Do you think holiday cards will ever stop being a thing?

[shaynaatl]

Do you think the act of mailing someone a physical holiday card will ever end? This seems like one of the few things that hasn't transitioned over to electronic world. I haven't noticed a decrease in the amount of cards we get.

[waverly]

Maybe not, but if I don't get to mailing cards, I know I still have them on social media. Whereas before, holiday cards might be the only link they had all year.

Has anyone else noticed that class reunions are going away partly due to social media?

[VillainV]

Ugh, I hope so. I’ve seen several friends just post a digital “photo card” on social media instead of mailing it out.

If you think about it, the carbon footprint of sending a physical piece of paper to dozens of your friends and relatives is pretty ridiculous when we have the ability to do this electronically.

Before social media was big, it was nice to see news and updates, and maybe an updated picture of people’s kids. But now I see that on Facebook all year round.

This year we’re only sending out maybe 10 physical cards, mostly to older relatives who don’t do social media.

[noodleoo]

Dec 7, 2023 9:48:13 GMT -5 waverly said:

Maybe not, but if I don't get to mailing cards, I know I still have them on social media. Whereas before, holiday cards might be the only link they had all year.

Has anyone else noticed that class reunions are going away partly due to social media?

Yes, I have no desire to go to a reunion anymore now that I can see updates online.  I'm not sure I would have gone anyway, but there is no need at all anymore.

We definitely receive fewer holiday cards than we used to.  I feel like younger people don't send them, so in another generation I think they'll be gone.

[jinkies]

Receiving cards is one of the few things I like about Christmas, but even I'm skipping them this year. Its just too much hassle and expense for something that people look at for 10 seconds and is ultimately thrown out. I also didn't have any good pictures this year so I'm just bagging it.

I can think of about 5 (older) people that I feel sort of bad about not sending a card to-- I might grab a small pack of non-photo cards just to send them something.

I don't know if I'll ever go back. It's sort of nice to release the obligation.

[erbear]

I hope not. I really like them. I've never received a digital card.

[scm1011]

I hope not, I love them. I hang them all up and it adds to the festivity of the holiday season form me. It does seem like less people do now, though. I've only received 1 so far this year.

[luckystar2]

Dec 7, 2023 11:47:53 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I hope not, I love them. I hang them all up and it adds to the festivity of the holiday season form me. It does seem like less people do now, though. I've only received 1 so far this year.

Ditto. I hang them up and leave them up for a while so I love it. But I get less and less each year.

[noodleoo]

Dec 7, 2023 11:47:53 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I hope not, I love them. I hang them all up and it adds to the festivity of the holiday season form me. It does seem like less people do now, though. I've only received 1 so far this year.

Same! I hang them up and often leave them up until Valentine's Day.  

I have received 2 so far and they are both from real estate agents LOL.  We haven't sent ours out yet tho, we just got them so they'll probably go out Monday.

[janegold]

I love sending and receiving holiday cards. Mine just arrived, so I'll be stuffing envelopes tonight.

[Velar Fricative]

I love them and we still get a lot. Most of them come right around Christmas though, so it's still early for our circle. And I need to get the ball rolling on our own too lol.

Reunions are definitely gone. I went to my 10-year HS reunion and that was fine, but it was 2010 when I feel like FB had only been big for a couple of years. 20 years was 2020, so no lol. Maybe there will be a 25th but I wouldn't care to go.

[countthestars]

I hope they don't go away. I love sending and receiving them.

My class tried to host a reunion and got crickets for response. The general consensus is that we all know what's going on with each other via social media, and we keep up with the people we want to!

[niq]

Dec 7, 2023 9:48:13 GMT -5 waverly said:

Maybe not, but if I don't get to mailing cards, I know I still have them on social media. Whereas before, holiday cards might be the only link they had all year.

Has anyone else noticed that class reunions are going away partly due to social media?

That's interesting ... I feel like social media motivates me to go to my reunion more. It's much more fun to talk in person than get bite-sized updates over FB/Instagram.

Social media has definitely killed the "alumni updates" section of the alumni magazine.

re: the OP, A couple of years when we've been behind the 8-ball, we ended up designing a card with Photoshop and posting it to Facebook.

[wildrice]

I definitely get less as the years go on. I really love receiving the photo cards, and if you're someone I love I often leave them stuck to our refrigerator all year long! It's nice to have a pic of you and your kids (if applicable) printed. That said, I really dropped the ball on planning ours this year so I won't be doing them. I MAY do them as a new years card but I have a feeling I'll be over it by then and won't bother. We'll see.

My 20 year reunion was cancelled due to COVID (2020) and as far as I know there were no attempts to reschedule. I was not likely to go anyway - I live out of state and the organizers were just planning on having everyone meet at the summer festival that the town puts on and watching a band. IDK how that was going to function as a reunion - how to people mingle and talk? Our 10 year was at a bowling alley and I didn't go to that either because of a wedding.

I actually wouldn't mind going to one IF it was a traditional type of reunion more like a party/dinner AND the people I care the most to see were able to go - there are a lot of people I haven't seen in many, many years and would love to have an actual conversation with vs just seeing an occasional FB post. But there are also a ton of people in my class who I never had a relationship with to begin with so while it might be interesting to see what they are up to, there is also a 50% chance I won't even remember them lol. Given how much travel we have to do to see people throughout the year, it's kind of unlikely I'd make the trip anyway since my family doesn't live there anymore.

[fortnightlily]

Yep, happened to our 20 year reunion. Was canceled in 2020 due to Covid. Someone tried to get it going for around Thanksgiving 2021 but at an outdoor beer garden for $75 a person and not enough people expressed interest to make putting down the deposit viable. Some of us are still in the area but a lot of people (class of 400) aren't and would have to make a special trip.

[meowmaps]

Holiday cards make me feel very nostalgic. It's a tradition I've tried to carry on as an adult because I remember my parents and their friends doing it. I'm not on social media so I don't give or get updates that way. What makes me sad is despite trying to preserve this pastime, no one in my circle seems to feel the same way. I keep sending cards hoping to encourage reciprocation but, I get fewer every year. I have this decorative tree that's meant to hold and display cards. My H had no idea what it was and put it on our stoop for some extra decor. I didn't stop him because when I use it for its intended purpose, it looks quite pathetic with 2 to 3 cards.

What I did stop this year is writing a letter/year's end newsletter to accompany our pictures. Most in our generation and younger don't care or don't want to read, and this year kind of sucked! What should I talk about - the travel we didn't do, all the times we got sick, the financial strain of having two kids, etc.? Happy fucking New Year! Lol

[Jalapeñomel]

I love getting them, and this year I finally sent some out.

Most of my friends aren’t on SM anymore, so it’s a nice way to see what they’re up to.

I never had a desire to go to a reunion, so this isn’t even on my radar.

[waverly]

Dec 7, 2023 12:53:29 GMT -5 niq said:

Dec 7, 2023 9:48:13 GMT -5 waverly said:

Maybe not, but if I don't get to mailing cards, I know I still have them on social media. Whereas before, holiday cards might be the only link they had all year.

Has anyone else noticed that class reunions are going away partly due to social media?

That's interesting ... I feel like social media motivates me to go to my reunion more. It's much more fun to talk in person than get bite-sized updates over FB/Instagram.

Social media has definitely killed the "alumni updates" section of the alumni magazine.

re: the OP, A couple of years when we've been behind the 8-ball, we ended up designing a card with Photoshop and posting it to Facebook.

Well in my specific case the class reunion went away because the Class President was tired of planning and paying for it.  She originally had class funds, but those run out.  Another person planned bar nights but its been a good 10 years since that.  I wish that the VP or someone else on the board would step up since they were her friends and could easily get the materials from her.  I think the days of wanting to spend $50+ a person are gone though, and people want more of an ala carte experience, that's why the bar nights were successful because there is no reserving the space, needing a certain amount of people, RSVPs or anything.  You just put out the word and whoever shows up pays their own way.  

DH's friend from High School rescued their class reunion because she owns a cider mill and they also make wine, just seeing the pictures there were so beautiful and she just brought in sandwiches that people could purchase.   I kind of wish I could plan something there.  

[dochas]

No. I love getting them. I'm not going to sit in my tiny house watching Amazon trucks whiz by, reading about people putting additions on their already giant houses and planning their international flights and feel bad about my mail footprint.

[felicity]

We've gotten a less in recent years and I'm sad about it. We aren't sending them this year either, though.

Our reunion was cancelled due to Covid as well, and somebody tried planning one last year and it was kind of a flop. I think less than 20 people showed up if the pictures they posted are accurate, and our graduating class had around 700 I think.

[thebreakfastclub]

I've never sent a Christmas card to anyone and we get less of them every year. I think that's because photo cards are not as popular once kids are older and not that cute.

[minzy]

It will probably become more antiquated over time but I like cards and have sent them since I was ten years old. I also go to high school reunions. I like the community building aspect of both. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[lolalolalola]

We stopped sending them out a few years ago. We only receive a handful. Definitely a different experience than the op.

[heygrey]

Dec 7, 2023 10:20:32 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Ugh, I hope so. I’ve seen several friends just post a digital “photo card” on social media instead of mailing it out.

If you think about it, the carbon footprint of sending a physical piece of paper to dozens of your friends and relatives is pretty ridiculous when we have the ability to do this electronically.

Before social media was big, it was nice to see news and updates, and maybe an updated picture of people’s kids. But now I see that on Facebook all year round.

This year we’re only sending out maybe 10 physical cards, mostly to older relatives who don’t do social media.

This is our 4th Christmas in our current house. There were several owners who lived here before we bought, and 100% of the Christmas cards we get are for various owners prior to 2019. There is absolutely no need to send a card to someone that you clearly don't know well enough to have their current address.

One that we have gotten every year comes from England. I think the first year I tossed it, the second year I put return to sender. Last year I put return to sender and on the back wrote "addressee no longer lives at this address". I have no idea if Canada Post puts in the effort to actually send it back to England, but I have thought about the manpower and carbon footprint required for that single piece of paper every year. 

[al dente]

I get maybe a handful of cards, and half of those are older relatives. So yes I can see in a generation or two them being gone.

We also don't send cards out, and I know some people nix you when they don't receive a card so that may account for our low number. But oh well. The holiday cards we do receive never actually say anything it is only the picture so I don't feel like I'm missing any vital information that I'd get on a holiday card.

[felicity]

Dec 8, 2023 0:23:32 GMT -5 heygrey said:

Dec 7, 2023 10:20:32 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Ugh, I hope so. I’ve seen several friends just post a digital “photo card” on social media instead of mailing it out.

If you think about it, the carbon footprint of sending a physical piece of paper to dozens of your friends and relatives is pretty ridiculous when we have the ability to do this electronically.

Before social media was big, it was nice to see news and updates, and maybe an updated picture of people’s kids. But now I see that on Facebook all year round.

This year we’re only sending out maybe 10 physical cards, mostly to older relatives who don’t do social media.

This is our 4th Christmas in our current house. There were several owners who lived here before we bought, and 100% of the Christmas cards we get are for various owners prior to 2019. There is absolutely no need to send a card to someone that you clearly don't know well enough to have their current address.

One that we have gotten every year comes from England. I think the first year I tossed it, the second year I put return to sender. Last year I put return to sender and on the back wrote "addressee no longer lives at this address". I have no idea if Canada Post puts in the effort to actually send it back to England, but I have thought about the manpower and carbon footprint required for that single piece of paper every year. 

To be fair, I have family who have been to my new house and still sent cards and even gifts for my kids to my old house by accident for years. It's an easy mistake to make!

[beerlover]

I still send cards. Like someone said above my mom always did it, and we enjoyed seeing everyone else's cards, so I've kept up the tradition. I'd say about half my friends still send cards and half do not.

I also went to my 20 year reunion this summer and had a rockin' good time, lol. It was your traditional dinner and dance/DJ situation.

[sent]

I'll still send them. I like paper and this is one of the few paper traditions we have left. I enjoy writing out addresses. I look forward to the ones for friends not on social media.

But I agree they'll end soon enough. This next generation isn't sending paper invites for anything. And it's killing me because I can't keep all the digital bits stored in my brain.

[VillainV]

Dec 8, 2023 5:55:10 GMT -5 felicity said:

Dec 8, 2023 0:23:32 GMT -5 heygrey said:

This is our 4th Christmas in our current house. There were several owners who lived here before we bought, and 100% of the Christmas cards we get are for various owners prior to 2019. There is absolutely no need to send a card to someone that you clearly don't know well enough to have their current address.

One that we have gotten every year comes from England. I think the first year I tossed it, the second year I put return to sender. Last year I put return to sender and on the back wrote "addressee no longer lives at this address". I have no idea if Canada Post puts in the effort to actually send it back to England, but I have thought about the manpower and carbon footprint required for that single piece of paper every year. 

To be fair, I have family who have been to my new house and still sent cards and even gifts for my kids to my old house by accident for years. It's an easy mistake to make!

Especially when someone stays in the same city, I often can’t tell if I’m looking at their old address or their new address. And when people sync their phones to their computers, sometimes new contact info gets re-written with old. Which explains why I still get phone calls and texts for the previous person who had my phone number over TEN YEARS AGO!

[brooklyn]

I love giving and receiving holiday cards. I did two different holiday themed photo shoots with the kids this year because I’m crazy, so I like the opportunity to show them off. 😂

I’ve only received 7 cards so far this year so it does seem to be a dying tradition. I display them from thanksgiving through the new year and love receiving fun mail. Nice change from all the bills and junk we get!

My high school still does reunions that are heavily attended. I went to a fancy private school in the city that has its own ballrooms to host events in so it’s fun to go back. I like my classmates more now 20 years later since we have more in common now than we ever did as teens. We just went back last week for Breakfast with Santa and had a blast.