Do you still buy and send Birthday cards/Christmas cards etc?

[birchesgreen]

Mods note - split from this thread:https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/companies-you-dont-like-to-buy-from-and-why.209523/

Any card shop which isn't Card Factory - I personally see cards as completely pointless, they are just a piece of card with a picture and a message saying Happy Birthday, why are they so expensive? Card Factory is reasonably priced although I wouldn't mind if cards become a thing of the past, they have just as much meaning as a note or text to me.

I'm the opposite, if i'm going to send/receive a card i prefer to pay a little extra for something that looks better. I don't really like Card Factory (which inside resembles a scene from hell) and usually use Clintons, i like their 1920s styled range of cards.

 

[py_megapixel]

I'm the opposite, if i'm going to send/receive a card i prefer to pay a little extra for something that looks better. I don't really like Card Factory (which inside resembles a scene from hell) and usually use Clintons, i like their 1920s styled range of cards.

I take a different view. I simply absolutely detest greetings cards. They are entirely gratuitous pieces of cardboard, which usually have a glossy coating on them (not great environmentally) and sometimes aren't recyclable at all because of additional features made out of plastic. Also some manufacturers wrap them in another entirely gratuitous piece of plastic. And they essentially achieve the same purpose as a letter, but with far greater environmental impact.

When I have to buy a card, as @Energy says, it's Card Factory. Don't like Clintons myself as it's often (in my experience) heavily perfumed inside...
Incidentally, I will absolutely never buy cards from Hallmark, who as far as I'm aware are the company that popularised the commercialisation of Christmas, Valentines' etc, and who put into peoples' heads that they are expected to send cards for virtually anything even remotely noteworthy...

Also, slight tangent here - but why is it standard for there to be a message pre-printed inside a card? I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy someone a card, but being too lazy to write "Happy birthday" for themselves. The number of times I've seen what looks like a good picture for someone's birthday on the front of a card, only to find that the inside says something along the lines of "Congratulations on your newborn" or something... why???

 

[SteveM70]

Also, slight tangent here - but why is it standard for there to be a message pre-printed inside a card? I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy someone a card, but being too lazy to write "Happy birthday" for themselves. The number of times I've seen what looks like a good picture for someone's birthday on the front of a card, only to find that the inside says something along the lines of "Congratulations on your newborn" or something... why???

There are a lot less cards like this than there used to be, as removing the printing on the inside means that cards become usable for multiple events and therefore the manufacturer can narrow his range. This is particularly the case for humorous cards which people buy for lots of reasons other than birthdays.

Many years ago I worked briefly for Hallmark and at the time their USP was being a one stop supplier for both chain and independent card shops. Their range was just over 14,000 different cards, excluding seasonal!! And obviously that included a hugely long and slow moving tail (eg happy 85th birthday great aunt) as well as the faster moving ones like generic “cute” Forever Friends titles. At the time I left there was talk of compressing the range, so in my example getting rid of “great aunt”, “great grandma” etc and having one version of each 85th birthday design rather than about 7.

The likes of Moonpig have revolutionised the industry in that they can hold a generic range and personalise to order

 

[birchesgreen]

I never buy cards with messages inside, seems that as many do as don't these days. I don't actually buy many cards (wife and mum only) so in that case i prefer to get better ones.

 

[maniacmartin]

I'm the only person in most of my friendship circles who still sends birthday and christmas cards. To me, its just a nice feeling to recieve a card in the post. It shows that the sender has put a bit of effort in, instead of just clicking a popup on Facebook or whatever. I don't splash out on cards though! I go to Card Factory and stock up on the multibuys (10 for £1, 7 for £1, 5 for £1) which are probably loss leaders, and keep a stock of 10-20 designs on hand at home.

 

[Cowley]

Mrs C took the you know what out of me for years about sending too many cards at Christmas. I’ve now got it down to 12 (a twelve pack of stamps worth ), and the 12 that I do send all have a proper message from me in them rather than just “To... Love from...” etc.
Actually we’ve done a deal with lots of people not to bother with stuff like that and to just have a chat on the phone instead or meet up for a pint (not so easy this year).

 

[pdeaves]

Buy cards? No! We make our own. It gives the personal touch for those who like that and is anyway a fun activity.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Are card shops especially British?
I still send and receive cards with people I have known since before the interweb. Received some nice railway pictures from non-railway persons
There are some queer railway cards too, where something is not quite right

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There are some queer railway cards too, where something is not quite right

Such as? Locos in wrong colour liveries? Mis-identified locations?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Implausibilities, wrong colours, technical impossibilities
Not got any to hand

Some very good paintings by Terence Cuneo and others, and pictures of Thomas and his Friends

 

[peteb]

We often exchange cards with friends abroad, nice to put them on the mantelpiece where the gas light is brightest. Seriously yes I like cards, and they are something tangible to record birthday greetings, congrats on birth, marriage, exam success etc. And for those who've lost loved ones. So whilst I contact people using internet most frequently I'd never do away with cards altogether. They will generally recycle but avoid glitter....

 

[Flange Squeal]

Generally my view of greetings cards is that they are a bit of a waste, generally ending up in the bin at some point. The only people I regularly send them to is my Mum as she moans otherwise(!), and one particular friend at Christmas as we seem to have developed a bit of a tradition of sending each other the most offensive one we can find! Some occasions I do still contribute though, which has generally been work related - long term illness/hospitalisation, retirements and leaving occasions, as these are more likely to be a bit more meaningful for the recipient, and maybe kept longer term.

 

[Busaholic]

The ones I detest are the likes of 'TO MY SISTER' thus implying (a) you can't recollect her name offhand or (b) you're sending advance news that someone's had a paternity test with a revelation to come. Whichever it is, straight to the recycling box.

 

[hst43102]

Waste of money and paper. Write a letter, email or text message instead.

 

[Calthrop]

The ones I detest are the likes of 'TO MY SISTER' thus implying (a) you can't recollect her name offhand or (b) you're sending advance news that someone's had a paternity test with a revelation to come. Whichever it is, straight to the recycling box.

I'm rather old-fashioned in many respects: enjoy sending and receiving actual "card cards" for birthdays / Christmas / occasionally "other". The above-quoted, though, strikes a definite chord with me. A tendency on the part of greetings-card makers; and more than a tendency on the part of shops that sell cards; which I hate -- they obsessively categorise their wares: all the shelf-space is variously and respectively labelled, ["parents"], ["offspring"], ["siblings"], ["aunt / uncle"], ["nephew / niece"], ["spouse"], and on through all the kinds of relatives / family members (actual or potential) imaginable -- and on and on, through all think-of-able ways in which a person might be connected to another -- every damned item is categorised: up to and including "friend" -- and the word always appears on the card itself -- "to my friend", or whatever. (The Card Factory, is a shop chain particularly bad for this.)

At times, one may wish to send a card which is not emblazoned with "to my... [whatever the relationship may be]" -- there are time when you want to be more general, and the "to my..." shtick just feels stilted and wrong. It's desirable to have a chance to get cards which are not specifically categorised in this way -- sometimes, it's just what you want. This 100% always-and-invariable labelling with the relationship -- it's the kind of thing which is appropriate for totally regimented and predictable insectoid beings characterised by an all-pervading hive-mind; not for humans who, when allowed to be, are splendidly quirky and variable and "random" -- that's one of the things which make us human.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Not sent a card for about 40 years apart from to my wife. Sending cards is what women are for. Good lord that sexist comment will get me kicked off this forum

 

[SteveM70]

I send cards to my mum and dad, my aunt, and my godparents. Force of habit mainly.

Everyone else gets a text / email / whatsapp message, and for every card I don’t send I give two quid to the Forget Me Not Trust.

 

[johntea]

I miss the days when I was young enough to receive cards from relatives with cash inside and silently judging them by the note value! (horrible thing to do but I was a child!)...there was always one smart alec who taped a few pound coins to the card instead!

Gift cards are one thing I never understood, retailers must make a small fortune from people shoving them in a drawer or whatever and they end up expiring!

 

[birchesgreen]

Gift cards are one thing I never understood, retailers must make a small fortune from people shoving them in a drawer or whatever and they end up expiring!

Yes many never get used. I still have a Woolies one for 50p or something i received in the late 70s which never got used. I did get excited earlier in the week that it might finally be time to redeem it but alas it was a hoax.

 

[Red Onion]

Other than a long standing tradition at xmas where I send my best mate a card, no. I think they’re utterly pointless, much the same reasoning behind not wrapping presents!

 

[C J Snarzell]

I still a send a few Crimbo cards. I'm actually in the mindset of not bothering this year because of all this Covid nonscene and there won't be much of a Christmas worth celebrating.

Then again, I think sending cards and communicating with others during these difficult times will ease the misery slightly.

CJ

 

[eMeS]

I'm a traditionalist, and have sent and received cards for decades. Last year was an exception in that I'd bought the cards, and was getting round to sending them, when I had a tightness across my chest. I nearly ignored it, but thankfully I phoned 111 and spent 6 days in hospital being treated for a confirmed heart attack. I'm still here, and last year's cards are somewhere, so I'll be sending them later. My partner has a subscription to one of the online greetings cards websites, and that gets used increasingly.

(Don't ignore pains in the chest - they might be really serious...)

 

[PeterC]

Birthday cards for SWMBO and my daughters, grandchildren will get them when the girls produce. Christmas cards for friends and extended family, a shrinking group as I get older (down to one aunt rather than six now).

I never buy from the card chains. I used to send Private Eye cards but the list is now too small to make the mail order worth while so I usually buy a pack from a museum or art gallery. Birthday cards usually come from Waterstones or Oxfam.

 

[scotrail158713]

Not many for me. Parents, siblings and a couple of close friends for birthdays and Christmas. Trying to find generic Christmas card for my friends is always a challenge though. As someone mentioned up thread, the card shops insistence that all cards must be for some form of relationship makes it hard.

 

[Busaholic]

I'm rather old-fashioned in many respects: enjoy sending and receiving actual "card cards" for birthdays / Christmas / occasionally "other". The above-quoted, though, strikes a definite chord with me. A tendency on the part of greetings-card makers; and more than a tendency on the part of shops that sell cards; which I hate -- they obsessively categorise their wares: all the shelf-space is variously and respectively labelled, ["parents"], ["offspring"], ["siblings"], ["aunt / uncle"], ["nephew / niece"], ["spouse"], and on through all the kinds of relatives / family members (actual or potential) imaginable -- and on and on, through all think-of-able ways in which a person might be connected to another -- every damned item is categorised: up to and including "friend" -- and the word always appears on the card itself -- "to my friend", or whatever. (The Card Factory, is a shop chain particularly bad for this.)

At times, one may wish to send a card which is not emblazoned with "to my... [whatever the relationship may be]" -- there are time when you want to be more general, and the "to my..." shtick just feels stilted and wrong. It's desirable to have a chance to get cards which are not specifically categorised in this way -- sometimes, it's just what you want. This 100% always-and-invariable labelling with the relationship -- it's the kind of thing which is appropriate for totally regimented and predictable insectoid beings characterised by an all-pervading hive-mind; not for humans who, when allowed to be, are splendidly quirky and variable and "random" -- that's one of the things which make us human.

Excellent post, if I may say so.

 

[Trackman]

Only Christmas card I send is to my Mum, otherwise I get a bollocking.
Likewise to Mrs. Trackman for Valentine's day and the flowers must not be from Tesco Express
My brother and I had a thing going were we would give the same cards with a tenner in it and just exchange it every year as we had swap xmas presents at my Mums if there was a family gathering.
When he moved abroad we kept the cards, I still have mine in my desk drawer. The tenner is an old one though!

 

[Calthrop]

Excellent post, if I may say so.

Glad it's not just me -- a matter which is a "pet hate" of mine. Has me wondering whether those responsible for marketing this stuff this way, are actually human.

 

[lkpridgeon]

I send cards to family and close friends for their birthdays. Then at Christmas I tend to drop off cards as a general thank-you for help during the year. Birthdays are a cheap card from Card Factory and Christmas I either get custom printed during my yearly replenishment of notebooks and business cards or make by hand as quite often they are instead of a gift.

 

[Butts]

I still send Christmas and Birthday Cards.

It's much nicer to pick something tangible off the doormat and open rather than an e-mail or text.

Mind you I still read newspapers and books in their physical format as well.

 

[Crossover]

I don't tend to send many Birthday cards (in part because I am disorganised with such things) - just odd ones here and there. Likewise I mainly receive them only from family.

For Christmas I do tend to send cards to a few friends and some at work as well. Some respond in kind, even from my generation. There is something nice about cards that you don't get from an email etc. and also a nice way to keep in touch with people one doesn't see on a regular basis (even in normal times)