Alan Dee: Time to cull the Christmas card list

So guess how smug I am after hearing dire warnings about the drastic decline in the signing, sticking, and sending of Christmas cards.

The total number of cards sent out over the next few weeks is expected to have slumped by a massive 141 million compared to the mammoth national mailbag that went out at this time of year just five years ago.

Expensive cards and the rising cost of postage are being cited as key factors in families turning away from sending cards. there’s also the inevitable impact of social networking websites and the like – but my explanation is somewhat simpler.

Admittedly there may be an economic imperative at play in these tough times, but it’s my firm belief that people have finally woken up to the fact that most of us just aren’t that bothered and the whole card kerfuffle is a habit we can happily do without.

So if you’re thinking about having a cull of your card list, perhaps you’d like a little advice.

First of all, forget about work. If you’re going to be rubbing shoulders with people right up until the last day before the turkey goes into the oven, why on earth do you need to send them a card?

Just wish them compliments of the season face to face, perhaps partake of a mince pie if you’re that way inclined, but for goodness sake don’t leave a card on the desk of everyone in the company. You’ll only irritate people. Well, you’ll certainly irritate me.

Right, what about the neighbours? Just because they send you one is no reason for you to reply – if these are people you see in the street then the face to face rule applies, and if you don’t exchange a word with them from one Christmas to the next then why bother?

Friends now, and that’s the operative word. If they’re friends, they’ll know your feelings about Christmas communications and respect your reasoned objection to the whole shooting match.

If they’re just people in your address book and you haven’t sought out their name and address over the last 12 months, be brave and hold off. If you carry on getting a card from them for years afterwards, that’s no reason to feel guilty – it just proves that they don’t register who sends them a card and are going through the motions, so they’re not worth bothering with.

If you’re a business, don’t waste your time contacting clients with compliments of the season. Over the years I’ve received all sorts of cards at Christmas time from people I have never met on behalf of companies I have never heard of – such waste only marks them down as mugs in my book.

I am willing to make an exception in the case of relatives on the other side of the world, particularly if they’ve got a few quid and might include me and mine in their will, or be willing to host a holiday at some time in the future.

But if you can’t cut down the number of cards you send to single figures – last year I grudgingly obliged with three, if memory serves – then you’re just not trying hard enough.