Christmas cards with out a greeting

[purpleeyes]

What's the point? Sitting in front of the tv and signing your name to a pile of cards, placing them in envelopes with printed labels does not count as doing christmas cards in my book!
I don't expect a letter (gah, hate those things, too), but a little Dear ---- Family, Have a nice holiday, Love ----Family would be nice.


Beth


PS: no offense to those who do this, perhaps you are ridiculously busy and wouldn't get them done otherwise! It is just a personal pet peeve and I had to get it out! :)

[MegND95]

I feel the same way!! We send picture cards every year, but I always write personal notes on the back to each person/family. I am right there with you! I would love to get more detailed info from people we see or speak to infrequently.

[niccig]

At least they sent a card. DH and I never do, this will be the first year. And yes, they'll probably just get a handwritten Happy Holidays and our names written on the preprinted card. But in my book, that will be much better than being forgotten about, which is what we've done the last 2 years.

Nicci

[almostamom]

That will be my goal for next year! ;) I've already stuffed the envelopes, and since there are lots and lots of them, I just can't muster up the energy to unstuff and write! BTW, I do handwrite every address - does that count???

Isn't venting wonderful! :)

Linda

[Bean606]

I generally agree, but this year we are so busy that we are sending a photo card of DS that is pre printed. I wrote notes to some of the people we see infrequently, but to others whom we see all the time, what else is there to say if the card already says Happy Holidays?

[dules]

Ditto! I even printed them last year but never sent (argh!).


Mary

[cmdunn1972]

Guilty as charged! :P

Well, sort of. At least I write out the addresses on the envelopes by hand. I also make a point to buy Christmas stamps and drive them to the post office so they can put their special holiday postage-cancelling mark on the envelope. But, I honestly am not one who's great about including individual notes for each of DH's many relatives, and I'm not sure they care about much more than getting DS's picture anyway.

[Jenn98]

I hear ya! I don't mean to be a snot, but cards with nothing written in them mean nothing to me, no matter who they are from. It actually makes me feel worse to see that they couldn't be bothered to personalize it for me. I'd rather get no card. JMHO. I'm not looking for a novel but a simple, "Hey *** Family, have a great holiday! Love So and so" isn't too much to ask for. If you're too busy to do that then you're too busy for cards.

[BaileyBea]

I guess I am guilty as charged too! I have an online address book. I keep my addresses updated. I print labels. I used to spend a lot of $ in stamps because I kept sending cards to old addresses. My handwritting isn't as good as my online handwriting.. Har har!

Then of course I spend time putting together a card w/photos. I don't have time to personalize because I would be up till 3 am.

I thought about writing a letter to tell everyone what we've been up to but I heard a bunch of good friends of mine making fun of people who do that....

I once sent out a xmas card to a friend who was offended it said Merry Christmas. I heard all kinds of complaining about that.

I guess there is no winning.... Oh well!

Nancy

[maestramommy]

Guilty! Although usually we write a greeting if we don't usually talk to the ones who get the card. Last year I decided to write a form letter because it was only a couple of months after Dora was born. IF I have the time I'll do it again, although we are already behind. Usually we have the picture copies printed by now. As of today we haven't even yet taken a picture, let alone picked the background and ordered prints.

[Lynnie]

I admit I am going to try my best to figure out how to make labels this year.... is it ok if they are festive ??

Because if I don't, I just KNOW that I will have a stack of over 50 cards, which have been written out and personalized sitting in a big huge pile because the thought of finding all the addresses and physically writing them on the cards will be too much for me, for yet another year.

I like getting a short salutation, but since I have hundreds of unsent cards sitting around (they are photos, I am a pack rat, and can't bear to throw away photos of my boys) I cut the person who doesn't write anything some slack. I have gotten a few that don't even have a signature on them, they are pre-printed, but I love to see the photos, and in a really wierd sense, they make me feel better about having written something in mine, even though I didn't send the majority of them. And, they give me hope for next year, that maybe if I just try that way, I'll get them all out, and can get them more personalized the next year.

[sarahsthreads]

My personal pet peeve is DH's family writing out all our names and spelling mine and DD's wrong. ;)

I'm really asking this because I'm curious, not to flame or anything - do you expect the pre-printed photo cards to have a personalized greeting? I've never seen one that does, but now I'm wondering if I'm committing a terrible faux pas. This year is the first time we've sent out actual photo cards.

I would consider not printing labels if DH would address the 60+ that are going to his family. But since I'm responsible for taking the pictures, creating the cards, having them printed, addressing them, buying the stamps, and sending them out - all with no help from DH, who still insists on sending them to his aunt's second cousin's dog groomer - I have to take a few shortcuts here and there.

Then again, if someone on my list would rather not get a card than get a cute picture of DD with our pre-printed names on it, I can pretty easily remove them from the list next year... (Oh, please, oh please, can his aunt's second cousin's dog groomer complain about it so I can take her off the list?!? :D )

Sarah :)

[katerinasmom]

Another guilty card sender here. I used to include a personal greeting in each card but this year it became impossible. I send out close to 90 cards (almost entirely family) and include a photo of DD in each and use preprinted address labels. But this year DD wanted to "help". So she had to sit on my lap and draw crayon pictures in every single card. Instead of personal greetings, I instead included an explanation of the crayon drawing i.e. "Spider by Katie:" so that our relatives won't think I just recycling old cards. And then after three hours of "signing" the cards with DD, I made DH help me stuff the envelopes. There was no way I was going to be able to get him to insert personal greetings in each one and by then I was exhausted so in the envelopes they went.

[amp]

Guess I'm hope those on my list don't hate them and find them as meaningless as you do. I made a point to get the kids portraits taken and have the wording I wanted printed on them. It's not as though I put no thought into it. But I don't write on each of them on top of that.

[LarsMal]

Guess I'm guilty, too, but only because I went the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" route. I used to write a personalized note to everyone I sent a card to, but got very very few (notes) in return. I decided why should I take the time if no one else is? I know, not really the "holiday spirit" but it took a long time to write them out, and not to get any in return was a bummer!

[Moneypenny]

I'm happy to get a card, whether it's personalized or not. I hope people who receive our card feel the same way.

Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
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[daniele_ut]

>Guess I'm hope those on my list don't hate them and find them
>as meaningless as you do. I made a point to get the kids
>portraits taken and have the wording I wanted printed on them.
> It's not as though I put no thought into it. But I don't
>write on each of them on top of that.

I'm with you. I spent a fair amount of time taking the photos, and designing the card and its wording and I probably won't have time to include a personal greeting in each one, considering that I will work 80 hours next week and need to get them in the mail asap. We do include a short update letter in ours as well. We love receiving them from others, too, since we live very far from my family and sometimes the Christmas newsletters are the best way for us to keep up with everyone.

[blueeyedb]

I'm also happy just to get a card. To me it means that at some point during this busy season, the sender thought of my family even if it was just long enough to include our name on their list. I put quite a bit of thought into our card, but I don't personalize. I hope that people who recieve our card know that I thought of them even if I didn't write their name on the card itself.

[rlu]

Guilty of the letter. I love getting them, love writing it. Don't like it, toss it. I'm making the effort.

No offense taken and hopefully none given.

[purpleeyes]

I was thinking any kind of xmas card, actually, but I understand the difficulty of writing on the photo cards. I usually write on the back, but I bet some people don't flip it over to read it! :) It is a petty bitch, I know, and I was really just thinking of the 5 cards (non photo ones) we had gotten in the mail that day with nothing more then a signature. It feels so impersonal, KWIM?

Miss Manners had a little article about it in my paper today-made me laugh.

Beth


ETA: clarification

[C99]

At least you got ones w/ signed names! Every year, my uncle sends me a printed card with his and my aunt's names printed inside the card, send in an envelope with a printed label affixed to the front. WTF is the point!?! My REALTOR sends me a more personalized card than that.

[deborah_r]

It is this fear of offending by not putting a personal message in the card that has compelled me in recent years to buy those cards where you insert the photo, with a border. It makes it harder for me to format the photo card - has to be perfect size - and I have to make sure the design on the border doesn't clash with the design of my photo card, and it costs me a fortune to print the cards and buy the cards to insert them into. This year I was just going to print photo cards and not worry about it, but now you've got me all worried again! I had started comforting myself thinking no one cared if there was a personal message in the card or not!

[emilyf]

Guilty also. And almost all the ones we get are like that too. I mostly receive photo cards and I'm interested in seeing the picture, not so much the message. Pre-kids I used to write notes, now I don't even sign our name (it's printed on the card) although I do address my own envelopes. But I haven't even taken a picture yet-I feel like I scramble at the last minute every year!
Emily mom of Charlie born 11/02 and Zoe born 9/05

[DrSally]

This used to bother me too, esp. when it comes from people your close to and all it has is a signature. I used to always write a short greeting. This year we did photo cards and I think they're more personal to begin with. Besides, there's nowhere on the acutal photo card to write anything other than the back and that says Kodak all over it. It just seems less necessary with a photo card IMO.

[NancyJ_redo]

I almost feel like I'm in the minority here, but I...
1) send picture cards with no personalized handwritten greeting (if I even get them out at all :) )
2) love to receive photo cards from others, regardless of personal greeting; I'm just happy to see a photo of the kids/family so I know what my old friends look like, and
3) enjoy receiving the non-personalized holiday letter, provided they're not too corny (sorry MIL, yours is over the top cheesy, and your special presentation of it to each family member at XMas dinner doesn't change this), and it not being too self-aggrandizing (Timmy won this, Mom is this...blah blah. A little self-deprecating humor goes a long way!).

[noahsmommy]

Hmm..I might be in the minority too..

I like getting the photo cards, b/c I know that families take the time to get the photos taken, and I like seeing how my friends and family members have grown.

I like the occasional full paged typed letter on what "we've been up too" Though, sometimes the bragging rights are a little much.

I do not like the card that has the quickly scribbled "happy holidays, love, etc.." or the one that has just "dear"..and love" on it. I think that takes less effort than hustling everyone to get together for photos, taking the time to choose the "perfect" photo, getting them printed out, sorted, put into an envelope.

In no way do I mean to disagree or start up anything, just wanted to mention that DH and I HBTDT - sitting in front of the TV, with a stack of hallmark cards, address book, and aimlessly writing on each card, "dear...happy holidays, love...". By the 50th card, I'd prefer to just call up the old friend and chat on the phone
instead!

2 years ago, my DH put aside an entire evening and made a online card with a photo of DH on Adobe Illustrator, and we just sent it to our close friends and family via email with a short personal holiday message. Miss Manners may frown upon it, but I thought it was very personal and we got lots of responses back.

This year, we're going to attempt the craziness of getting 2.5 year old DH, and 4 month old DS to get to the studio, dressed up, and smile for a photo card and if the reciever doesn't want to keep it, it's at their discretion.


Ann

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[purpleeyes]

Isn't that interesting-I'm just looking for a "dear beth and family" and some people are't! ;)
For the record, I REALLY enjoy photo cards, handwritten notes or not. We do photo cards and last year it took me a week to get him to sit in front of the tree. I hope that people appreciate that when they receive it! I certainly appreciate the ones I get.
I guess I don't like cards with just a signature b/c it reminds me of the cards you get from a dentist or something, KWIM?
Then again, it is the thought that counts, ultimately, right?!

Beth

PS I haven't done ANY of our cards, yet, how about that? ;)

[thomma]

and don't worry just send the preprinted photo cards. It's the thought that counts!

Kim
ds&dd 5/03

[blueeyedb]

Okay, I'm so glad someone else likes the letter! They get made fun of so often that I feel weird for enjoying them. Sometimes they are the only way I can keep up with people. I will admit that it helps if they are low key and not an excuse to brag or a list of all the vacations you took this year.