Will you send holiday cards?

[CNOS128]

I''ve never sent cards before, mostly because I was too lazy to compose a list of names and addresses of my/our friends and family. But now that we''ve so recently done this, and it''s all in spreadsheet form just waiting to be mail-merged, I''m kind of eager to send out holiday cards!

Is it strange to send out cards like this when you don''t have children? The ones we usually get from our friends have photos of people''s kids and dogs dressed as snowmen, or whatever. I don''t think I would include a photo at all - just a pretty design. (Maybe I could get someone else''s kids to put on Christmas sweaters and sit in front of a fireplace with us...)

Will you send out holiday cards this year? (Or have you sent them in the past?)

 

[sctsbride09]

We are sending Christmas cards! We are also those silly people who enclose a photo of us with our dogs

. We dont send an xmas card to every person in the address book, just family and very close friends. Ive done it every year since we moved in together, I enjoy the tradition. Probably because we only send about 25, lol. If I had to spend over aweek writing a note to everyone in a card I might go nuts haha. Anyhow, I dont think its wierd at all to send cards if you dont have kids. I mean, just because you dont have kiddos doesnt mean that you and Hubs are not a family. Our families know that our dogs will most likely be the closest thing they get to grand anything so they better enjoy it

.

 

[Elmorton]

Oh absolutely. We do a newsletter, though, not cards. We basically pick a few events throughout the year that were ridiculous, funny, or bizarre and link those to real milestones (like we got married, moved, changed careers, etc) that people who we haven''t kept up with like we should would probably want to know, and then on the back, we choose a literary selection to share. One year, it was a column by an old-fart journalist in the town where we lived who wrote about "pounding" (no one took the time to edit that to "petting") his dead cat to the tune of jazz music, another year, it was the selection of Eight Black Men by David Sedaris (describing Christmas in Holland). Half of the people we send these letters to don''t quite get the humor, but everyone else seems to look forward to our mostly irreverent holiday newsletter. Still looking for this year''s selection.

 

[kittybean]

Thanks for the reminder TBT! I think we''ll try to send out cards this year . . . maybe we''ll include a wedding photo?

 

[bee*]

I think that we''re going to send christmas cards this year as well. We never have done before but now we''re newlyweds I like the idea of doing it.

 

[kama_s]

I LOVE sending out holiday cards! We''ve been sending cards to friends and family for 2 years now (this will be our third). I think this year I''m going to send a box of cards I bought 4 years ago that were just so beautiful I couldn''t bear to send them out (the cards have a lush maroon velvet cover) and maybe add a picture of the person at our wedding.

I love receiving newsletters, especially love to read how their little ones are doing! Such a fantastic way to keep in touch

 

[KimberlyH]

I''ve been sending holiday cards out since I was 18. I look forward to it every year. I, and now we, don''t send newsletters or pictures, just cards. I''m pregnant, due in March, so perhaps next year I''ll include a photo of the kiddo.

 

[elrohwen]

I''ve sent out cards for the past couple of years. I try to keep my list small (less than 20 cards) which is easy because we have very little family. But I do enjoy sending cards out to a few close friends and family.

 

[noelwr]

we used to, but after hardly anyone ever sent us cards back, DH said we shouldn''t waste our time & money on it.

however, I just had new address stickers made since we now have the same last name... so I might be tempted to use them. I don''t think we''ll use a wedding photo on the holiday cards, as our thank you cards already included photos.

but... I might use our wedding photos to make 2010 calendars for our close family. easy christmas presents.

 

[jcrow]

we''ve sent out christmas cards for years [and didn''t have kids]. we don''t send photo cards, just cute christmas cards i''d pick up usually at target. last year i made my christmas cards and this year i will do the same. i enjoy sending them out.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I really want to do this. I have a cousin that sends out a "newsletter" type every Christmas, and it''s so fun to hear what her family is up to. It usually comes with the text on one side, and pictures on the other. Now that I am expecting, I''d like to start doing it every year to keep my family up on what he/she is up to and what he/she looks like.

 

[CNOS128]

Thanks for your responses, everyone! I would love to have the patience to write an annual newsletter (I look forward to reading them from certain friends/family), but that will have to wait until I have something interesting to write about. So the same day I posted this, I ordered some adorable Hello Lucky holiday cards and I can''t wait to send them out!

 

[lliang_chi]

I actually always sent them out, but I''ll be including a wedding photo for our close friends & family. I don''t think we''ll do a newsletter until we have kids though. Otherwise it''d just be us and the dog

TBT, YUMMY hello lucky cards

 

[Haven]

I''ve never sent out cards, and neither has my family.
But I have a question for those who do send cards, and not the newsletters. (I love getting those newsletters, though. Especially if I''ve been out of touch for a while.)

If you send out cards, do you just buy holiday cards and sign your name at the bottom of them, or do you write an actual note to the recipient? And by note, I mean something personal from you to them, not just "Happy Holidays!" or something like that.

I ask because we get a lot of cards, and it always shocks me that people spend the money to buy and mail the cards when they don''t even write anything other than their name inside of them. I''m a big proponent of the handwritten note, and I rarely buy pre-made cards with a sentiment already written on them, so I think I just don''t understand them in general.

I still like them, of course, but I''m always a bit sad when there isn''t a note waiting for me inside that was written by my friend.

I do send letters to very close friends, family, and certain colleagues or others who have really touched me or helped me out during the year. But no cards.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 11/19/2009 7:15:35 PM
Author: Haven

If you send out cards, do you just buy holiday cards and sign your name at the bottom of them, or do you write an actual note to the recipient? And by note, I mean something personal from you to them, not just ''Happy Holidays!'' or something like that.

If they''re for people we don''t keep in close contact with I write notes in each card. I always do more that just sign our names, but the note is longer if it''s someone we don''t get to see or talk to often.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We''re sending photo cards this year as "the Domenicos" The picture will be one from our wedding. Speaking of which, which picture would you use?

 

[doodle]

HH, I like the middle pic because the car is red, so it seems more Christmasy to me, although the pic on the far left is fantastic of both of you!

We''re going to be in the UK this year from next saturday all the way through to mid/late January, so we''re going to take a pic of us in front of something cool while we''re there and make cards out of that picture. We usually don''t send cards, but since we won''t be in the US to see everyone, we decided to send them this year so our loved ones would know we miss ''em.

 

[Haven]

That''s a tough choice, HH! Those three pictures are gorgeous.

I love your expressions in the first pic, your smile is so beautiful.
I agree that the second pic looks more Christmas-y.
And that third pic is a classic.

Gee, I''m no help, right?

If forced to choose, I''d pick the first one. But reluctantly, it''s too hard!

 

[jcrow]

hudson - my vote is #1

 

[zoebartlett]

I have to admit that I'm not good at sending out Christmas cards. When I do send cards to friends and family, I write a personal note. My mom usually writes a newsletter and she always includes notes about what my sister and I are up to. I've never written a newsletter of my own.

We've never done Christmas cards that included a picture of us (we don't have kids, otherwise we probably would or we'd send a picture of just the kids).

HH -- did I completely miss pictures of your wedding? I don't remember seeing these before (on here or FB). They're gorgeous photos, and I love all three. I think I'd pick #1.