Christmas card decrease
 

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 noticed the same thing with the Christmas cards this year. I am not sure of the reasoning.

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.

I didn't receive as many this year, either. Wonder if it's an economy thing or time issue?

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!

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*.

Economy, increased cost of postage, less time....the list goes on.

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

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....

Anyways, my two cents on this.

Hoping that everyone had a good holiday.

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. :)

Hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas!!

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 got more picture cards than just regular cards, but overall less cards than normal.

We just got ours done yesterday, so ours will be more New Years cards than Christmas cards.

I didn't receive as many from my family & friends but I did receive quite a bit from my crafting buddies. Usually I get one from every family member.

I got a bunch as well. Too many to display like I usually do.

We received less cards as well as the others posted above.

Here are some of my ideas on why we got less...
1. Economy
2. Time and energy factor
3. too busy with life in general

We sent about 150 cards out this year........and got about 20 in return.

However, I send cards because I love doing that.
This year we hand gave out about 30 cards...instead of mailing them.

Lori

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.

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.

that is true... 4 that I received were photo cards

I actually got more this year than I have the last couple of years. I had to get more clips to clip them up.

I sent out the usual amount, minus elderly family who had passed this year, so it was normal around here as far as cards.

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.

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.

We got alot less this year.

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 received less as well. I aldo noticed that more people hand delivered them than mailing then also.

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:

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

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.

Patti

I normally receive enough to cover 3 large doors in my house and this year I only got five cards.

I also wanted to say hardly anyone has their lights up too.

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.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Jodie

I usually get 20 or more cards, this year I got less than 10- I think I sent out over 30- so I wondered the same thing.

I think we received about the same as before.

We send out about 120. but only about half of those are actually mailed, the rest are handed out at our church. I can't tell that we have gotten fewer this year because so many of my dh's family are late in sending their cards that I am not even expecting theirs for another couple weeks :).

Pamela

I was worried when the week prior to Christmas we had so few. I sent out about 70. The last couple days before Christmas we got loads of them. I think we even got more than last year. I was quite surprised as I was thinking we would not get many this year.
Blessings.

We send out about 70 or so and typically get back maybe 50 and that seems to be the case this year. After I sent them out this year, there were some that I wondered "why did I send them a card?" I think I'll definitely do some serious thinking about ones I send out next year. I've often wondered how many send to me because I send to them. Maybe I should just wait to send cards on December 26 and make them more a "winter" greeting rather than Christmas.

Wanda

We only got about 1/3 to 1/2 of what we usually receive! My postman mentioned to me about Dec. 20th that he had noticed much fewer Christmas cards this year than in any other previous year, too!

Hmmmm I just did the math... we received about 20 odd and we sent nearly 100... might have to do a rethink for 2009 especially as half of those were $0.97 to send overseas.

I know a lot of my cards have not been received because of the crazy snowy weather here in Seattle. The Post Office is way behind.

I noticed the same thing. :) I think more people are concentrating on other things.

I received a lot less this year than in years past. I know that I sent out a few less, but it was because I just ran out of time...my card design was a bit too labor intensive this year.

I think overall, people are just sending fewer out for a few different reasons. 1.) Everyone is so busy, they just don't have time to even bother with it or mean to and then don't get around to it. 2.) I think the economy has a lot to do with it, everyone is cutting back. 3.) More and more people aren't sending them, unless they get one.

think the exception to this is if you have taken photo's of your kids and want eveyone to see them, you still send out.

Here are my stats: I sent out 110 and got 49.

I normally get very few stamped cards because most of the people I know don't stamp. But this year we got a lot less than usual so I don't know that it was a time factor really since most of our friends and family don't need to find the time to make them. I think sending cards is one of those many things that is a fading tradition. I know many of these people who didn't send cards were recently going out to shows and shopping, etc. so I don't know that it was a money factor either - stamps aren't that much in relation to other things we pay for. At least not for a "normal" card. LOL Many of us around here spend a lot for postage because of our creations but most people don't.

People make time for what's important and sadly it seems to not be other people anymore. :(

We usually get 2 or 3 people who send holiday letters, one is getting divorced and one lost a job so one just did a card (job person) and the other didn't do anything (totally understandable).

More photo cards this year, I feel terrible throwing them away after the holidays!