Last updated at 12:51, Tuesday, 02 December 2008

IN his book, Do Nothing: Christmas is Coming, Dr Cottrell says: “It’s the first day of December, I’ve got about a hundred Christmas cards to write and several ghastly round robin letters to read.

“What is this all about? There must be another way of celebrating Christmas. Prune your Christmas card list. Help save the planet and send an email card, and then a note about which charity the money saved has been sent to. And with all the time you have saved, put your feet up for an hour.”

But charity cards are big business, accounting for around a third of all Christmas cards sent each year.

Lori Jones, assistant manager at the SCOPE charity shop in Dalton Road, Barrow, said Christmas cards help to raise money for charities.

Ms Jones said: “I’ve just sold six packets in the space of about three hours, so it is a big seller and really helps to raise money for SCOPE.”

But Ms Jones added that she thinks some cards are too expensive. She said: “In my opinion, I do think they are a bit of a waste of money.

“One pensioner came into the shop and told me she’d spent £30 on cards and stamps, and I said to her ‘why didn’t you spend it on something for yourself?’. I don’t do Christmas cards really, and only send them to close friends and family.

“I don’t see the point in sending them to all of your neighbours.”

Joyce Cowin, owner of EJ Crafts shop in Ulverston, said she has noticed an increase in people opting to make their own festive cards.

Mrs Cowin said: “You get a lot of people buying our materials to make their own cards, either to send to their own family or to sell for charity. Even the most basic of handmade cards are something very special, for the sender and the receiver – you’re giving of yourself by spending time making them.

“It’s something people do out of love and it can give a lonely person a real boost to receive a card. All right, don’t send one to everyone you have ever met, but I think it’s important to keep this tradition.”

The Reverend Stuart Evason, vicar at St James’ in Blake Street, Barrow, agreed with the Bishop of Reading, with an exception that Christmas cards should only be sent to people you might not expect to see during the season.

He said: “Christmas cards are nice because in every parish I have been in I have sent out a card from the church to everyone and in some cases it is one of the very few they get. But generally I do feel people send far too many cards. It has always struck me as daft to send cards to people you see all the time.

“Christmas is not about cards or presents or decorations – it’s about God’s love coming to us through Jesus.”

Mr Evason also said he was surprised each year to see how many non-religious or inappropriate cards were being sent. He said: “Every year I go round and count how many have religious images on them and the figure is worrying.

“I’ve seen cards with the three wise men on, which is the Epiphany, which happened after the birth of Jesus. At one church, instead of sending cards, we made an enormous Christmas card and everyone signed it. We collected the money we would have used to buy cards and gave it all to charity, and did something good for other people.”

First published at 11:46, Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk