Holiday Card Etiquette
Categories: Fun & Activities, Holidays
The holidays--they're the best time of year, and the worst. They bring out the best in all of us, and the worst too. How to get through them Hopefully with more grace than Jack Daniels (see Christmas Vacation for reference). And, yes, there is holiday etiquette to help us with the former. I know all about the etiquette of writing a thank you note, but what about holiday cards? Needless to say, something that seems so simple gets rather complicated when there is little time, too much selection and everyone has a different religion!
I wanted to send out photo cards this year instead of the regular traditional fold over variety, but encountered the same problem as with the regular cards--you get either religious Catholic/Christian cards, which are beautiful but don't exactly work for my Jewish friends, or you go with the generic holiday/season greetings cards, which are frankly pretty bland and never cute.
Then there's the matter of who gets a holiday card. Do you reserve cards for family only? Include some friends? What about colleagues? Add all those folks up and you could end up with a lot of addressing to do! Which brings up another question--in the modern world of the Internet and photo cards, is it ok to use labels instead of hand addressing? Thank you's seem to require a handwritten address, but since so many folks opt for photo cards and the like, why not go with labels too?
I think ultimately, it's the, er, thought, that counts with holiday cards. Even if you go totally e-centric and email your holiday wishes to folks, they'll most likely be happy that you remembered them. Right?
Pic by Okaggi on flickr.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jenni 12-16-2008 @ 6:04PM
I send cards to family and friends and I send the same one to everyone. My friends from all religious beliefs get cards regardless; and we always get a very religious card to send out.
When I have asked those non-Christian friends (even those who don't believe in anything) they say that they appreciate those cards because they come from ME (well, us) and it represents that we are thinking of them at a time that is very important to us.
So, it IS the thought that counts. It shouldn't matter what you send. The card is to say "Hey, we're thinking of you and we love you."
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ninainindia 12-16-2008 @ 7:45PM
Exactly is about people knowing you thought about them. A card with Merry Christmas on it shouldn't offend anyone, if it does they have a problem.
Your post have seem so neurotic lately, first the 2 post about if it was possible to have a Christmas tree now you have children and now this...
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maria 12-18-2008 @ 4:23PM
I celebrate Christmas - so I send Christmas cards - I send them to my Muslim and my Jewish friends. I would welcome happy Hannukah or Rammadan cards from them. That said - my mom and I had this discussion - she's more Catholic than I'd ever be - and she sends Hannukah cards to her one Jewish friend (small town). I think ultimately it's the thought that counts and if someone's offended - then they shouldn't be on your distribution list anyway.
I am having thoughts about how many we send. At what point do we add neighbors and friends we see all the time. To me it's more for the people I never see - but have started adding the better school/bus stop/soccer family friends.
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racheal 12-18-2008 @ 5:06PM
Nice looking christmas cards this is my favorite time of the year.
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