Anonymous wrote:One of my dear friends is French, lives in France, and has been sending out family photo cards for years.

I find the comments asking “why would I want to see a photo of your family” perplexing. Don’t you people like your friends? I love seeing photos of my friends and their families. Because I love my friends.

That’s what social media is for. Sending someone a physical photo is not necessary in 2022/23

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s an American thing so much as a suburban thing. Kind of like having ‘live, laugh, love’ sign - a little cheesy. I get these from dh family but my waspy relatives send non photo cards

I think it being a suburban thing and it not being a European thing are sort of one and the same.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in uk and France and this is one American thing that just baffles me.. people sending photos of their family as a Christmas card. Am I the only one who finds this weird? Like - why do you think i want to display a photo of YOUR family? It feels like people have wildly misjudged how much other people care about their stuff. If a French or British person did this I think everyone would find it so awkward. Enlighten me Americans - what am I missing here?

You don’t speak for all Europeans. We receive photo cards from relatives in France and friends in Belgium.

Tell people you would prefer not to be on their card list. You don’t have to look at a photo that clearly bothers you, and they save on postage.

One of my dear friends is French, lives in France, and has been sending out family photo cards for years.

I find the comments asking “why would I want to see a photo of your family” perplexing. Don’t you people like your friends? I love seeing photos of my friends and their families. Because I love my friends.

When I was growing up, Christmas cards had pictures and decorations on them - either secular winter theme, or something religious. And then often inside, there would be "the Christmas letter" with either a picture of the whole family (usually taken at Sears) or else school pictures of just the kids. The Christmas letter would sum up all the major events of the year (In January, Bob got promoted to regional manager. In February, Margie joined the pom pom squad!) It was either braggy or humorous.

At some point - in the 80s? - the technology to turn your family photo into a card became cheap enough that more and more people started doing that instead. At first you could just choose a few customizations. Later, you could design your own card pretty cheaply. But they were still cards, not postcards, and usually people included a Christmas letter. And it was just ONE photo, of the whole family.

Then people started designing their own cards, and often would include more pictures - like 4-6 photos. And often it is just a postcard now; no annual letter anymore.

I don't think the current cards are very attractive and they don't make a nice display like the old ones did. And I keep up with my friends pretty well anyhow through social media.

I don’t know if it’s an American thing so much as a suburban thing. Kind of like having ‘live, laugh, love’ sign - a little cheesy. I get these from dh family but my waspy relatives send non photo cards

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people think I want photos of their kids. A family photo card would be fine, but my friend isn't even in the photo. I throw them away.
-1st gen American of Euro parents, if that matters

Same - first gen/ euro parents. Makes zero sense and remember my mom throwing these in the trash. Now when I get them I half heartedly display bc usually the kids friends but would never send myself

Well people are sending me photos of THEIR family so I’m assuming they are ok with getting a photo of MY family.

I think it's pretty weird too.
The only baby that should be on a Christmas card is the baby Jesus and I'm not even religious.
Since when did your baby supplant the concept of Christmas?

Anonymous wrote:Op - I don’t think it’s ethnocentric. The rest of the world thinks Americans think they are amazing and don’t stop to consider other options. The rest of us are used to hearing ‘why do you do that?’ All the time. Americans saying anything is ethnocentric is like white ppl saying stuff is racist.
The card thing just kind of seems like an articulation of that tbh. Like ‘I assume you care about me’. Kind of entitled

Hahahaha, the irony of a French person saying Americans think they are amazing. Hahahahahahaha

Anonymous wrote:As a child I remember sitting next to the Christmas tree looking at the all pictures of families my mom knew from college. She would tell me stories about her time with them or about her life when she knew them. She passed while I was young and those memories are some of the best I have.

I hope to pass that tradition down to my kids. It really helped me learn more about my mom as a human/ friend and not just my mom.

Another fun thing I do with ours is after I take them down, I put a binder ring on them. Every week the family on top I either email or call to tell them I’m thinking of them and to see if there is anything we could do to be helpful. Many times just the conversation is nice but others I’ve learned of sick kids or spouse, so I try to either send food/ Uber eats card or anything that would be unobtrusive yet helpful. It’s how I stay in touch with people from all the stages of life.

I have never liked these kinds of Christmas cards but this is really touching, PP. Helps me see the value in them. Thank you.

I like photo cards. I’m no on Facebook
, so it’s a way for me to see people.

I'm from the Caribbean and also found it strange when I moved here, even got them from people I don't even really know. Still find it odd but it's a part of the American culture.

It’s not like we’re framing them and hanging them on our walls. They are cards to send greetings - some include photos. I have friends and family all over the world so I enjoy seeing the kids especially, kids I see once every few years at best. I’m an immigrant so we did not have this tradition but it’s not hard to grasp.

Anonymous wrote:Op - I don’t think it’s ethnocentric. The rest of the world thinks Americans think they are amazing and don’t stop to consider other options. The rest of us are used to hearing ‘why do you do that?’ All the time. Americans saying anything is ethnocentric is like white ppl saying stuff is racist.
The card thing just kind of seems like an articulation of that tbh. Like ‘I assume you care about me’. Kind of entitled

Christmas cards have nothing to do with thinking you're amazing. It's about wishing you happy holidays and showing you how our family changed over the last year. I love them b/c I don't see a lot of those people through the year (people across the country). What a bizarre and shi--y point of view to have about the cards, OP.