Wednesday 16 December 2009

Demise of the Christmas card?

christmas cards This is a call for the distinguished and learned members of the blawgosphere to share with me their Christmas card sending/receiving experiences: have you sent or received any this year and if so, are the numbers lower than in previous years?  I'm itching to know.

Not so much because I'm nosy, but more that I'm wondering whether I'm alone in sensing that the sending of Christmas cards just seems to be a tradition that edges closer towards extinction as each year passes. 

I was going to order myself another bunch from the Carbolic Smoke Ball Company again, as I have in previous years. Still, I'm kind of glad I didn't bother; no one at work seems to be exchanging them, though there is a Secret Santa organised for later this week to coincide with the works Christmas do - so I hope everyone doesn't start exchanging them with one another then. It also coincides somewhat awkwardly for me with a flying trip up to London for meeting, and I'm only due to arrive back just in time for the unwrapping and the trip to the restaurant.

Let's hope the Secret Santa doesn't go the same way as that in the US version of the Office which degenerated into a somewhat cruel, bizarre and painful game called 'Yankee Swap'.

As an aside, I've recently placed my first order with Moonpig.  For as much as they’re talked-up though, I didn’t think their range of cards was fantastic.  Let’s see how I feel once they arrive and I see them first hand.

8 comments:

  1. Firstly, I'm not a big fan of Moonpig... If you want to send a personalised card, make it yourself or buy one and "personalise" it!

    Secondly, my boss is sending a xmas card by email to all his clients and contacts. I'm awfully glad I don't have to spend an afternoon putting them into envelopes and sticking on stamps.

    Finally, I don't think people send xmas cards that much anymore.

    We're not celebrating anything this year for obvious reasons but its a real shame that no-one else is very xmassy at work or just generally.

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  2. Have you ordered from Moonpig before or are you just against the principle of them? :p

    I guess the whole e-christmas-card is environmentally friendly and reduces labour considerably but it still seems a touch tacky to me. Oh well - I guess I've just never 'got' e-cards!

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  3. Completely against the principle of Moonpig and I don't like their adverts!

    I think e-christmas cards are great from businesses BUT I would never send a e-card to family members or good friends. The whole point of a card is to open it. Its like photos... I have mine printed and put them in an album myself... I don't like just having them on the computer. Its so nice to sit and flick through photos.

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  4. Yeah, their ads are a bit cheesy, I have to admit. :-)

    I'll reserve full judgement until the cards arrive, though! I'll let you know what I think then.

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  5. I have used moonpig for birthday cards, and they are great!

    This year I have so far received no xmas cards :( and plan on giving none back lol. I don't see the point in them anymore. I get enough texts/emails about it, that'll do!!

    At work I think we are sending cards, but not too sure as yet!

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  6. Nah, I don't get e-card either. Nice occasionally, but not for Christmas.

    I use Christmas to try and stay in touch with people, by sending them a hand written card (with a fountain pen, touching on an historical post there). Some people only get this one contact from me a year, but it's the annual motivation.

    I don't actually send cards to people I see every day. Don't see the point, I can say "Merry Christmas". There are lots of cards going round work, some of which are quite amusing because they seem to sent round in a "per room basis". So, Burtie & Bella (sharing an office) are getting some addressed to the pair of them as if they're a couple...

    In the family department, we baked cakes to send round the office instead of cards. A much better theory, you can savour cake. But I have a sweet tooth...

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  7. I generally find cards meaningless, and I never read the printed text. It's so impersonal - not worth paying attention to!

    I received a few paper cards at home, but I never really looked at them, so I couldn't tell you how many.

    At work, I got 3 cards so far (ooh, the drama! ;D).
    But I've seen people in other departments getting like 15-20 cards each! I plan to give mine out this Friday just to members of my team... Or to the whole department... I can't make my mind up! Some people are so easily offended. And I'm only doing it out of politeness... Even though I paid my £2 for humanitarian gift thingy that's meant to be in place of cards!!!

    Moonpig... OMG... A colleague showed me some of the cards that she created... Haha ;D Basically, it's for people who don't know how to use photoshop. Good idea, but I personally wouldn't use it. The adverts are just awful!

    Anyway, that's my 2p. ;D

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  8. Andro:
    I'm not sure I totally agree with the idea that moonpig is for people that don't know how to use Photoshop -- most PS users don't have a professional printing press for instance! :p

    While the card choice isn't great, the quality of the cards are good enough and the prices are lower than I expected.

    Still, I don't think I'll be using them for every event which warrants a greetings card in future! :-)

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