The act of giving out cards.

[kimahri]

So yeah, me and my sister keep having arguments about this, Especially around a day that requires getting a card for it. Christmas, Birthday, Farther's/Mother's day ect. Basically I'm just completely incapable of buying someone a card for these events. I don't feel anything from reciving them specifically either. I'd rather just say what I wanted to put in the card in person and get them something else like Chocolate or something.

So, what about everyone else? Do you also loathe going to the Card shop for Grammy and Pappy, Mama, Papa and sibling dears and would rather get them something else or do you enjoy sweeping through the waves of cards, reading them all and picking out the one that best suits the person you're buying for?

Those Bulk cards you get for christmas are a little different, I find they're a lot more casual so there's not really much but they're harmless and just good natured. (unless, like you out death threats or **** in them)

 

[bmac]

I really don't mind it, I don't have trouble finding cards for the right occasions and I just throw out the ones I get the next day.

 

[EnigmaHyena]

Almost never. I'll only buy them for my closest and best friends I've known since infant school and some college friends, but even then it's usually only if it's a card that fits a joke between us or if it looks really awful and tacky.

Luckily our family is like one big group of immature friends that doesn't really buy into traditions, and we'll usually make sarcastic remarks if we don't get given any cards. I guess it's really handy since I hate shops like Clintons...

 

[nadroJ]

I buy them for my closest friends and family. Everyone else can **** off. Not like my mum's generation who get cards for every single person they're ever exchanged a word with. How do they all have each other's addresses? HOW?

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

The only bit I like is reading the funny/rude ones.

 

[furie]

Eugh. Cards.

I give where they're "expected". So kids definitely for birthdays and my folks like birthday cards/mothers/fathers day cards. They're also good for putting money in if you're crap at presents.

I'll tend to do them for weddings too, as it's the kind of thing that generally only happens once and people keep them (we have all of our wedding cards).

The parent thing is because I live away from my parents and it's one thing I hate about Christmas cards. Why do people give them to people they see each day? I sit opposite Andy, and guaranteed on the last day of work at Christmas, I'll leave saying "Have a great Christmas" or something to him. He doesn't need a card that says the same thing. It's a waste of my money, my time and my effort.

However, I can see the point if it's your only annual means of contacting somebody. Madame_furie sends a card each year to Minor_Furie's real dad's parents (his real dad doesn't give a **** ), because they have an interest in how he's doing. It's the only time they ever communicate and put in a brief note summarising the year. I can see the point of that, and it's nice (I'm sure) for my parents to get a card delivered by post for their birthdays because it shows that I care and have made an effort to think about them.

My sister and I just don't do it. Our birthdays are only two weeks apart so it was a case of "card and 15 quid" coming to me and then me returning a card and 15 quid to her a couple of weeks later. Nett gain/loss = -90p for a card and postage. We both went **** it and don't bother, but we do make an effort to talk and pretend we'll get together

So yeah, I generally don't, but make the odd effort here and there. If I was still living at home and close to family I'd not bother, I'd just visit the person, or not - depending on if they like me or not

 

[SaiyanHajime]

If I see a fitting card for someone, then I get it. But that's rare. I hate the whole looking for cards for some specific occasion for some specific person. It's a big impersonal lie, and the cost of them is so outrageous to boot.

I cannot stand getting cards. They are a demonstration of how little someone knows you, and nothing else.

There's also something that happens in my family where my dad is actually really similar to me with regard to this, but still thinks one should get a card for someone's birthday and Christmas. So he basically demands you go out of your way to find the perfect card. A near impossible task. One year quite some time ago, I made him one. And ever since I've been emotionally blackmailed into doing it again.

What's the big deal you may ask? Well, only other arty people will understand, but being someone who likes drawing or painting doesn't mean you're ANY good at making cards, or graphics, or tattoos, or any other massive list of things people then EXPECT you to do for them. And even if I was any good at those things, it doesn't mean I enjoy it.

I wouldn't mind, and I continue to make cards for people occasionally when I have a good idea and want to do it, but it's the "you should" attitude that can frankly **** off. And it's the same with all cards.

In other words, getting a card from me is an honest and truly sincere experience. It means I found something and thought of you out of the complete blue. I didn't go looking for it. I didn't stress myself. I didn't feel like I had to. I just got it because it felt right. And I'd like everyone to to the same.

In ways, I actually have a fear of receiving cards. Cards, as a kid, which showed absolutely no resemblance to me and my interests. Just generic "happy 10th birthday!!!!!!" crap with generic stuff generic kids love on it. **** off. On the rare occasion someone got a card right, I was really thankful and I keep such cards.

Now, POSTCARDS on the other hand I **** love. I love their irrelevance, the fact that there is no pressure associated with them, how awful and funny they are and how they make a pin board look like you have intellectually well traveled friends. So if you also like them, let me know because I **** love sending and receiving postcards!

It's become a bit of a thing to send AWFUL postcards to my friend. When I was at Knoebels, I found one of people sitting around eating... And it said "food, fun, fantasy!" on it. It was so wtf.

 

[furie]

Haha - ****, thoughtless cards - reminds me.

I lived on my own (vaguely, kind of) for almost three years and it was a bit messy tell the truth.

Anyway, when I moved out, I went through everything and did a proper massive "chuck crap out" session.

I found three mother's day cards which I'd dutifully bought each year for my mum. I'd also dutifully failed to open, write in and send the cards.

Each card was exactly the same and bought from the local corner shop. Each year they must have just whipped out the same **** stock as the last and I'd moronically gone in and bought the same one without any recollection of buying it last year (or the fact I'd bought it and lost it under some other papers/down the back of the bed).

I hate cards. Hurrah for Joey!

 

[nadroJ]

Urgh, I HATE **** cards! Every year I'll get a ton of pink happy birthday cards, like.........why? **** pink. Girls like pink, right? And all from a million people, half of them I don't think I've even met?

My mum gets really upset if you don't get her a card for Mother's Day/Birthday/Christmas, like you've forgotten the day or something. No, cards are just gash, that's all.

 

[Mark]

I tend to stick to giving cards for the extra special occasions. Weddings, Engagements, New Child, etc etc. I.e. anything that doesnt happen every single year.

The whole christmas/birthday cards can be a bit tedious. What I can't abide is that they now even do Happy Easter, St. Patricks Day and Happy Halloween cards.... REALLY?

Valentines day is the only one that has always left me unsure. One on hand, I really do not need a card to tell the hub (I can actually say that now ) I love him. I do that on a daily basis. Why should I pay a fiver for the privelage? On the other hand though, I quite like sifting through cards looking for the one that I think perfectly summs everything up and Finding something particularly romantic etc.

Joey, you'll be pleased to know that one thing I never do is buy any old card. I hate recieving a card that is totally irrelevant. The number of footballer birthday cards I have recieved over the years is scary, especially considering the fact I make no secret of the fact I **** hate football! With that in mind, I always try to find a card that actually shows some relevance to the person it is for. I treat it as an extension to the gift - which I also make sure is relevant in some way.

 

[Lottie.]

I only give cards to my closest friends and family. Cards are really expensive anyway, and me being a poor student, I'm not wasting money on giving cards to every person I know.

To be fair, isn't the present the best part rather than the card

 

[gavin]

The work Chistmas cards are the WORST. Going into the staffroom on your lunch break to find them just sitting in your pigeon hole, usually from people you barely even know, like the woman who does the photocopying when she can be arsed to turn up for work (Linda? Lydia?) or a cleaner you say hello to as you're leaving the building. What's the point?!

If it's people you actually WORK with, and see every day, then you can just say "I don't bother with cards, no offence," and it's all good because you'll go out and get pissed with them anyway, but when it's the randomers who you basically don't see, you just feel bad.

 

[Ethan]

I like to give/receive thank you cards or congratulations cards... About it really.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

I'm a bit of a sap for cards, not gonna lie. I dislike ones where people just sign their name, but if it's someone close to me and they write loads, it usually makes me feel warm and fuzzy <3 I especially like receiving cards from boyfriends because generally they write loads and I get a massive ego boost .

 

[Ben]

^I still have the Christmas card you sent me years ago <3

I hate cards. I literally think the one I got for Marc and Mark's wedding was the first card I've bought in forever.

I kinda like Moonpig cards and I've got a couple of them over the years cause they are fab and personal and you can put hot guys on them or in-jokes (Gavin got me a fab one)... But, mother, father and sibling have stopped even expecting them now.

I'm glad people agree.

 

[madhjsp]

Totally indifferent to the practice. I've only ever gone out of my way to give them to my family members for birthdays, and those are pretty much the only people I've received them from as well, with a handful of exceptions. If someone's taken the time to write a somewhat lengthy personal message, it's a really nice gesture that can leave me feeling good, but most of the time when they just sign their name & add nothing to the message already printed inside, I give 'em a once-over and they end up in the trash the next day.

I'm kind of surprised about how strongly some people feel about them. They just seem so small and insignificant to me that I can't imagine getting too worked up about them either way.

 

[tomahawk]

I'm not a fan of cards, but I can see why they used to be popular, especially pre internet days. When you either got a phone call or a letter from someone, and phone calls being rare, cards were good ways to keep in touch. Blah blah blah. Personally, I only give cards to family, because I get yelled at if I don't, and anniversaries, Valentine's day, and other romantic stuff that if I don't, I get yelled at. My fiances family is a big card family, like 3 cards per person for birthdays and stuff and I just don't get it.

One thing that bothers me is thank you cards. If I see the person, and thank them for the card, such as graduation stuff, shouldn't that be enough? Now clearly if it is something like a few hundred dollars or something totally unforeseen like a large ticket item for wedding etc. I will write a very sincere thank you card, but I don't want to write a thank you card for my neighbor who gives me a $20. Just kinda annoying.

 

[nadroJ]

Thank you cards always seemed like a really American thing to me.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

I don't do thank you cards. They just seem a bit pointless to me, unless you've had like, a wedding or a baby shower and whatnot. If someone gets me a card, I'm not gonna give them a card back thanking them for the card!

 

[Lain]

There's a guy at work who bought his wife a card for their first anniversary, but instead of buying other cards for subsequent anniversaries, he just gives her that same card every year.

Guy's a pro.