No to all. It just got too expensive with postage.

Make 'em and send 'em. It's a time to actually WRITE (with a pen) to people we long to be closer to, despite all our moves and journeyings. It is not THAT expensive… we just do our family thing rather more simply, as time together (as best we can — my wofe's a minister with all those demands) rather than lots of presents.

Hi chemgal,

Our family practice, since we spent 11 years out of Province from all family was to draft a letter that gave a brief overview of what all of us had accomplished over the past year.  Now that most of our contacts are on facebook that doesn't seem to be such a pressing need anymore.  Still, it is a family tradition.  I'll have to try and get that put together for Advent and not put it off until Epiphany.

John

I don't send a lot of cards - I mostly just give them to people that I am friends with and see regularly. I usually write a short, personal note inside and attach a candy cane or chocolate to the outside.

I haven't made, written and sent cards for several years.  Once upon a time, when I really coudn't comfortably afford it,  I did.  About five years later I dropped off the names of those who didn't phone, write or send a card to me.  Those few that showed some interest in staying in touch have all since died and the sending of cards is now a part of my history.

Kay, that's tough when you feel pressure to do something you can't afford.

I never used to mail them out, but handed a few to a few people.  The last few years I'm trying to stay more organized to actually get them in the mail.  They only get mailed to the extended family I'm closer with (including in-laws).  Chemguy doesn't see the point, so he's no help.  His family isn't a card family, whereas I have a relative who sends Birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter cards, and I know she really appreciates them!

For now, I keep the message short and sweet.  I like reading the letters, but I can't see doing printed ones unless we have kids.  Same with the photo cards.  Maybe eventually I'll get into spending more time and writing a little more, but not this year!

Well, when the kids were small and before facebook, I did a little newsletter for updates. It was fun to write and to include pictures of the kids.

I had great plans to send christmas cards, and to get them written this week; however, a search of the attic for the christmas boxes came back without christmas cards.  I hate to pay full price for something that i know that i have lots of...so...thinking about what to do.

We do but try to keep the list fairly short. Just some relations and close friends that we don't otherwise see at the holidays. For my old school buddies, I generally just do an e-card with an email on the past year. We email around a few times a year to update each other on what's happening anyhow.

Mendalla

I love getting cards.  Please feel free to send me one. 

I also send cards - probably about 25 a year - family, friends, people who mean a lot to me even though I seldom see them.  Arriving on their doorstep to drop off a card usually means a few minutes chat, and sometimes a cup of tea and a half-hour visit. 

I've been doing a Christmas letter - touching the high points of our year but limiting it to one page.  I may also hand write a line or two - "Drop in over the holidays if you are in the neighbourhood.  We'd love to see you." 

This year may be my last year for doing this.  My wrists are getting stiff and my fingers harder to control.  Maybe next year only my e-mail contacts will get an e-mail greeting.

I love Christmas cards - they are so cheerful - and sometimes you can find one that just speaks volumns.  One year I put a special effort into searching for the perfect card for a friend who was dying of cancer.  I saw her and her husband on New Years.  They couldn't get over how very special it was to them.   20 years ago but I still remember Judy's voice "Where did you get that card!!!!?"

We love sending and receiving Christmas cards.

I saw what Christmas looked like in the movies and when others did it. (My nuclear family were all Christian) It was different in a family like mine (a marginalized one) You did not get invited over, you did not bake cookies, nobody stopped for a chat, there were no cards, you did not go to public tree lightings or anything like that...

So, now... well, let's say it is sickening....

I send out stacks of cards. We hand out even more. All the coworkers, anyone I have an address for, everyone from church.... I do not expect anything in return or anyone to do what they cannot afford.
For me, I can afford a few cents once a year to make people smile or feel remembered or cared about... for me, a card is a paper hug.
We get quite a few ourselves. I walk to the post office and back wearing a big smile and I come home and hang them all.

I write a few words in them and mostly do them myself. My wife is not a letter writer. She will put peel and stick stamps on them. They are store bought. Some are purchased individually, but most are in boxes bought the year before.
I get cards geared more for the religious, for the secular, for close freinds and family and folks less close...

i saw some neet ones at the local Thrifties...i think i'll piccie them and showcase them here...

personally, i think the gift is enough...the card is a placeholder for the names...

but i still feel it is a social norm to put the card on...

for the first time evah this year for my sis and bro's bdays i gave them thumb drives of pictures of mom.  no card.

(i used to include cards with every gift i gave...i think they also helped with keeping track of whose gift was who's)

(tho cards can be fun -- one of my fav's was a store bought one where the outside flap had an photo of wrapped human figures on a beach and inside: "i don't know what that is, either...'.  or one of the ones that my mom kept that i gave to her -- a multiple layer fold-up card of horses)

Heh seeler

How about putting your addresses into a mailing list?  That way you can print labels next year and adjust them as you have time.

For signing, have a pretty stamp made with your names on it. 

Write one letter  and print it, and as part of it, explain that signing all the cards is hard to do this year and that you hope your friends will understand.

(personally, I would find that a wonderful thing to read and get...a friends adapting to their changing circumstances )

SG, thanks for your long response and image of  the paper hug.  I think sometimes it is what we haven't had that makes things become all the more important.  the value of something may be trivial to some, but deeply important to others. 

seeler,  i can imagine the friends reaction when they got that card.  it is hard to pick a card for someone who is deep in grief (over changing circumstances, job, marriage, death).  it is wonderful that you took the time to find the perfect card.

ina...are we talking about the same type of cards?

mendella:  facebook/emails, all do seem to keep us updated, dont' they. 

I find the cards to be art...part of my decorations. some more than others.

Pinga,

i found that my memory got worse completely by accident when, one christmas, after wrapping my presents...

i couldn't remember which one was which...

oh my...

another card that i enjoyed was one with some kind of voice recorder in it that would play when opened again and then delete itself so that a fresh message could be recorded...something Buddhist in all that

(some Buddhist monks are making a sand mendalla at Clark College, WA in the library...)

we actually did a christmas cards for all addresses at church this year. We used left over cards and my son made up a short invitation to our celebration the 2nd sunday of advent. Another board member and I signed the cards, and the church secretary had printed lables for us. We had 101 addresses plus a few extra cards for those not on the list. It took 2 of us about 2 hours to stick lables on, insert invitation and sighn card.

They were given out before church last week, and will be available this week as well and then folks will be asked to deliver the remaining ones to friends or neighbours.

Total cost was quite minimal-address lablels

and total benefit is positive. People like cards and sometimes it's nice to get something from the church not asking for anything.

inawhimsey, i put nametags on those gifts...as compared to christmas cards.

tabitha, great idea.

That's a beautiful idea Tabitha!

Inanna - like Pinga, I simply put gift tags on presents to identify who they're for (and who they're from). Cards go to folks who don't get presents from me.

Ina, I usually use gift tags, but there have been times where I've included a Christmas card with the gift.

Mendalla, there are a few friends who I tend to catch up with via facebook around the holidays too.

SG. I'm glad you are able to have such a great time with the cards now!

Pinga I somehow misplaced the Christmas cards I used last year too.  Luckily, I have other cards that I did find.  I'm pretty sure I left the cards out after Christmas and they got stuck somewhere ...

Seeler, last year I got a card with a beautiful return address on it.  I wasn't sure if it was printed or stamped.  It turns out they got a stamp made from an etsy seller (no idea about that cost though), so you could order one to say whatever you like.  You could get seelerman to help you too.  I'm hoping to get chemgul a little involved one year, even if it is to mail them out or something!

Seeler,

Staples or most office supply stores will custom do a stamp for you.The self-inking ones are most convenient.

Just an update from the church's cards-101 were done for the labels from the secretary-we did up a few more unaddressed ones for visitors or people not on the list.

They were available for 2 weeks-the first week we handed them to folks and encouraged people to take another card and deliver it to someone.

At the end of it-we had 17 left that were apartment addresses or out of town, left for the secretary to mail,

6 or so with name but not address-left for secretary to check on-line or phone book for address,

fellow organizer stamped and maile 14 or so cards (she had stamps with her).

minister checked cards and knew several had left area, were attending elsewhere or had requested NO Church Mail. Thes had a line drawn through them and were left for secretary to update list.

I drove around today and delivered 5 cards, Funny thing-I had expected in this city of random names streets and Ave. theat the "trees" would all be in one area. Nope-Travelled all over town-but had a helper and we had fun!

Great update, Tabitha.  I think it is a wonderful idea. 

I slept in unusual pattern today.  Stayed up after I got home late, chatting with youngest son.  Fell asleep, woke up at 6am with husband,  fell back asleep, dog woke me up 45 min later, stayed up for a couple of hours, fell back asleep...and woke up at 2pm!  crazy, then, after doing some chores, was sitting quietly and fell back asleep.  I guess that I needed it.  Now, though, tried to go to sleep and not tired -- go figure. 

So...the good news is, I am writing Christmas cards.  It is a good thing to do when the house is quiet.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  Some things I will have to look into for the future.  For this year I think I can manage.  It will just take me longer. 

The grandchildren were over both Saturday and Sunday to help with the cooking.  Granddaughter is old enough to really be a help.   So with much of that list marked off, I think I will block off tomorrow morning to start on Christmas cards. 

I give some out at church each year around the Christmas service. I give them to friends. I write a short message, and usually include a scripture verse or two. I do them myself. Some of the ones I give out are store bought, others are ones that charities send to our place in the mail looking for a donation.

Finished my Christmas letter today - revised it - reviewed it for typos  (the spell check on WordPerfect helps a lot).

Tomorrow I get out my cards and list. 

I have to get to it.  I received my first two cards today.  Both beautiful and sparkling and filled with joyous wishes from friends from far away. 

that is wonderful, Seeler.

so what's happening with all these trees with some of their skin missing?

is there some kind of Dr Suzuki Foundation care for them?

post Christmas Card bark grafts?

(i guess this is why so many people buy from a registered Christmas Card dealer, as they know how much they can cut away without compromising the tree's immune system/causing them to bleed out/too much suffering...)

Let's hope that some tree Braveheart doesn't think to do the same with us...

We visited at a home that was beautifully decorated with a picture perfect tree.  It had already been up and decorated for several weeks and we were amazed that it wan't dropping needles all over the carpet.

After Christmas the tree was dragged out onto the deck and the kids hung bird food on it.  In late Spring it was still looking good.  It was only when one looked very carefully that one could tell that it had been spray  painted so it would remain green!

When I attended Church I gave out both Christmas and Easter cards.

I don't bother now. I don't get any cards either so its not a biggie.

There are free e-cards you can send if u know the person's email address.

I think snail mailing cards is a nice gesture/tradition. When I get more time its one I may start again

I got mine out, but the message was very short!  I used red and green pens though, that's gotta count for something, right?

Hopefully next year I will get more into the spirit of writing a little message.  This year I just feel a little pressed for time and I'm not so great about writing neatly.  I know it means quite a bit to some of the recipients though.  I still have a whole set of ones will we hand out in person to do!

Neat about using red/green pens, Chemgal.

I send out cards every year. This year I sent out the free Canadian Wildlife Association ones that came in the mail. I liked them. About 12 sent. Short messages. I sent them out on monday. Mainly family. I like to get them.

I've sent out about 15. I have about another 10 to do. No Christmas letter this year but a very short note in each one!

lol I still have to finish all my non-mailing ones.  I better get busy!

This is our 2nd Christmas in this house.

Last night the former renter popped by. He was hoping for a stack of Christmas cards here since they haven't received very many this year.

None here for them.

i think less cards are being sent.

I agree Tabitha - so many people send e-cards or greetings on facebook - or text or phone.  I send and receive about half of what I did 25 years ago.

I have a nice pile of Christmas cards this year.  Some were probably sent in response wheen I seent one out.  Some were hand delivered by people who attended my 'at home', and some are from the regulars - family and friends from across the country (including some virtual friends). 

I keep them on the table in front of the livingroom window, beside the Christmas flower arrangement my sister sent.  I look at them frequently.  They are beautiful.  Polar bears, snow covered trees, village churches, reproductions of famous paintings, and one copy of an original water colour painted for this year's celebration. 

I love them.

Cute snowmen or drunken reindeer dancing across a computer screen catch my attention for a few seconds.  I savor my Christmas cards. 

I agree Seeler! There's something precious about a handwritten card. I received a lovely one yesterday from a family at church. It's a photograph of the family's three children surrounded by Christmas decorations. What makes it even more precious is knowing that this is their first Christmas in Canada. They moved here this year from a country where December 24th and 25th are simply dates on the calendar - no different than December 23rd. This has made this Christmas extra exciting for this family!