Poll: Sending Old Christmas Cards - tacky or brilliant?

[Car-Guy]

I know many (well some) might disagree, but what "is tacky" to me is to receive a Christmas Card from someone you know "reasonably well" for years and not sending them one in return. Not that it's required, just tacky IMO. YMMV

Footnote: I don't keep a list and track who I sent cards to and who didn't send us one, but I think I'd catch it mentally. My first thought is, I hope they are okay.

 

[ERD50]

Is OP serious? This isn't even a 1st World problem!

... The ultimate in tacky would be giving a s**t what year someone bought the card they sent you.

Agreed, who even thinks about this? I can't think of a more appropriate place for that old gem "It's the thought that counts".

BTW, this reminded me that DW gave me the same Valentines card for several years in a row (yes, a few years after we were first married). No, I didn't even notice it was the same card, so I think she did it as kind of a joke to see if I would ever notice, but she let me in on the joke after a few years. Not sure how long it would have gone - it's not the card, it's the thought. I thought it was funny/cute.

I related this to her, and I originally thought Anniversary card, she corrected me that it was Valentine's - see how much I cared about that?

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

... Tacky is reusing a card that someone resends that they received and crossing out the name and signing theirs. I guy I dated in college did this. It felt special when I received the card. Then, I opened it and he had crossed out someone's name and put his. That card (and him) went into the trash can.

Awww c'mon, a poor college student, maybe the guy just couldn't afford a card? Maybe he used his last dime to get home to his family for the Holidays (family is important to a good guy, right?)? Maybe he was embarrassed that this was all he had to offer, but thought you would appreciate the gesture anyhow? Maybe he thought any other women in his life would judge him on this, but thought highly of you, and thought you were the kind of person to be above that, so you were the one to get a card that he couldn't afford? Maybe he was sincerely concerned about the environment, and took the "Reuse it, Recycle it, Use it up" mantra to heart, and this shows that he backed up his words with actions?

And you trash him for it? During the Christmas season, a time for understanding and reflection? Hmmm,

It could be your loss, looking at it this way, he sounds like he could have been a GREAT guy, and your life could have been unbelievable amazing with [-]me[/-] (I mean HIM!).

Patty, did you at least put my card in the recycling bin, rather than the trash?

And to paraphrase Birdie in "The Glass Onion", 'In my defense, I didn't know at the time it was considered tacky to scratch a name off a Christmas card!.

-ERD50

... I've loved beautiful cards ever since I was a kid, and have quite a few old ones that I send to people who I think will like them, too. Recently, I sent the second-to-last of a very old (mid-1980's) box of cat-and-music-themed Christmas cards to my sister, who recognized and praised the design. I try to save the very last card so I can look at it.

My parents kept up with lots of old friends/relatives, so they received and sent lots of cards, and had them all on display over the fireplace (took several strings across to clip them all) and I recall that some really stood out as being special. And then a few entertaining (not always for the right reasons) what-we-did-this-year letters included.

I looked through the non-family-photo cards we got, almost none had a copyright or other data on them.

-ERD50

 

[CaptTom]

I know many (well some) might disagree, but what "is tacky" to me is to receive a Christmas Card from someone you know "reasonably well" for years and not sending them one in return. Not that it's required, just tacky IMO. YMMV...

Agreed. What about when you send one, but they don't? We struck someone from our list last year, but got a card from them this year. Luckily we still had time to get theirs out. So I guess we're back on each others' lists now.

This was an "edge case." Someone I hung out with a few times, but we ended up going our separate ways. We haven't talked in decades. We aren't even friends on FaceBook. Christmas cards are our only contact.

It's an odd custom. I get the sense it's fading away with the younger generations, and frankly that's probably OK.

 

[easysurfer]

Agreed. What about when you send one, but they don't? We struck someone from our list last year, but got a card from them this year. Luckily we still had time to get theirs out. So I guess we're back on each others' lists now.

This was an "edge case." Someone I hung out with a few times, but we ended up going our separate ways. We haven't talked in decades. We aren't even friends on FaceBook. Christmas cards are our only contact.

It's an odd custom. I get the sense it's fading away with the younger generations, and frankly that's probably OK.

+1

I've did the same and struck some from my list.

There are different levels of cards senders/receivers.

1. Some don't send a card back so they get dropped next year.

2. Some send card but don't write anything (store photo cards fall in this category), so I just write a "Merry Christmas, Happy New Year" back

3. Some send card and write a few sentences so I do the same


I've recently kept track of what card I sent too so don't end up doing the duplicate card thing in following years.

 

[Car-Guy]

Agreed. What about when you send one, but they don't? We struck someone from our list last year, but got a card from them this year. Luckily we still had time to get theirs out. So I guess we're back on each others' lists now.

I'll admit, I'm testing that this year. I sent cards to several folks that I have grown to know really well for many years now (sort of business related) just to see if they respond in some manner.

 

[pacergal]

I send cards to the same folks every year, I don't care if they send one back.
The only time I take someone off my list is if they have died.
Unfortunately, I had one less card to send this year.

 

[Koolau]

We send about 200 Christmas cards/year. We buy the "good ones" (for closest friends and relatives from Costco - IIRC, well less than $1/card. But most of our cards are "bargain" in one way or another. Sales after Christmas or $0.10 at local resale shops. It's (literally) the though that has to count at Christmas time. 200 new Hallmarks would break the piggy bank.



Heh, heh, on a related note, we've replenished the stock of Forever Stamps in anticipation of the upcoming postage stamp rate increase in January. Buying in anticipation of a rate increase is one of our better "fixed income" investing hacks. YMMV

 

[easysurfer]

We send about 200 Christmas cards/year. We buy the "good ones" (for closest friends and relatives from Costco - IIRC, well less than $1/card. But most of our cards are "bargain" in one way or another. Sales after Christmas or $0.10 at local resale shops. It's (literally) the though that has to count at Christmas time. 200 new Hallmarks would break the piggy bank.



Heh, heh, on a related note, we've replenished the stock of Forever Stamps in anticipation of the upcoming postage stamp rate increase in January. Buying in anticipation of a rate increase is one of our better "fixed income" investing hacks. YMMV

I still have forever stamps from back when they started. I had calculated a purchase to last my lifetime. I may have to include the remaining stamps in my will .

 

[Teacher Terry]

I quit sending Xmas cards 20 years ago. When I did send them they included a handwritten letter specifically tailored to the person. I sent 40 and it was time consuming. That’s the only time I heard from many of the people.

 

[Koolau]

I still have forever stamps from back when they started. I had calculated a purchase to last my lifetime. I may have to include the remaining stamps in my will .

They've been a good investment, haven't they? WAY better than treasuries or even I bonds until here of late. Congratulations on your investment prowess!

 

[audreyh1]

I know many (well some) might disagree, but what "is tacky" to me is to receive a Christmas Card from someone you know "reasonably well" for years and not sending them one in return. Not that it's required, just tacky IMO. YMMV

Sorry, not going to happen.

 

[jollystomper]

Not tacky, we did this in the past. But since we reduced our list (none to folks who are local or whom we see several times a year), and move to custom photo cards (folks enjoy seeing pics of us and our family with a personal note), we just do not have to buy cards anymore.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

We always enjoy the Christmas letters we receive, I really hate it when I receive a card without some story of what is going on in a friend's life. Total waste of postage.

Agree. I sometimes write long letters at Christrmas time to my old friends on yellow legal paper and at the end tell them "Merry Christmas!"

Who reads the pre printed words on any card ?

 

[O2Bfree]

I usually send out one or two cards each year from a stash I collected over the years from the giveaway table at w0rk. Never considered that I'd be judged by the copyright date on a card. Most of the cards I have don't show a date anyway.

But sending an old New Year's card with the old year crossed out and the new year written in—now that would be tacky!

 

[splitwdw]

I agree. I always buy Christmas cards in the sale after Christmas. I had no idea they had a year printed on them at all. I just checked the cards from a box from last year and there is no year printed anywhere.

I have now also checked the cards we received this year (we have about 20 friends and family who still send cards) and none of them have a year of manufacture anywhere on them.

+1 As soon as I saw this post I looked at the cards I sent and the ones that I received and there is no date. I checked the "Hallmark" cards in my desk and none have a date. Let's see a pic of all these cards with dates.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I quit sending cards a while ago. I spend Christmas Eve visiting older frieds in the nursing home. Its easier and more fun.

 

[MC Rider]

We did 5 this year, all from the stockpile. Now that I think of it we only received 1 so far, and from a business.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I quit sending cards a while ago. I spend Christmas Eve visiting older frieds in the nursing home. Its easier and more fun.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'll admit, I'm testing that this year. I sent cards to several folks that I have grown to know really well for many years now (sort of business related) just to see if they respond in some manner.

Sorry, not going to happen.

After almost two weeks, I'm having mixed results. I sent out 4 cards as a test to these "business type" acquaintances. One sent a card in return immediately. One said "thank you" the next time I saw them.

The other two, nothing so far. ~Tacky?

 

[ERD50]

After almost two weeks, I'm having mixed results. I sent out 4 cards as a test to these "business type" acquaintances. One sent a card in return immediately. One said "thank you" the next time I saw them.

The other two, nothing so far. ~Tacky?

Or maybe they plan on sending you one next year?

Or, they just don't want to get involved in this. Once you start, it's awkward to stop, who stops first?

No reason to wonder if it's tacky, or to be mad. You gave, you should not expect anything in return, or it wasn't really a giving gesture, was it?

OK, they should probably acknowledge with a thank you if they saw you, but again, that might have seen as encouraging something they didn't want to get involved in in the first place. You also can't rule out the card getting lost in the mail.

And.... Merry Christmas!

-ERD50

 

[Sunset]

My feeling about cards is we send them out, and if we don't get a card from someone, we send out the next year too. If still no card then we stop.

There are many reasons for why a card might not be sent to us, so I like to think we give folks a second chance. At the same time I don't want to send someone a card if they don't like it.

Reasons someone might not return a card:

• Card lost in mail.
• Person died.
• They just had some crisis to prevent sending cards.
• They simply forgot us that year, not everyone uses a list.

 

[Car-Guy]

Or maybe they plan on sending you one next year?

Or, they just don't want to get involved in this. Once you start, it's awkward to stop, who stops first?

No reason to wonder if it's tacky, or to be mad. You gave, you should not expect anything in return, or it wasn't really a giving gesture, was it?

OK, they should probably acknowledge with a thank you if they saw you, but again, that might have seen as encouraging something they didn't want to get involved in in the first place. You also can't rule out the card getting lost in the mail.

And.... Merry Christmas!

-ERD50

Well since I sent to four different people (all at the same business) I suspect each had their own reasons for either sending one back or acknowledging receipt or not. Likely one of your reasons above have each of them covered.

 

[Rustic23]

DW hand makes ours. About 60.
Example from past years

 

[splitwdw]

Rustic23, Your wife does a great job on the cards.