post off: what’s your holiday greeting style?
When it comes to the holidays, I am all for the handwritten card. While traditional snail mail is always my preference, I’ve been receiving more and more family newsletters, photo postcards and even e-cards as season’s greetings. Peggy Post, great-granddaughter-in-law of courtesy queen Emily Post, addresses this trend and even approves these methods with some qualifications: Newsletters are to be kept concise and closed with a personal note, and e-mail greetings are to be directed only at those who communicate primarily online. Clearly, there are many creative and courteous ways to send seasonal well wishes, so tell me: what’s your style? — Sarah C.
Photo by Flickr member alternatekev
the hand written card with personal note is the way I go..this time of year is an appreciated opportunity to touch base with friends, family and co-workers
Personally, I can’t stand getting generic holiday cards with only a signature — it seems like such a waste of paper (and effort, considering the lack of personal sentiment). If you’re going to the trouble of sending cards via snail mail, at least write a personal note. Otherwise, don’t bother.
The “family newsletter” thing leaves a bad taste, too — they strike me as sort of obnoxious, and all too often they’re just a chance for people to brag about their travels, promotions, “many blessings,” etc. If I haven’t had the most auspicious year myself, it just makes me feel kind of crappy. (Every year I swear I’m going to write a spoof holiday newsletter, cheerfully trumpeting things like the fact that I’m out of work, put on another ten pounds since last Christmas, and that my kid has only incurred one suspension in school so far this semester.)
On the other hand, I don’t mind e-cards or emailed holiday greetings at all. It’s fine if they’re generic and not personalized, because obviously they’re going out simultaneously to everyone on that person’s mailing list — although of course a short personal note is always welcome.
No matter what kind of greeting, however, I prefer them when they’re clever or humorous — my all-time fave is a card featuring my adult brother-in-law sitting on a hunky Santa’s lap, with a naughty look on his face.
I stopped sending Christmas cards because I’m way too busy. Sometimes I send a New Year’s greeting. I wish I had time to send a handwritten personal greeting, but it would take days. When I got married I sent out nearly 500 invitations. Many of them were to friends of my parents and in-laws, but still, I have a ton of friends and family.
Also, I don’t mind reading people’s newsletters, I think it’s fun to see what they did during the year.
I’ve done the New Year’s thing! It’s actually kind of cool since you’re wishing them the best in the new year. I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas cards. We aren’t sending many this year, mainly because, like Leah says, we are just trying to save money and more. I generally put most of the cards we get into the recycling bin as soon as Christmas is over. I find the newsletters to be strangely engaging. I really don’t get that many of them; I think the backlash has put them out of style.
E-cards are fun to get, but there is nothing quite like getting a personal hand written card for special occasions such as birthdays and Xmas, don’t you think?
I agree with Mary T….I don’t know what it is, but the newsletters are strangely engaging. Maybe it has something to do with being part of the facebook generation, where you just sort of get into the habit of peeking into other people’s lives who you normally wouldn’t interact with (though I always loved the newsletters, even as a kid, which of course was several years before facebook).
Handwritten cards are by far definitely the best, though…especially when photos and specifics are included.
Generics are good from the doctor’s, your church, etc. Though, if I were to send out Christmas cards (still getting out of that one by being too young with too tight a budget for now), I think I would send handwritten notes to good friends and generic e-cards to a wider range of lesser friends/acquaintances.
If the only thing you’re saying is “Merry Christmas,” no sense in wasting paper, right?
But I do stand by the nostalgia and sentiment behind a handwritten, postmarked card. The effort makes it more meaningful, IMO.
I love sending out Christmas cards! It forces me to make sure that I remember the people that are special to me with actual mail — at least once a year. I do so much emailing that it always takes a while to get my hand to go along with the plan. Writing out 80 or so Christmas cards is a lot of work, but I can’t see ever giving up the habit. Maybe when stamps are 50¢ a pop ; )
I’m too busy at Christmas, so I send Valentines packs to my friends and family. It includes a card, a mini-newsletter that takes up about 1/2 a page and then I add a personal note at the bottom for each person and usually something else as well. Most years it’s a CD.
I love sending Christmas cards… or holiday cards in general. If the christmas cards I buy don’t make it out, I’ll send valentines instead. And If I get too busy for those, I make sure some kind of snail mail goes out to the key people in my life to say hello and that I wish them well. I remember in my house growing up how my mother would string up all the Christmas/Holiday cards down our stairs and along the frames of doors decorating our kitchen and living room with photos and cards from loved ones. It was so nice and so much fun to see all the people we were connected too decorating our house. Christmas cards are such an old tradition I say keep it going!
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