Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I noticed a serious decline in Christmas cards this year. Anyone else? I'm wondering if the economy has people doing away with this tradition. What are your thoughts?
I too, noticed a large decrease!! I thought it was just because I am not very consistant on mailing them out each year, but I did get all my out of state friends and family last year and just skipped the ones that I see regularly so I would have thought that having mailed out last year would have put me back on a few mailing lists if that were the reason.
We received less too... and I never even finished mine so those didn't mail either. I think with the economy, people are working harder and being more frugal -- that takes a lot of time whether it's in the form of extra hours at work, time spent clipping coupons or bargain hunting. For me, it was making homemade gifts. I just simply ran out of time. I read someone on another thread saying they traditionally send Groundhog Day cards; I think that's what I'll do this year!
__________________ Anjou My Gallery * My Blog - Dreaming in Color "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." - Belva Davis
This year we received less than a quarter of the usual number of holiday cards. I'm faily certain it is the current state of the economy doing it. Another thing we noticed is a drop in houses decorated with lights. A few weeks before xmas we always bundle up and go for a night drive to look at the lights. We had to hunt and hunt.... there were very few homes that had lights up, and only one that had a *wow*.
__________________ Kathryn
Do you know if there's a 12-step program for stamping? No, seriously, is there??
I would say we rec'd about 1/2 of what we rec'd last year. I'd guess it's part the economy and that people just seem to get busier and busier and time slips away. I also rec'd two electronic Christmas cards, they came via email w/a picture and letter. It was nice and saved paper and stamps! I don't know if I could quite go that route, but I might cut down my list next year and send some via email.
I noticied more people waited to send cards to those who sent cards;
I don't send cards to people we are getting together with for the holiday,
they are given holiday wishes in person
__________________ Carolyn
my avatar: (such desparation), Dear God, if you can't make me thin; make my
friends fat"
Even we got just a handful of cards when every year I get so much that I do not have place to show them off.
I personally think that it is shortage of time due to economy crunch. At least it was for me. Quite a few people were let go in our group and we all have been putting extra hours at work and leaving me less time to crop or do cards.
So people who would normally get cards from me did not, so they would have gotten less number of cards as well. :(
Plus postage has increased quite a bit this year too. I guess it adds up....
I'm sending out approx. 60 cards this year--and so far, have gotten about 30 in return. It may be the economy...but it is better to give than to receive.
Location: The weeds are popping up, and I'm having asthma issues
Posts: 6,312
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We got a ton. Maybe it's where you live and how the economy is there? I got e-mail cards from three people who were cutting back, BUT I had never received cards from them prior so it just added to my total received.
I saw a decrease this year, too. And people who have done a update letter every year for the past several years only did a card. And there were fewer pictures. I think the holidays came upon us faster with Thanksgiving being so late - and I suspect the economy played a part for some.
We only received about 5 cards this year. In our case, I think the economy and the cost of postage had a BIG effect. Most of our relatives are on fixed incomes now. Either that or they don't like us anymore! LOL!!!!!:-D Hehehehe!
I, too, did more 'hand deliveries' (ie: co-workers, neighbors, gals cookie exchange group, etc.)
Most of my hand-made cards now all go for the 59 cents postage, so I figured I saved about $15 with hand-deliveries (if I was seeing them anyway) vs. sending in the mail.
I received about 11, 4 were local and the rest were crafting online friends.
I gave/sent 30.
I didn't think much of it until I opened a card from a family friend that had a list of people for me to say merry christmas to. They just sent me a card instead of one for each family member in this area.
Times are certainly hard. It was hard for me to replace gifts with either cards or holiday fugde to people I normally give gifts.
__________________ My Blog╰⊰⊹✿ Doris ╰⊰⊹✿:Mommy to one teenage girl, a water turtle and 3 meow babies Go grab a Hot Potato!MS: You don't get it till you get it! G= 100 LT= +13
I did notice at my brother's house (they are in their 30's) that they had tons of family photo cards sent to them (as well as I know they sent one out).
They communicate with lots of those in the 'having children' age-range, so it appeared from their photo tree that 'numbers were up!' in terms of those who sent.
I'll need to ask my SIL if 'numbers were up or down'------
(we don't have kids so rarely send out a photo pic)
I sent out about 45-50 and only got about 20 this year! Alot of my cards were for my customers but they are also my friends, so I was surprised! I feel it is the economy this year, one less thing for people to spend money on.
Me to!! I spoke to other family members today we all noticed a huge decline. I mailed about 30 cards got only 6 in return. Most of them are photo cards.
I did notice at my brother's house (they are in their 30's) that they had tons of family photo cards sent to them (as well as I know they sent one out).
They communicate with lots of those in the 'having children' age-range, so it appeared from their photo tree that 'numbers were up!' in terms of those who sent.
I'll need to ask my SIL if 'numbers were up or down'------
(we don't have kids so rarely send out a photo pic)
that is true... 4 that I received were photo cards
__________________ My Blog╰⊰⊹✿ Doris ╰⊰⊹✿:Mommy to one teenage girl, a water turtle and 3 meow babies Go grab a Hot Potato!MS: You don't get it till you get it! G= 100 LT= +13
We, too, had a decline in cards received, but then I also decreased the amount I send out. For me, it was lack of time (prolly lack of preparation!). I think a lot of people cut back this year due to the general economy...
I mailed or gave out about 40 handmade cards this year, which is pretty average. I got about 15. Some where the typical advertisement ones from people who's services we use (IE. insurance agent). About half the people we mail cards to, we know they don't mail cards (IE. single guys or co-workers).
Some of my friends weren't mailing to as many people (but I got one ) because of the cost and my best friend never received the cards she ordered. Grrr.
__________________ *Alice* All science is either physics or stamp collecting. -Lord Kelvin
Every year we get less and less. this was the first year where we got more from stampers than folks we've actually met! I'd say we got about 20 total.
I think that part of the reason is that our family and friends no longer have young children and no longer want to send out family photos. All the "kids" are in college or older.
I sent out about 40.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I figure the decline in the ones we receive has a little to do with the fact that I stopped sending any 2-3 years ago (*gasp* I know... a stamper that doesn't send Christmas cards!) BUT, the reason I stopped sending them was because of finances. It's hard enough to squeeze out enough money to buy gifts for our kids, so I just don't want to waste any of it on the ever-increasing postage rates, which is another reason why I think we see a decline in how many we get.
We received about a third less than last year, but among our extended family and friends are a lot of procrastinators, so I usually do get some after Christmas. I've been infected with the procrastinator bug this year myself, and am behind in my package-shipping even, though all my cards went out last weekend.
I agree with what someone said about there being so little time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had company for the whole week of Thanksgiving, which was wonderful, but when they left, I thought, Oh my goodness, I'm BEHIND! I feel like I've just been playing catch-up ever since.
We definitely received less. However, I didn't get mine out until late so we may have a "response" to that.
I did spend too much on postage but I wanted people to know we were thinking of them etc and there was no way we were going to be able to hand-deliver them all - 45 went overseas - and I just thought the financial sacrifice was worth getting them out of the way!
We do have one that we will hand deliver on Sunday - and we could have hand delivered some more there but I wasn't certain who would make it and etc so I just looked at it as a little Christmas present to them... now hopefully if they only got a few cards they will treasure my painstaking handcrafted one! :lol:
This year we received less than a quarter of the usual number of holiday cards. I'm faily certain it is the current state of the economy doing it. Another thing we noticed is a drop in houses decorated with lights. A few weeks before xmas we always bundle up and go for a night drive to look at the lights. We had to hunt and hunt.... there were very few homes that had lights up, and only one that had a *wow*.
Yep, I have been talking about both of those things all month.
I did end up with several cards. I also got an emailed Christmas newsletter from one family. LOL
__________________ Lisa -
Married my sweetheart 1-26-02 Mommy to Hunter 9-3-04 & Hailey 7-26-06
I sent out 42 this year. I received 6 only 2 of which from family. I sent to each family member. I send all mine out US mailing. I don't like hand delivery or to stick them in the door or mail box. I got an E-Card from a friend but that was only after his family received mine in the mail.
I don't exchange gifts with anyone, so my cards are my gift to them. I'm not concerned how many I receive. I make and send cards to who I want, it makes me feel good and hopefully conveys my feelings to them.
I normally receive enough to cover 3 large doors in my house and this year I only got five cards.
__________________ ************************************************************** Deborah "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein
I also wanted to say hardly anyone has their lights up too.
__________________ ************************************************************** Deborah "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein
We ended up receiving our usual amount from friends and family, but didn't start receiving them until about the 2nd week of December... usually we start getting them the day after Thanksgiving. I suspect this was due to everyone being busy. We received photo cards from all of our friends with kids and plain cards from everyone else. I did receive 2 handmade cards this year (up from 0 last year)! I sent out about 90 cards and 60 of them were handmade and the other 30 were store-bought.
Christmas card decrease
