Christmas presents!!!!! What I'd really like to do but don't have the guts

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I think, regarding cards, IF you don't get them, there's nothing you can do about it, emails and all that throughout the year, ok. BUT I do prefer cards through the post at Christmas and Birthday. It's more personal and oddly, to me anyway, shows thought and effort 'sent your way'.
I agree,my friends from school who I meet up with during the year always send cards for Birthdays and Christmas. This year one sent a WhatsApp to the group saying she wasn't sending cards as the post was too much but would give the cost of cards and postage to a charity.
I posted cards but atm I'm not responding to any messages on WhatsApp or Facebook. Petty,maybe but none of us are on the poverty line and I thought it was delivered as a fait accompli. Im still wondering if our other two friends,one in USA and the other in Australia got a card as neither are on WhatsApp or Facebook..
 
I agree,my friends from school who I meet up with during the year always send cards for Birthdays and Christmas. This year one sent a WhatsApp to the group saying she wasn't sending cards as the post was too much but would give the cost of cards and postage to a charity.
I posted cards but atm I'm not responding to any messages on WhatsApp or Facebook. Petty,maybe but none of us are on the poverty line and I thought it was delivered as a fait accompli. Im still wondering if our other two friends,one in USA and the other in Australia got a card as neither are on WhatsApp or Facebook..
I don't have a lot of people I send cards to, but when it's time, they get one. Side note: I 'met' someone on a forum. No, it wasn't one of those sorts. It was about an actor / singer (This is related to the topic). He was a 'high up' in the forum: he knew the actor. He made me a mod. Anyhoo, after about two years of online talking, he and a sidekick came over here and we met. Then I went over there to see the actor in a concert, with other forum members. Yes, still related. We were regular talkers. Then he 'downgraded' in my mind from a friend to an acquaintance. Has been since 2012. For all that, I still text him on his birthday and send a physical card at Christmas, as does he (the card). So, after all that, bestest friends or barely speaking, a card shows you still think of 'said person'. His is the only card I send abroad, so I suppose I don't dislike him that much :p
 
I agree,my friends from school who I meet up with during the year always send cards for Birthdays and Christmas. This year one sent a WhatsApp to the group saying she wasn't sending cards as the post was too much but would give the cost of cards and postage to a charity.
I posted cards but atm I'm not responding to any messages on WhatsApp or Facebook. Petty,maybe but none of us are on the poverty line and I thought it was delivered as a fait accompli. Im still wondering if our other two friends,one in USA and the other in Australia got a card as neither are on WhatsApp or Facebook..
If the price of postage was too much, but they gave the equivalent amount to charity instead, why didn't they send cards to you all instead?!
Unless it was a smaller token amount they gave to charity.
 
I used to do sometimes send Funky Pigeon cards to relatives and some friends, for birthdays, anniversaries, Xmas, but when you get no acknowledgement or thank you, no reply call or email, you realise you're wasting your time with unappreciative recipients.
 
I used to do sometimes send Funky Pigeon cards to relatives and some friends, for birthdays, anniversaries, Xmas, but when you get no acknowledgement or thank you, no reply call or email, you realise you're wasting your time with unappreciative recipients.
My mother usually gets a 'moon pig' from her sister. ALWAYS acknowledges her receiving. Rude not to.
 
This might sound a bit naughty, but I do wonder whether those people who proclaim that they're not sending cards this year but are donating to charity instead actually put their money where their mouths are and actually do it! This happens a lot in my work place and I get it, it can be an arduous task writing out 30 cards for colleagues and then panicking that you've forgotten someone, or you've written the wrong name on the outside of the envelope or vice versa cause you've had so many to write that your brain has scrambled! I think there's something nice about getting a good old fashioned hand written card whether it be handed to you in person or sent through the post, much more caring than a quick email or msn messenger message. They add to your Christmas decorations and like somebody said earlier it lets you know that the person you don't see is still alive! - It's reassuring. Also with the charity thing it's not a money saving thing as you can buy some really nice cards cheaply, especially if you have the foresight to buy them in sales after Christmas, yes stamps are pricey especially if you've got loads to send but I'd say they shouldn't break the bank. There's absolutely nothing wrong with donating to charity but I personally don't think it should be at the expense of making a friend, family member or colleague even feel like they matter!
 
This might sound a bit naughty, but I do wonder whether those people who proclaim that they're not sending cards this year but are donating to charity instead actually put their money where their mouths are and actually do it! This happens a lot in my work place and I get it, it can be an arduous task writing out 30 cards for colleagues and then panicking that you've forgotten someone, or you've written the wrong name on the outside of the envelope or vice versa cause you've had so many to write that your brain has scrambled! I think there's something nice about getting a good old fashioned hand written card whether it be handed to you in person or sent through the post, much more caring than a quick email or msn messenger message. They add to your Christmas decorations and like somebody said earlier it lets you know that the person you don't see is still alive! - It's reassuring. Also with the charity thing it's not a money saving thing as you can buy some really nice cards cheaply, especially if you have the foresight to buy them in sales after Christmas, yes stamps are pricey especially if you've got loads to send but I'd say they shouldn't break the bank. There's absolutely nothing wrong with donating to charity but I personally don't think it should be at the expense of making a friend, family member or colleague even feel like they matter!
If someone gets a card from a person they didn't send a card to, they might feel guilty and get a Happy New Year card in the post quickly. I've known this to happen.
 
If someone gets a card from a person they didn't send a card to, they might feel guilty and get a Happy New Year card in the post quickly. I've known this to happen.
....or they'll send a quick FB or messenger message with a flashing picture! I only had one of these this year. I sent my cards off quite early this year as I was uncharacteristically organised this year and a friend who doesn't live nearby who always sends me a proper card though the post didn't. On Christmas day I received a "flashy greeting" online, I was a little disappointed but at least they realised they'd forgotten to send me a card and tried to rectify the situation. I personally don't have a problem with Christmas cards, you can recycle them or keep the extra special ones, they provide seasonal work for those who need it and in this push button world it makes someone feel like someone cares!
 
On the present front, I was able to be brutally honest with my mum. She had atrocious taste when left to her own devices. We had one year of a budget, we bought our own gifts then gave them to her to wrap and give on Christmas. In the end it went back to tat. I told her, as did my sibling, to just give us a card, as any present would be straight in the charity dination bag or if really super dire, the bin.
I'm not a huge fan of Christmas at the best of times but to have someone on a fixed income buying junk to give as a present is ridiculous.
Thing is, you can't always be that frank with less close relatives and friends.
 
On the present front, I was able to be brutally honest with my mum. She had atrocious taste when left to her own devices. We had one year of a budget, we bought our own gifts then gave them to her to wrap and give on Christmas. In the end it went back to tat. I told her, as did my sibling, to just give us a card, as any present would be straight in the charity dination bag or if really super dire, the bin.
I'm not a huge fan of Christmas at the best of times but to have someone on a fixed income buying junk to give as a present is ridiculous.
Thing is, you can't always be that frank with less close relatives and friends.
Just as a matter of interest what sort of "tat" did it usually entail. I'm guessing it's along the lines of generic toiletries, a mug with a sachet of hot chocolate and a mini grater I actually can't stand that sort of thing. I've received plenty of presents that I can tell are of quality just not to my taste and yes they'll be donated the same as stuff I deem to be crap. The things that really do my head in are those silly little wooden puzzles, not jigsaws, I'd be happy with a jigsaw, but those little bits of wood that you have to take apart 'cause they're done when they're in the box and try and get them back together again...the charity shops are always full of them this time of year! You're right though at least you can be brutally honest with close family. I've got a hideous candle in the cupboard that I've yet to get rid of. It's in a huge bright pink glass beaker with a rubberised lid with a hole in presumably to pop a straw in when you're finished. It weighs a ton, it's made from glass so it's not practical to use on the go, you've gotta buy your own straws to go with it and it's got strawberry/limeade written on the front. The smell that's exuding from it is quite pleasant but it's certainly not something I'd want to display in my home, would probably suit a teenage girl more. I don't think it was cheap but I'd have rather received something pretty and with a less pungent "childish" aroma!
 
Just as a matter of interest what sort of "tat" did it usually entail. I'm guessing it's along the lines of generic toiletries, a mug with a sachet of hot chocolate and a mini grater I actually can't stand that sort of thing. I've received plenty of presents that I can tell are of quality just not to my taste and yes they'll be donated the same as stuff I deem to be crap. Terry Wragg not jigsaws, I'd be happy with a jigsaw, but those little bits of wood that you have to take apart 'cause they're done when they're in the box and try and get them back together again...the charity shops are always full of them this time of year! You're right though at least you can be brutally honest with close family. I've got a hideous candle in the cupboard that I've yet to get rid of. It's in a huge bright pink glass beaker with a rubberised lid with a hole in presumably to pop a straw in when you're finished. It weighs a ton, it's made from glass so it's not practical to use on the go, you've gotta buy your own straws to go with it and it's got strawberry/limeade written on the front. The smell that's exuding from it is quite pleasant but it's certainly not something I'd want to display in my home, would probably suit a teenage girl more. I don't think it was cheap but I'd have rather received something pretty and with a less pungent "childish" aroma!
I've recently bought a cutter from QVC when the SALES20 code was on, it was already on clearnce, and had low PP. See link below - -

https://www.qvcuk.com/cooks-essenti...duct.828315.html?productNumber=828315&sc=ISRC

Anyway, it came in a cardboard box of just the right size. I unpacked it and used it, then tried to put it back in the box.

I have been trying for weeks now, every time I use it, and I just CAN'T get it to fit the box, I've tried for hours so far. In fact, I can't see how they ever got it into the box, I ALWAYS have parts left over!
 
This might sound a bit naughty, but I do wonder whether those people who proclaim that they're not sending cards this year but are donating to charity instead actually put their money where their mouths are and actually do it! This happens a lot in my work place and I get it, it can be an arduous task writing out 30 cards for colleagues and then panicking that you've forgotten someone, or you've written the wrong name on the outside of the envelope or vice versa cause you've had so many to write that your brain has scrambled! I think there's something nice about getting a good old fashioned hand written card whether it be handed to you in person or sent through the post, much more caring than a quick email or msn messenger message. They add to your Christmas decorations and like somebody said earlier it lets you know that the person you don't see is still alive! - It's reassuring. Also with the charity thing it's not a money saving thing as you can buy some really nice cards cheaply, especially if you have the foresight to buy them in sales after Christmas, yes stamps are pricey especially if you've got loads to send but I'd say they shouldn't break the bank. There's absolutely nothing wrong with donating to charity but I personally don't think it should be at the expense of making a friend, family member or colleague even feel like they matter!
You still use msn messenger?! 😜
 
You still use msn messenger?! 😜
Yep it suits me! I'm too old to care if it's outdated lol! I can't be doing with Whats app. I mean it's ok for one to one conversations but the amount of times I've been part of a group chat and my phone is constantly ping ping pinging and it drives me round the bend. My friends know if they want to fill me in on stuff to send me the details via text or messenger!
 
....or they'll send a quick FB or messenger message with a flashing picture! I only had one of these this year. I sent my cards off quite early this year as I was uncharacteristically organised this year and a friend who doesn't live nearby who always sends me a proper card though the post didn't. On Christmas day I received a "flashy greeting" online, I was a little disappointed but at least they realised they'd forgotten to send me a card and tried to rectify the situation. I personally don't have a problem with Christmas cards, you can recycle them or keep the extra special ones, they provide seasonal work for those who need it and in this push button world it makes someone feel like someone cares!
One friend sent an e card!!!!! Someone tell me what good that is.
I didn't open the e card. I'm still being petty , I'm not answering any comments, I know it's childish but I'm still pi**ed, its not the not sending cards it's just it was decided by one person.
My sister decided one year that she wasn't sending Christmas or Birthday presents to my brother and his family. That went down really well. I send the adults birthday cards and the children get £10 but after they are I8 they only get a card.
I get a few handmade Christmas cards and I keep them as they are lovely and well made and I always buy charity cards anyway.
 

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