Anyone still send out holiday cards?

I always intend to send them out, mostly because I have school pictures of my boys and I don't know what else to do with them. But I've failed at sending them out probably 2 or the last 3 years. It's so much work and cost and I barely ever get any back.

 

I send out a few (to my nieces and nephews; to some elderly friends of my deceased parents, who always send us a card). Not photo cards, just store bought Christmas cards.

A couple of years ago, I used Vistaprint to design my own, using scrapbooking papers and elements, of course! That was a lot of fun, but the printing and shipping fees were a tad expensive (esp. since I normally buy my cards in January, when they're 50-75% off!)

 

Last year I happened to get a nice family photo in November so I ordered 10 holiday photo cards from Shutterfly and picked 10 family/friends to send them to. Previous to that, it had been a several years since the last time I sent any holiday cards. I had fun making some in Photoshop in the mid-2000's. One year my family sat amongst penguins, another year we sat amongst African safari animals. Another year I used a photo I took of my three kids in a museum in which they stood underneath a huge Earth globe suspended from the ceiling, their arms upraised. In PSE, I extracted the globe and moved it down to rest in my oldest kid's hands. I titled it "JOY to the world." But I have two issues with sending out cards now. Firstly, I don't have a long list of people who I think would care to receive the cards, and secondly, I've developed minimalist ideals and don't like all the clutter and cost associated with sending cards, much preferring to keep in touch digitally.

 

Every year I try to skip making/sending a Christmas card and then my husband convinces me otherwise (He's very persuasive! lol) I did switch to just ordering 4x6 photo prints and mailing those which at least makes the printing a lot cheaper. Stamps are expensive and it always stings when we get to that part of the process.

 

Sigh... this is an issue with me. I love the idea of it, but hate the actual execution of it. I religiously sent out cards until 2020. In 2020 I made them, ordered them and then never took them out of the box they came in. Last year I didn't even make an attempt to do one.

I honestly don't get very many in the mail anymore which I use to justify not sending them out myself. Not in a petty way... but more in the way that they don't seem to be that big of a deal in our circle anymore. With social media, I see all of the photos of my friends and their families all year.

I do feel like I should do something to replace it... but not sure what that might be.

 

I used to send out cards, self-bought, self-made (paper or digital) But since my daughter had an accident right before Christmas and passed away 16 days later almost 3 years ago, Christmas is not the same for me. No cards, just Christmas wishes online.

 

I'm so sorry and I understand completely why Christmas is not the same. I am not fond of the holiday either. My mother was all about Christmas and when she passed away the day after Christmas in 1996, it was just never the same.

 

Most people I know stopped sending a few years ago. Last year I didn't send any but since we have moved away from the Vancouver lower mainland where the rest of the family is, I'll send cards to them and a few friends this year.

 

I'm so sorry for the loss of your daughter. My mother died 3 days before Christmas Day 2012, and the holidays have never been the same. But to lose a child is all the more devastating, is a genuine tragedy. I am sorry.