Christmas card aren't what they used to be

I admired the nice selection of boxed cards at a drug store recently and was tempted to pick up a box or two, until I realized I don't really send out that kind of card anymore.

I used to obsess over my Christmas cards. The message had to resonate, and I'd frequently buy more than one set of cards, with the sentiment geared toward the recipient.

But in the past decade or so, I bet I haven't spent more than $30 on boxed cards.

That doesn't mean I've quit sending cards; I've just quit buying boxed greetings. Over the years I've had my kids create drawings, which I've laboriously converted into cards, printing them out myself. In the past several years, in an effort to save my sanity, I've opted for the time-saving photo card, adding a general one-size-fits-all newsletter for out-of-town relatives and friends.

I'm not alone. What with e-greeting cards, photo cards and that object of holiday scorn -- that Christmas newsletter -- do people even send Christmas cards anymore?

And if they send them, do they opt for easy (see newsletter/above), or do they do what my mom did and does: do everything, from notes about the family's doings to the address, by hand, for the personal touch?

Patty Thorsen of Geneva wouldn't like my annual holiday greeting. She's more in my mom's camp. She's a big Christmas card sender, spending time to make them special, and personal. And she loves to receive them as well.

"I'm a huge, huge card sender," she said. She does not like the impersonal letter, she said emphatically. "I want a Christmas card with a picture in it, and a little note. I don't want a big long letter."

She loves knowing someone took the time and effort to write her family a note, updating them briefly on what's been going on in their lives, and then addressed it (by hand; did I mention my preprinted address labels? Boy, do they save time) and sent it on.

"I love the general synopsis of what everyone's been doing," Thorsen said. "I love a little picture. I love to hear the bad and the good."

She gives what she likes to get, with cards, including picture and handwritten note, sent to those near and dear to her. She displays those she receives throughout the house to help her family celebrate the season.

To Thorsen, that card is a gift in and of itself. In fact, these personalized, personal greetings mean more than a gift. "That 41 cents means a lot," she said. (So do Christmas hugs, which she gives freely.)

Many of the people I talked to did remark that they seem to receive fewer cards these days. And they're right. The number of cards sent has declined, shrinking from 2.9 billion in 2002 to 2.4 billion from in 2004, according to a study for the United State Postal Service.

That number has since declined further, to less than 2 billion in 2006, according to an estimate from the Greeting Card Association. I couldn't determine whether that includes both traditional boxed greeting cards as well as cards created on people's home computers.

The generic letter, usually also created on the computer, comes in for a lot of criticism, with many decrying the impersonal tone, others lamenting the bragging they perceive in remarks about kids' achievements, and still others clapping their hands over their ears, figuratively speaking, and saying, "too much information!"

"I don't read them," confessed Angie Keller of Geneva. "They're too long!"

What does she like in a card she receives? "I love pictures: the whole family, part of the family, the kids, I don't care. But I love getting a picture."

Barb Reynolds isn't offended at all by the letters. "I have college friends and it's the only time we catch up," she said. She may not give the letters her full attention in the frantic pace of early December. But eventually she goes back and reads and enjoys every word.

She alternates sending a photo of the entire family one year with one of just the kids the next. And she sends a letter to out-of-state friends and family.

She's thinking partly of herself, as well as her friends, when she sends the letter, she said. "That's when I write down what we did during the year." It creates a lasting memory of what happened in a given year.

Jill Michaelson of St. Charles varies her cards from year to year. Some years she sends a traditional card, while in others, she opts for the photo card. She, too, may use one or two varieties, to match the message with the recipient.

And she enjoys getting newsletters. "I'm envious of people who take the time to update everyone," she said.

Why doesn't she send one herself? "I feel like my life is too boring to be of interest to anyone," she laughed.

"I don't like the long braggy letter," said Krista Andersen of Geneva. "I like the letters," she hastened to add. "Just not the LONG ones."

And those cards? Well, please include pictures. "I love the picture, Anderson said. "Give me the basic synopsis. Keep it brief, but keep me posted."

She also doesn't mind preprinted cards or preprinted address labels.

"Just the fact that they thought of me is nice," she said. "That's personal enough."

By the way, if your cards, whatever form they take, aren't out yet, you're not alone. The busiest mailing day last year was Dec. 18, so expect it to be in that general time frame again this year.

There's still time to get those greetings in the mail -- whatever form they take. Just don't forget the picture.