So you never know. Your friends might be keeping them, too!

  • Reply M December 5, 2011 at 7:54 am

    Hello Cat, we still do Christmas cards too! We just went to Wardware House this past Saturday and you could take pictures with your pets. We took our dog and 2 cats and got about a dozen pictures on a CD with Santa and Mrs. Claus too.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:44 pm

      Really??? Did you know I’ve never taken a photo with Santa — in my entire life! I should take the pooches down. What a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply Patrick December 5, 2011 at 8:13 am

    I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. Nothing beats someone taking the time to write a note.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:44 pm

      I feel the same way. But I rarely send cards anymore… Maybe it should be my New Year’s resolution!

  • Reply Bumper December 5, 2011 at 8:23 am

    Yes, we still do them, especially now that we have kids. It’s a good chance to take a nice family photo and reconnect with friends from long ago. It does take time and cost some money, but maintaining relationships is worth that to me. We also hang up all the cards we receive — a great reminder that we matter to others, too.

    Email is fine, but there’s something special about knowing someone took the care to sit down and think of you individually. I get that people can feel blasé about it, but I will always choose personal greetings over “celebrating” the holidays in Black Friday lines or knee-deep in pricey gifts that are more commercial than personally meaningful. I hope the tradition lives on. Just like a hand-written thank you notes, it’s one I still believe in.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:45 pm

      It’s nice to know others still value the handwritten note. I wonder if that’s ever going to go out of style…

  • Reply rayboyjr December 5, 2011 at 9:06 am

    Hey Cat … I still like Christmas cards … and I love any card with a personal hand-written message … sure, sometimes the notes are of the generic “best wishes” type … but even that beats a card just signed by someone … heck, sometimes even the signature is printed with the card …

    … it’s sad, but I think Christmas cards are one of those things … whose value may never be as fully appreciated as we once valued them … it’s such a small simple thing to do … but it may mean so much to the recipient …

    … and come on … is it really so stressful and hard to write a short message??? … maybe just a few short sentences … because really, we are sending them out to people we care about, right??? … aren’t they worth taking the time to do it in the first place??? …

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:46 pm

      I agree with you. But, honestly, I do like those mass typewritten letters from people who share everything about what their family has done in the past year. I know folks dread getting them, but I actually like reading about what my friends are doing. it’s a nice way to catch up!

  • Reply zzzzzz December 5, 2011 at 10:04 am

    I’m one who doesn’t throw out all the cards we get, especially the ones with family photos. Some years I’ve even gotten around to scanning them.

    I’d prefer to receive e-cards, since they save me the scanning.

    • Reply Catherine Toth December 6, 2011 at 11:46 pm

      Scanning them! Now that’s a great idea!

  • Reply Charla December 20, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    Hey Cat,
    You hang in there. I will too. And we will proceed with what I consider, at the least, a charming throwback to a day bygone. Personally, I hand write each one, and all the envelopes. I may not be the poster child for etiquette, but I think Christmas cards are a personal moment from one person to another. An brief passing moment of reengagement. We can have happy and productive e-lives with text/email/twitter/facebook and instant messaging of all types—-and still have a moment to hand write a personal note. After all, doesn’t all the time saved by electronic wizardry open up just the tiniest window of time for Christmas cards?

  • Reply Kristin December 22, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    I think it’s silly that some people who spend daysssss shopping at the mall for presents + hundreds of dollars on generic gifts say they can’t afford cards or take the time to do them. In my personal opinion, they need to reassess their values. I think we have all gotten way too obsessed with social media and smart phones and buying things — no one really truly cares about anyone else anymore, it seems like! I know that’s not true, but I do think a lot of people do a poor job of slowing down and showing others they care — they get so absorbed in their own fast-paced, digital lives. End of my Christmas-card rant. 🙂

  • Reply Carol Foster November 8, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Hi there, I am one of the holdouts and I still send Christmas cards, though, each year I receive less and less. I have always sent them, and yet, I am beginning to consider not sending them anymore except maybe to family members and closest friends. Thanks, Carol

  • Reply Bel December 10, 2015 at 4:25 am

    I like to receive cards and send them out. They make good decorations and it seems far more sincere and personal than a quick, no cost emessager or forum greeting. It is really depressing when you send someone a card and don’t get anything back. It is happening more and more to me and with no family either, it makes me feel quite depressed and lonely as if no one gives a thought about me.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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