This year, after considerable thought by Jennifer and me we have decided to send only e-cards to our friends overseas for the following reasons. The cost of postage and even the cost of cards seems to be increasing as well but for many years we have been buying charity cards which we hope wil make us and others feel better about spending the money. Charity cards can cost from about 30 pence upward, depending on card and charity, of which less than one third actually goes to the charity. Sending a card to Hong Kong costs about 50 pence by post and so plus the cost of the card you are somewhere near 80 pence, or more per card.
I am sure that the Charity appreciate the ten pence per card but frankly with our change of practice they will now receive about 80 pence per card or 800% more and so that is what we have done this year.
The only trouble about sending e-cards and also receiving them is that the only person who know about the card is the person who has sent it and the person who receives it and often the rest of the family do not know of its existence.
My new wheeze in future will be when receiving an e-card is to write their name on a new card and place it along with the others. This has two advantages in that
you can re-use it year and if you cheat a bit you show off the hundreds of cards you have received from around the world. Well perhaps not...
Anyway, for us e-cards with a donation to a charity of your choice is fully acceptable to us as the charities desperately need the cash
So in the meantime have a great Christmas and a Happy new Year.
