I think it is. I think our generation may be the last to send cards. I don’t see our kids generation continuing with the tradition, do you? I don’t even send them out anymore.
Another topic because I get so frustrated having to type a new topic and look to the upper right to see the letters pop up. I’m trying to find new flatware for everyday use and am becoming more frustrated. They are just huge. The tines on the forks are so long and big. I’ve been to Walmart, BBB and Macy’s. What’s up? I might try Crate and Barrel, but didn’t want to spend a fortune.
I just sent mine out. D1 is married and she is sending her own cards out now. I used to send cards to some of her friends’ parents, but now she is doing it. I like getting holiday cards.
Well, my (adult) d is currently selling handmade watercolor holiday cards. Her biggest client is a 70 year old, but the next group of buyers is in their 40s.
My favorite flatware is a set from Oneida - I’ve had it close to 25 years and I still love it (and can buy replacement pieces) - the Paul Revere pattern. I hate chunky/heavy flatware. This one is not ornate, brushed stainless, has a nice weight and goes with everything.
I’ve been a huge holiday card sender since my husband and I married. One or 2 years they were new years cards though. Last year was the first I didn’t send out any. My mom died that November, and I had to force myself to be in the Christmas spirit as we had an exchange student and wanted to give her the full American experience. Plus, I do love a nice tree. This year may be another New Year’s card. Work has been a beast.
I purchased and returned about 3 sets of flatware last year. Either I was “meh” in person or hubby didn’t care for. Think I finally got them from Kohl’s. Think they were by Oneida. Happy hunting!
I thought about this the other day. Now that older S is on his own, I wondered if he should send out a couple - well mostly to his godmother (late 60s) who always sends him bday ad Xmas money. She isn’t the type to be offended at anything, but I’m sure she would love to hear from him. He is good about sending thank you notes. I doubt any of his friends care about getting cards.
I’ve always sent out cards, and once the kids were born, I’ve done the photo cards. A few years ago I made most of the pictures into a table runner for our dining room table. We eat at that table every day and it’s fun to look at them all.
I haven’t bought flatware since we were married 26 years ago. I’m no help there.
I just dropped our cards off at the post office. DD held the stack in the car and commented on how the pile seemed smaller than usual. I think as we lose older relatives, we don’t send as many. Cousins tend to do email greetings or FB posts so I don’t send paper cards to them. It is definitely greener to do electronic ones but I just like getting the physical mail…of course, most end up in the trash or recycling after.
The last set of flatware we got was a gift from my parents for an anniversary. My dad was given the task of picking it out because he can’t stand it when the soup spoon and tea spoon are too similar in size. He did a really good job and we love it, Oneida from Macy’s but I didn’t see it shown online just now so they must not make it anymore. The forks aren’t overwhelming at all.
This thread feels very CC Parent Cafe: xmas cards and flatware. Why not?
I sent photo xmas cards until the kids were in college. Perhaps I’ll start again someday with an extended family gathering pic when/if they have children. Receiving cards, I like the pictures and don’t care much about getting just cards.
Flatware: where do my spoons disappear to? I’ve taken to buying just spoons.
I do cards every year and just sent ours out, but I can’t even imagine our son sending them. I’m sure it’ll never cross his mind. He writes a beautiful thank-you note, though.
We inherited flatware with this house. It’s copper colored which blends with the house’s decor, but I never cared for copper before. It’s grown on me, though, and I really like the weight/balance of the pieces so won’t be replacing them. Home Goods seems to have a nice selection, though.
I always send photo christmas cards. I didn’t have a family picture this year so I used a photo of the dog in his Santa suit with smaller pictures of the kids on the back.
Two of my three kids (28 & 30) are sending photo cards. They are both married.
Flatware. I got Gorham Melon Bud when I got married. We were running low so I was able to get something similar I think at Homegoods.
I haven’t sent Christmas cards in YEARS. Like 15 years at least. Hated the process and my heart was never in it. It was definitely a chore! We don’t get many - maybe 12-15 each year? I “enjoy” getting them but if I didn’t honestly I wouldn’t miss them much. That’s me.
I can’t imagine any of my 3 deciding to do cards. They do however just randomly send cards or thank you cards or better yet CALL people and keep in touch. I vote to continue those methods.
No help on the flatware scene! I have a collection of this and that and it’s functional!!
I am sending my (photo) greeting cards on the 15th. I feel like the photo Christmas/Holiday cards are less now that so many are on Facebook and we see photos all the time. I sometimes wonder how many send to me out of obligation since I send them one. There were a few years I didn’t send any out…but started again last year.
I still send out cards - but once my daughter graduated college stopped sending photo cards (most years they were just of her). She (26) has no interest in sending or receiving Christmas cards. I agree that this is a tradition which is going to die out. I hate getting virtual cards (emails with here is what happened this year letters).
(I bought my last flatware set on amazon - just checked and it looks like that one is not for sale any more - liked it enough to purchase the same one for my daughter. They are stainless steel flatware and have cake forks as well as regular ones - those have shorter tines).
I’ve sent out photo Xmas cards for years and have really enjoyed it. A couple years ago I switched to sending out New Years cards instead, which allowed me to address & send just after Christmas, when things were a little calmer.
This year, S and D are both married, D has children of her own. I don’t feel like it’s my “place” to include them in my photo card. And, who wants to see “just us old folks”. So, I’m thinking this is the year to quit. But, I still haven’t decided for sure.
We’ve been sending photo cards since S was born. Now that both S and D are working and technically out of our house, we talked about this year being the last year we send out these cards. Perhaps resume when we have grandkids :). Don’t know if we will stick to that though.
We send out a hundred or so cards - lots of family overseas. Most folks do respond and let me know that they got the card, loved seeing the kids. But we don’t get many cards in response - max of about 15. I keep the photo cards - don’t care that much about the regular cards.
We stopped years ago. I liked doing it when the kids were young and we’d get a picture card done each year. It was fun sending and receiving the cards since many of our friends and families were doing the same thing. Then we had one year where we had two deaths between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the cards just didn’t get done that year. Somehow that broke the chain and we haven’t done them since. The only card we’ve gotten in the past couple years has been one nephew who has a young daughter and is sending picture cards. None of the other nieces or nephews have kids yet. Maybe once they do, they’ll start sending them out. I can’t see either of mine sending them before they have children.
Now that our son is on his own, this will probably be the last year for photo cards, but I put the photo cards (that are printed with our annual update on the back) inside a regular card, so a I can jot a brief personal note to each friend/relative. DH and I split the effort as we send around 100 cards; he does his family/friends, I do mine. We both enjoy this and break it down by doing a handful a day so it’s not burdensome. The photo cards are mostly of our son and his milestones, although I always try to include one pic with the three of us (if I got one that year) and one of just me and DH. I had a hard time finding good photos for this year’s card as we haven’t seen our son since last January and agree with @JustaMom5465, going forward “who wants to see just us old folks?” So, next year, back to just regular cards.
I’ve never kept track of who sends us cards and who doesn’t unless someone new sends us one and then that person becomes a regular. We definitely don’t receive as many as we send out, but I always assume people would rather get a card than not, and I don’t expect that everyone else likes sending cards and that’s perfectly OK. No one has ever asked to be removed from our list; you have to die to get off it.
I was talking about this exact topic with D! In our case, she’s the one keeping the tradition alive — she has about 40 cards to send this year.
I certainly complained my way about sending the few holidays cards every year (10-12 cards max) and gladly stopped when people stopped sending me any. I’m not sorry to see the end of holiday cards at all!
I didn’t dislike the cards as much as I did the chatty, newsy letter that came with the card. It always made me feel inadequate!
H still gets and sends out cards. He tried to rope me into writing the newsy letter — nope! Wasn’t going to happen!
About the flatware — I got an Oneida set for 8 as a gift many years ago and have been looking to add to it to serve 12 with no luck at all. I bought forks (Amazon Basics brand) recently which almost look like garden tools. H complains that he could lose a tooth if he uses it.
So no help there.
Cards: I still send to older relatives I rarely see. Maybe a dozen at most. I try to compose a personal email to other friends I rarely see who live too far to visit, usually around New Years. I don’t use Facebook for family / friend updates, so this takes the place of a Christmas card. Love hearing back. I agree it is a dying tradition. None of my children send any cards. They barely use the mail for anything.
Flatware: I have (3) sets! One was the set I used as a child. Of course that’s the perfect weight and size One is our “good” set that was a wedding gift. I try to bring that out for special occasions. The third is our everyday set that was given to me when a family member moved to the EU. I’ve been considering donating at least one. Maybe you could find a set at your local thrift/donation center?
I think social media (especially Facebook) brought about the demise of cards. Also- long distance calling without charges other than your cellphone bill. It is much easier to keep in touch throughout the year. I always did a card and letter, but gave it up a few years ago but still wrote a note to older folks and those not on social media who hadn’t heard from me during the year. Many of them have died, and the last couple of years I just didn’t do it. I briefly tried sending greetings and a letter through email, but that seemed very second rate. Like @abasket , I found the whole process time-consuming and unnecessary as years went by. We have gotten very few cards so far this year. It has dwindled each year. To me the silliest ones were the cards with no note- just a signature.
I still send and receive cards. Have about 100 on my list - some local and some far away. Love getting cards each year. This year had no good family photos so sending a sunset shot with the message of the sun finally setting on 2020! I think I started sending on my own after I got married and had kids. My sons will not ever send cards, but I think if they marry or have partners and families they will do so. My nieces (no married nephews yet!) send them out with photos of their kids. I don’t see this tradition going away yet.
Not sure about continuing to send photo cards as my kids move out. But maybe not unless family event or trip for a good photo.
Last year was the first I didn’t send out any. My mom died that November, and I had to force myself to be in the Christmas spirit as we had an exchange student and wanted to give her the full American experience. Plus, I do love a nice tree. This year may be another New Year’s card. Work has been a beast.
I was talking about this exact topic with D! In our case, she’s the one keeping the tradition alive — she has about 40 cards to send this year.
One is our “good” set that was a wedding gift. I try to bring that out for special occasions. The third is our everyday set that was given to me when a family member moved to the EU. I’ve been considering donating at least one. Maybe you could find a set at your local thrift/donation center?