WHY YOU SHOULD BE SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS THIS YEAR MORE THAN EVER! (+ loads of makers to buy from)

I’ll start by saying I do actually love sending (and receiving) Christmas cards. For a person who designs a lot of greeting cards, I’m not actually that good at sending them - at least on time anyway! So I like being able to sit down with a list of all the people I want to send a card to all at one time and write them (and hopefully not forget anyone).

But this year when physical contact has been very much limited, for a lot of us at least, I think there’s something more to receiving a handwritten card that a loved one has spent time writing, addressing and sending, will mean so much more than a text or a Facebook post to the masses. Being able to hold something they’ve held, even with deeply sanitised hands, and then to see it throughout the festive period on a shelf or strung up on the wall, will just bring that connection to other people closer.

So basically the point of this post is to ask, if you’re not really a Christmas card person, you think they’re a bit old fashioned or that there are better things to spend your money on at this time of year, please just reconsider. Think of each card as that hug you’d normally be giving to each of them to wish them a happy Christmas and show you care. And if you send it early, it will last so much longer both in their memory and just their vision, than a digital message would.

Another huge bonus of course to sending cards is that it’s a really easy way to support independent businesses at this time of year. Whether that’s buying your cards online, directly from creatives like me, or supporting small independent shops near you. Of course there’s nothing wrong with buying bigger, cheaper packs from the supermarket, especially if they’re also supporting a charity with their cards as they often are which is obviously wonderful, so you can always do that too! Just maybe consider buying a couple from little businesses and give them a slice of that festive cheer, as well as your pals. Just a Card can really help!

To help you find some independent Christmas cards, I’ve compiled a list of just some of the many independents I know are selling their own Christmas cards this year. I got a bit carried away so there is more than just "some", so I’m hoping there is something here for everyone! I've added the maker's names and locations because they're real people in real places and they'd all love you to buy their cards!

1. It Was A Rabbit Illustration | Lora in Wilmslow