On The 2nd Day of Christmas: Snail Mail or Email?

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

….Christmas Cards. Do you send Christmas Cards? I do and I love sending them. I think that it’s nice to give and receive a piece of snail mail during the holiday season. I especially look forward to cards with family photos and I proudly display every one. After Christmas they go into a special photo album; I can look at the album and see how a family has grown over several years. But I have seen a decline in the number of Christmas cards that I have received over the last few years. Is it because people are cutting back on non-essential items? Or is it because it is easier (and free) to send holiday greetings electronically? Or perhaps people are still sending cards through the mail, but my family is just not that popular. That could be it.

I must admit though that every year for the past 5 years I have thought about going the electronic route. It seems that I communicate with everyone I know this way and now with Facebook it is even more so. Before the only way to see how much a family has grown and changed was through the exchange of annual Christmas cards, but now on Facebook I see photos of my friends’ family all the time and they see mine too. Wouldn’t sending a Christmas card be redundant? If we cut out this expense we could save at least $200 on cards and postage.

postage stamp

However, I talked it over with my family and they are all vehemently opposed to an electronic card and I’m glad. It’s nice that this Christmas tradition can remain a touchable, tangible thing in real life. NOW we just need to take a photo together and make the card–that is a the real chore. Gathering everyone to sit still, look at the camera and keep their eyes open is work. Smiles are a bonus; I’m just aiming for looking presentable. And this year we are adding the puppy to the photo too; I predict more chaos than usual because he doesn’t sit still very well. One year I am determined to send out a Christmas newsletter; my high school friend does this and I look forward to receiving her letter each year. (But now she is on Facebook and we read updates about the family all year long; I wonder if she is sending her letter this year? Hmmm.)

What about you; do you send Christmas cards in the mail? Are you thinking about sending them electronically this year? Why or Why not?

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The 12 Days of Christmas by Funkidivagirl

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me….the words to the song.

4 Comments so far

I’m with you. I always like to get holiday cards (especially with pictures) because it’s just nice to have something in your hands, as opposed to the computer screen. I love your idea of putting them into an album year after year.

We did do the electronic card one year. We did it for a couple of reasons. It was a year that we moved and I just needed to cut something out – cards were an easy choice. I also liked the idea of it being a green alternative. Even though I’m not totally a green freak, I like to do what I can hear and there, kwim? This year though, we’re doing the real thing.
.-= Darcie – Such The Spot´s last blog ..It’s Official: December =-.

Come to think of it Darcie, we did an electronic card the year we moved also. One less thing. Hmmm…you have me something to think about the “non-greenness” of Christmas cards; I hadn’t thought of that. I do try to make green choices when possible. Well, at least I don’t throw away the cards that I get.

Okay so every year I say I’m going to send Christmas cards, then around the week before Christmas it turns in to Happy New Year cards then around MLK’s birthday, I give up.

And this year it should be easier since I’ve gotten several opportunities to get 50 free photos cards from different places.