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We send out about 120. but only about half of those are actually mailed, the rest are handed out at our church. I can't tell that we have gotten fewer this year because so many of my dh's family are late in sending their cards that I am not even expecting theirs for another couple weeks .
I was worried when the week prior to Christmas we had so few. I sent out about 70. The last couple days before Christmas we got loads of them. I think we even got more than last year. I was quite surprised as I was thinking we would not get many this year.
Blessings.
We send out about 70 or so and typically get back maybe 50 and that seems to be the case this year. After I sent them out this year, there were some that I wondered "why did I send them a card?" I think I'll definitely do some serious thinking about ones I send out next year. I've often wondered how many send to me because I send to them. Maybe I should just wait to send cards on December 26 and make them more a "winter" greeting rather than Christmas.
We only got about 1/3 to 1/2 of what we usually receive! My postman mentioned to me about Dec. 20th that he had noticed much fewer Christmas cards this year than in any other previous year, too!
__________________ IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII*IIII* IIII*IIII*IIII* Take only photographs, leave only footprints.
Hmmmm I just did the math... we received about 20 odd and we sent nearly 100... might have to do a rethink for 2009 especially as half of those were $0.97 to send overseas.
I received a lot less this year than in years past. I know that I sent out a few less, but it was because I just ran out of time...my card design was a bit too labor intensive this year.
I think overall, people are just sending fewer out for a few different reasons. 1.) Everyone is so busy, they just don't have time to even bother with it or mean to and then don't get around to it. 2.) I think the economy has a lot to do with it, everyone is cutting back. 3.) More and more people aren't sending them, unless they get one.
think the exception to this is if you have taken photo's of your kids and want eveyone to see them, you still send out.
I normally get very few stamped cards because most of the people I know don't stamp. But this year we got a lot less than usual so I don't know that it was a time factor really since most of our friends and family don't need to find the time to make them. I think sending cards is one of those many things that is a fading tradition. I know many of these people who didn't send cards were recently going out to shows and shopping, etc. so I don't know that it was a money factor either - stamps aren't that much in relation to other things we pay for. At least not for a "normal" card. LOL Many of us around here spend a lot for postage because of our creations but most people don't.
People make time for what's important and sadly it seems to not be other people anymore. :(
We usually get 2 or 3 people who send holiday letters, one is getting divorced and one lost a job so one just did a card (job person) and the other didn't do anything (totally understandable).
More photo cards this year, I feel terrible throwing them away after the holidays!
I didn't really notice any difference at home, but I definately did at work. Seems more and more companies are sending e-cards - I'm sure we got less than a quarter the amount of cards that we got last year. And hardly any freebies either - we're usually still munching on Christmas sweeties and biscuits well into January ... not this year (though that's probably a good thing for our waistlines!!)
I made 55 Christmas cards, sent out 39 cards received 22 cards.
Guess I don't have to many that many for next christmas.
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More photo cards this year, I feel terrible throwing them away after the holidays!
Don't throw them out--scrap them! I have a holiday album and do very simple layouts each year. It's fun to see how all the kids change from year to year, and it only takes about an hour to do all the layouts each January. I also scrap our Christmas letter. It's a great way to document the year easily and quickly.
I would say due to the economy people are cutting their expenses where necessary. Instead of mailing cards to my co-workers, I just put one of my cards at my workstation and people would stop and read it - then made a nice comment.
I sent as many as I normally do (around 15), but I noticed that we only recieved like 5 which about 1/4 as many as we normally do. I was pretty disappointed with it actually. i think because Christmas was so close to Thanksgiving a lot a people just forgot or got too busy and that was one of the items on the list that was not necessary.
I just looked through our cards - I got MORE christmas cards from SCS members than I did from friends and family.
I know some people talking at work saying they had cut back on things and sending cards out was one of them.
It makes me sad. After totalling the postage, I figured that for the price of a pizza and an hour of time to sign and address, I was able to send 40 cards to friends and family that I did not see at Christmas. I mean, I can understand not sending to people that you spend the holiday with, but I got only five cards from family, and I won't see them until next week.
I was so bummed that I even posted my Bah Humbug thoughts on my blog yesterday.
I received less but I also cut back. Most of the people I took off my list have not sent me a card in years. I figured it was time for me to also stop sending one to them - I know bahumbug, better to receive, yadda yadda.
I think wwe just get bogged down with the craziness of the holiday that sometimes it is hard to just sit down and do the simple things like singing a Christmas card. Funny how our lives are so much more busy than previous generations yet we have so much more moern conveniences to help make our lives more simple.
I also noticed that retailers were carrying less Christmas cards than in the past. Guess they are also wise to the fact that less cards are sent out.
__________________ Pia "I am not old and haggard. I am Shabby Chic."
Lot less cards here too..... and only 3 were handmade.
I do feel somewhat unappreciated because I put a lot of time and effort into making my cards. A piece of me feels that I don't even know if people got them or what they are thinking about the nice picture of my kids inside the card.
My list is likely to be much shorter next year.
__________________ Work is for people who don't know how to stamp.
We got a lot less cards too! I handmade 45 and I think we got about 15. I did however get an email card from an older couple at church after I gave them a card. It was cute!
I got a lot less cards this year. I did sent out a few less. I didn't get ones from a few people I always get one from. I did send mine out the weekend before Christmas. I don't know if it was the economy or people were pressed for time like me.
The number of cards we received were way down. I'm guilty though, because I never sent any cards this year. I had made about 20 and ran out of time to send them.
I have seen the Christmas card sending idea come and go, get really high and then drop really low. I will say, that in poor economy times in the past, we actually received "more" cards. It used to be that when things were tight, people reached out to each other more in the small ways, such as sending a card, or making some small gift that actually meant so much more than an expensive store bought gift. So, I actually do not think that the tradition is going away, I think it is just in one of the downslopes.
Quite honestly, I never "really" enjoyed sending Christmas cards until I started making them. I have never missed a year of sending them since I started stamping, but in the past, if I had time, I bought them, but hardly ever got them sent out. One time I determined that I was going to get the cards and get them signed and mailed in plenty of time before Christmas. So I bought them, wrote in them, sealed them in their envelopes, addressed them and put them in the glove box of the car to take them to the post office. They are probably still sitting in the glove box of that card in some car graveyard to this day.
I did notice at my brother's house (they are in their 30's) that they had tons of family photo cards sent to them (as well as I know they sent one out).
Ditto:
We're in the "show off the kids" peer group, so we got just as many cards as usual.
I do a handstamped card with a photo taped inside. Walgreens has a "digital camera" sized print that's 4x5.2 or so, it's perfect for putting inside a standard handmade card.
i even saw a decrease from our clients(hubby's work)...us personally, i just literally didnt have the time to do them. i hope this coming year is a better one.
I saw a decrease this year, too. And people who have done a update letter every year for the past several years only did a card. And there were fewer pictures. I think the holidays came upon us faster with Thanksgiving being so late - and I suspect the economy played a part for some.
I've only read this far in the thread, but I think this is a big part of it. Thanksgiving was so late that we had much less time this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I actually never got my cards out at all last year. I decided it wasn't worth it if it was going to stress me out so much. However, I had run off my family letter, and was actually able to find them! So, I turned them over and ran them through the printer again with this year's letter. Even without receiving cards from me last year, I think we got about the same amount.
The only ones that didn't get done were my handmade cards. So, my stamping friends will be getting new year's cards. I'm a teacher, so next year I'm going to try to make them in the summer.
We sent a bunch, but we always do.
We got 9. We usually only get about 10-15, though, b/c my dh's mother's-side-of-the-family is Jehovah's Witnesses and they don't do Christmas, and his father's side, well the stepsisters and brother on that side couldn't care less about us, LOL. We do send them Christmas Cards though. But when it comes down to it,
my parents sent us a card, as did dh's Dad and Stepmom, and our oldest helped the two and three year olds to make us cards. (imagine my reaction to an 8 year old boy when he asked, "mama, can I take the babies in your stamp room and do something without you helping?" ) That's all that mattered. Those little colored card blanks from the babies, :-)
I have had bad vertigo for nearly 2 months now so making cards was not a pleasant experience. Nonetheless i did, staying up late to do so as so, so slow!
Then I lost them-before Christmas and they still are missing!!! I can't believe it-where has this pile of cards gone?? I really thought they'd turn up on Boxing Day. :confused:
I'm annoyed though it's funny too as they've completely disappeared and you can't help but laugh!
So, I received less cards, mainly the posted ones were lower than usual in number. My neighbours got less as nothing from me. If they turn up I may sneek them in the letterbox and make out when they ask that the card was posted on time and must have got lost under their doormat until now.......!:twisted: :rolleyes:
I normally get very few stamped cards because most of the people I know don't stamp. But this year we got a lot less than usual so I don't know that it was a time factor really since most of our friends and family don't need to find the time to make them. I think sending cards is one of those many things that is a fading tradition. I know many of these people who didn't send cards were recently going out to shows and shopping, etc. so I don't know that it was a money factor either - stamps aren't that much in relation to other things we pay for. At least not for a "normal" card. LOL Many of us around here spend a lot for postage because of our creations but most people don't.
People make time for what's important and sadly it seems to not be other people anymore. :(
I agree! I think I got the same amount from my Stamping/Scrapping Friends but fewer from family & friends that send purchased cards. I noticed the ones I did get came much later. I do think it was a combination of timing and economy but I also think it's a fading tradition.
I usually do a combination of handmade & purchased but this year I joined a monthly Christmas card challenge and ended up making all of mine. I love getting holiday mail, especially those with an "update letter"! With all of the tough times out there, I hoped my friends and family enjoyed getting the cards & letter I sent them.
I REALLY enjoy getting the mail during the ol
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I sent out about 35 and then hand delivered another 35. We normally mail out about 70 cards. I cut back this year due to cost/not having a current address for someone/etc. We also have received fewer cards this year. A few of them were e-mailed to us and we have received about half of what we normally receive by mail. I enjoy doing it, so I keep on doing it. You never know what kind of an impact a card can have on someone. My uncle is divorced and lives alone. He can be a royal pain the heiny sometimes, but I sent him a card last year and he told my grandma he was surprised to get it and how much it meant to him. So I sent him another one this year, and lo and behold, I got a card back from him in today's mail! I about fell out of my chair! So that alone totally made it worth it to me! Happy New Year everyone.
I mailed out 30 cards and hand delivered about 15. We received 5 cards this year, including a couple of the photo cards with nothing written on them. I was a little sad, but I will continue to make my Christmas cards each year.
__________________ Dorothy- Stamping keeps me sane!
I actually sent out a few more cards this year than last year ...however, I know I received a lot less then I have received in other years.
Some family and friends apologized to me for not sending out cards...but because of buying cards, cost of postage, etc...they decided not to send any...so obviously, the economy was a big factor.
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We gave out and sent over fifty simple cards I made this year and received about thirty, many less than we have in years past. Many of those sent to us were photo cards which seem to be popular now. Even though I was busier this year than I usually am, it was important to me to keep in touch with many friends and relatives who live far away from us. I addressed and signed the cards myself. Inside, I wrote a personal greeting and included a separate note along with a photo in most of them. I stayed up very late several nights to get them all out in time but it was important to me to let people know we were thinking of them and wish them Merry Christmas.
I know we are talking about the decline in cards but even if you only received 10 this is a very good idea for what to do with them now that christmas is over. Originally posted in the leftover pif thread by jackie
Here is another idea for what to do with your old Christmas cards (any occasion cards, actually):
Send them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a safe, nurturing home and therapeutic residential treatment center for abused, abandoned and neglected children. "The children make new recycled cards from the donated ones by removing the front and attaching a new back made with recycled paper. The new card is a beautiful, 'green' card made by the children and volunteers." The cards are then sold to raise money for the ranch.
"The benefits are two-fold: customers receive 'green' holiday cards for use, and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of 'going green'." I would add that the donors eliminate clutter from their house, so they benefit too! Sounds like a win-win-win situation to me!
St. Jude's is only accepting cards until February 28, 2009, so don't delay! Remember, they take all occasion cards too, not just Christmas ones. To get the address and more information, go to:
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Ii think because Christmas was so close to Thanksgiving a lot a people just forgot or got too busy and that was one of the items on the list that was not necessary.
That's a good point. I actually heard my neighbors saying this.
__________________ *Alice* All science is either physics or stamp collecting. -Lord Kelvin
Here is another idea for what to do with your old Christmas cards (any occasion cards, actually):
Send them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a safe, nurturing home and therapeutic residential treatment center for abused, abandoned and neglected children. "The children make new recycled cards from the donated ones by removing the front and attaching a new back made with recycled paper. The new card is a beautiful, 'green' card made by the children and volunteers." The cards are then sold to raise money for the ranch.
"The benefits are two-fold: customers receive 'green' holiday cards for use, and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of 'going green'." I would add that the donors eliminate clutter from their house, so they benefit too! Sounds like a win-win-win situation to me!
St. Jude's is only accepting cards until February 28, 2009, so don't delay! Remember, they take all occasion cards too, not just Christmas ones. To get the address and more information, go to:
Thank you for sharing this. I have been saving cards and fronts, but since Keiki Cards is no longer accepting cards, I didn't know what to do with what I have.
__________________ *Alice* All science is either physics or stamp collecting. -Lord Kelvin
I sent out about 115 cards and got about 50 in return. Three were handcrafted. Half of all rec'd were photo cards and the majority of all cards (incl. photo cards) rec'd were just scribbled with their signatures. No salutation. It quickly became a major pet peeve. I just pared down my list today to 50 people and that is mostly family, elderly friends, stamping friends and long-distance friends that we don't see during the holidays. I may send more next year but for now, I'm not under the pressure of handcrafting 100+ cards. But if you want to become a stamping friend, I'd happily add you to my list. :-D
Isn't it an odd custom that we have where people just sign their name on a card and don't say anything.
Back when I was single, I sent cards to my college friends. Each card was filled front and back with what was going on in my life. As life went on, I wrote less in each card. I got married and had more cards to send. Eventually, I started writing the infamous newsletter. I still at leastput their names at the top, and write "It was good to see you." or whatever. At the very least,I wish them a happy new year. And, of course, I always sign all of our names.
It cracks me up to get a card that just has a name scribbled on it. One year, I got one that they forgot to sign. It just was a blank card in the envelope.
