Are Christmas Cards A Dying Tradition?
With the world moving towards a more digital age, the ease of simply dropping someone a message or email through an electronic device is proving a lot more popular than the long-winded version of sending someone your season’s greetings through the post. Are you a traditionalist who enjoys spending the run-up to Christmas penning pleasant messages to long-lost family and friends, or would you rather send a digital message that can be replied to in an instant?
A Generational Divide
There are many reasons why younger generations might be swapping the handwritten version to a simple message typed over a device.
Firstly, people are moving around more than they used to. It’s hardly easy to keep up when friends and family are renting accommodation, living in student halls for a while, or even spending a year or two abroad. Since we don’t all keep little address books in our purses anymore, sending a quick WatsApp message can be just as meaningful and requires half the effort of sending a card in the post that may or may not make it to the intended recipient.
There’s also the element of time. Once you’ve figured out the correct address, you need to physically write your message, find a stamp and head to your nearest post box. During this time, you could have sent about fifty digital messages already!
Better for the planet, or better for our pockets…
Even though Christmas cards are made from, well, card…they are mostly non-recyclable. Now, with concerns continually being raised about our environment, people are looking towards sustainable substitutes that won’t end up in landfill.
Furthermore, the cost of postage isn’t exactly what it used to be and sending out Christmas cards to everyone on your Facebook friends list could end up costing a fortune!
Sending a digital message will both help to save you money, during an already pricey season, and prevent you from wasting more materials than necessary.
Time well spent…
Although typing a message over a device may be easier, there is an art to writing a card, especially if you craft it yourself!
Even if you have lost touch with where your old school friends are living these days, you can always find pleasure in writing and making cards for your nearest and dearest.
We may all be receiving less cards, thanks to the rising demand in technology, however, those that we do receive can be treasured and tucked away in our memory boxes for admiring later down the line.
