A Mom Discovered That When She Stopped Sending Holiday Cards, She Stopped Getting Them, Too

"When I stopped sending Christmas cards, the effect was immediate," she wrote. "We received less than half the holiday cards we normally received that very same Christmas. Since then it has dwindled to about half a dozen cards. I realized people were sending cards because I had sent them cards and then stopped when I stopped. It was a bit strange to me because I sent everyone on my mailing list a card, many of which had never sent a card."

"Taking photos of my kid, designing the card, handwriting a personal message, addressing the envelopes by hand and sealing it with a gold sticker, and attaching the return address label I had also designed. I chose special holiday stamps from the post office too. I loved carrying them in a huge stack and putting them in the box."

"I wish I could rekindle the practice of sending holiday cards," she explains. "But it's hard to put effort into something that will be thrown away. I have no time, no energy, no help, and no desire to spend money on something that is not valued anymore. But I do cherish the handful of cards I receive every year knowing the effort that goes into it and maybe"

Stopping sending Christmas cards produced an immediate drop in received holiday cards, from the usual number to less than half that Christmas. Over time incoming cards dwindled to about half a dozen. Many recipients appeared to send cards primarily because they had received one first. The sender once enjoyed photographing a child, designing cards, handwriting personal messages, addressing envelopes by hand, sealing them with stickers, and choosing special stamps. The sender now finds it hard to invest limited time, energy, help, or money into mailed cards perceived as undervalued, while still cherishing the few that arrive each year.

Read at Scary Mommy