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7 Reasons Why You Should Send Christmas Cards This Year (2024)

The tradition of sending Christmas cards (or end-of-year cards) is still strong. Here’s why you need to put this on your list of things to do this December

‘Tis the season!

christmas selfie

Do you remember those days when the cards start arriving in the mailbox? Red, white, green, yellow envelopes. Long letters, printed photos, and short greetings. Reminders from relatives and friends you haven’t seen in years. The thrill of opening envelopes, skim-reading messages, and placing photos on the mantle.

Millennials are often blamed for the end of everything, but we’re also simultaneously responsible for bringing back a lot of ’90s nostalgia.

And I’m here to say: let’s bring back Christmas cards!

One statistic I found online says that over 2 billion Christmas cards are sent each December in the USA alone. Other stats include the fact that people send on average 20 holiday cards during the season.

Anyone with a new family is guaranteed to send out more than a few photos to anyone and everyone. But personally I’ve noticed fewer cards in my mailbox.

Instead, a lot of us write social media round-ups at the end of the year: our Instagram top nine, a series of Facebook posts detailing our favorite movies from the past year, a list of goals, or a mass email with 5 awkward photo attachments.

It’s easy, but kind of boring. An actual Christmas card is just so much more meaningful.

Because (1), I’m lazy/busy, and (2) I’m obsessed with postcards, I’m using the trusty MyPostcard app to send out my cards this year. It’s quick, easy, affordable, and I can do it from my bed.

7 reasons you should send Christmas cards this year

7 Reasons You Should Still Send Christmas Cards

1. It just means more

Sure, you can post that auto-generated Facebook video which shows you their pre-selected list of highlights from your timeline. And yeah, you can write an email and send it out, but that’s just like sending out a generic press release.

An announcement not guaranteed to reach the people you actually care about. And when they receive it? They’ll know that actually mean something to you.

In this age of total digitalization, it’s easy to just feel like just a “Facebook friend.” Sending a Christmas card to someone, though, is a sign of honest interest in someone’s life—and sharing your own life.

It takes more than a post to social media to create those kinds of meaningful connections.

Christmas card

2. Physical objects last longer

Yeah, yeah, yeah—sharing a status update is easy, but it’s also fleeting. Send a Christmas card to someone’s mailbox, though, and there’s no way they can avoid it!

A Christmas card is legally required to be put on display until the 26th at the very earliest, therefore a constant reminder of your connection/relationship/friendship with the receiver.

That guarantees you at least a few weeks of everyday visibility in someone’s life—more than can be said of any social media algorithm.

3. The chance to brag

Here’s the open secret about Christmas cards. Yes, they’re meant to serve as a reminder to the receiver that they’re relatively important to your life. But honestly: Christmas cards are more about the sender than the receiver

It’s your chance to shine! To blatantly humble-brag, to share your amazing news from the year.

7 reasons you should send Christmas cards this year

4. It’s actually really easy

Personally, I’ve avoided sending end-of-year updates the past several Decembers because (1), I’m lazy, and (2), I always thought it was time-consuming.

Truthfully, sending Christmas cards doesn’t take too much effort and can be done in a single afternoon.

And it’s especially easy using the MyPostcard app because it can all be done on the fly and then scheduled to send when you’re ready.

Send Christmas Cards with an app

5. Better than an algorithmically created highlight reel

There’s no secret that I kind of love-hate social media, and I think a lot of us feel the same. Sure, social media provides the opportunity to get your message out further and reach more people, but it also means it’s less likely to reach those people that actually mean something to you.

Hellllllooooo narcissism! Listen, it’s not awful (I guess), but this is that one time of year where you can actually reach out and share something meaningful with those that mean the most to you.

Every social media platform offers the chance to share your “best of the year” highlights—but that’s all created using their nefarious algorithms and engagement based largely on public activity.

Personally, my Facebook Year in Review video from the year doesn’t show the things that really mattered to me this year. Same goes with my Instagram Top Nine, and yeah, even my Spotify Wrapped highlights isn’t really reflective of my true favorite memories and moments.

So much of our life is automated these days; we should take the time to honestly appraise our year and curate the best of it. And then share *that* because it just is going to mean so much more to ourselves and our loved ones.

Write out a personal message reflective of your year and send a damn Christmas card.

Christmsa

6. The opportunity to say something important

Here’s something novel: use your end-of-year greeting cart to share something important, something meaningful.

December is notoriously a lonely and dangerous month; share a message of love and hope and optimism with those that mean something to you.

Everyone can use a bit of holiday cheer—and a semi-personal message in someone’s mailbox from a loved one can mean a lot.

7. There’s still time!

Plenty of people might argue that a card should be sent sooner rather than later, and while—yeah—that makes sense, it’s not an excuse to avoid the opportunity all-together.

Christmas cards, holiday cards, and end-of-year messages are perfectly valid at any point in December, and if you miss that deadline—a happy new year message is equally interesting. Plus, with the advent of plenty of ways to send cards online, it’s actually just really, really easy.

There’s no excuse! Give yourself an hour and send some Christmas cards this month. And if you need that extra bit of motivation, try my discount code TRAVELSOFADAM for the chance to send a free postcard with MyPostcard.

7 reasons you should send Christmas cards this year

A quick and easy way to send Christmas cards with MyPostcard:

  1. Sign up free for MyPostcard online or download the app on iOS or the Play store
  2. Share your custom address book link with those you plan to send cards to (the private address book stays in your profile so you can re-send cards in the future)
  3. Choose from hundreds of Christmas card designs in the online shop or order a set of blank greeting cards
  4. Upload your photo(s) and create your card in the app (or website)
  5. Bulk send to your loved ones by using your address book or schedule to send at a later date

  1. Silk Saree says:

    Just cool post, Thanks for posting. Keep Posting. I like your Blog.

  2. Susan says:

    Great Post! Really enjoyed reading the article, especially “The chance to brag”

  3. George says:

    I first read your postcards blog post and I felt really nostalgic and now I came across this one. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that people are becoming less and less attached to the written words. I always try o send a postcard back home while traveling -and definitely one during Xmas. Lately, I’ve been sending lots of my polaroids accompanied by a few words. Thanks for sharing and happy 2019.

    • Adam says:

      Thank you George and happy new year! Yeah, I love the physicality of life so the need for tactile things is really important to me; I feel it helps to build stronger connections with those that we care about.

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  5. Great article. This is full of useful information about sending a christmas card. A lot of ideas. I really appreciate.

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