Christmas cards and Letters

Just had a delivery from the postman and one of the letters contained the ultimate in 'naff' Christmas!

Now I have friends who have a subscription with a service which send cards and presents to his family members at all the right times (i.e. birthday, Christmas, Anniversaries) and not only does it mean that the card arrives, but it keeps a register of the gift sent each year to avoid duplication.

The family members are impressed that they always get a card (they asked for his signature and this appears, in a different colour ink, on the cards!) and the present is always something they're happy to receive (he ticked a list of likes, interests and dislikes for each family member when setting the service up!).

Now, I am more than a little appalled at this, because it 'ticks the boxes' but says nothing about his relationship or his feelings for those who receive the cards and gifts. He's 'doing the right thing' and that's about the limit of it.

Well, I've just had a laser printed envelope which contained a Christmas letter which began, "Dear Friends," and went on to outline the exciting places the family had been, the achievements of the wünderkind and a myriad number of smugness quotient elements besides.

It wasn't personal, it wasn't aimed at anyone - it just ticked the boxes and so - it's in the recycle box!

Perhaps next year their computer could just talk to ours and we could cut out the middle man?

And by the way, I didn't recognise the family, the names or the location in which they lived - which made it even worse - third-party Christmas detritus.

Ha, bumhug!