We reveal 7 good reasons why you should stop writing Christmas cards and give the gift of time instead.
Christmas cards end up straight in the bin.
What do you do with Christmas cards from companies? Are you happy about them and hang them up? Or do they go straight in the bin? Most people I have asked throw the card away straight away. Managing directors in particular are inundated with gifts and cards at Christmas time. So it's no wonder that the cards are perceived as mass-produced goods and are immediately discarded.
Advertising at Christmas is a no-go.
Christmas is the festival of love and contemplation. Many companies use this as a means of advertising: they offer countless Christmas discounts and vouchers to attract attention. This can quickly be unmasked and, in the worst case scenario, can tarnish the sender's image.
Christmas cards are peppered with impersonal phrases.
Christmas greetings in the form of standardized cards often meet with little approval because they are written impersonally and the recipient has not established an emotional bond with the sender. "Thank you for your trust" or "We look forward to continuing our successful cooperation" are phrases that appear in every card. This creates the feeling of being just a number in a database.
Christmas cards express false appreciation.
However, if the Christmas card is written by hand and personally by the boss, if there is an emotional connection to the customer and if a suitable gift is enclosed, this can certainly leave a positive impression and express appreciation. The trend towards personalized Christmas cards has not gone unrecognized. However, writing hundreds of cards by hand would be too time-consuming. Many companies therefore resort to "tricks" and have the card written by a machine with robotic arms. But isn't that a betrayal of the actual purpose of Christmas cards? As a customer, I would feel quite betrayed if I found out that the beautiful scrollwork and personal greetings were written by a machine.
Christmas cards cause unnecessary stress.
Advent should be a reflective time to spend time with family and recharge your batteries. However, the opposite is usually the case: many people feel stressed, have to do their Christmas shopping at the last minute and get presents for friends and family. In companies, the end of the year is approaching. The topic of Christmas is often not taken into account between urgent project completions and invoicing. Writing Christmas cards can become an additional burden and turn into a chore.
The costs and effort involved in writing Christmas cards are too high.
Most Christmas cards are planned many weeks, if not months, in advance. The effort (text, design, printing and mailing) and the associated costs are considerable. When you consider that many customers are more annoyed than delighted by Christmas cards, you should consider whether it would be better to invest the money and resources in a more meaningful project.
Printed Christmas cards are a burden on the environment.
Paper is a burden on the environment. Especially when paper is produced seasonally in the form of greeting cards and then ends up in the trash. The issue of sustainability is now firmly anchored in the corporate philosophy of many companies, including zeit ag. We are striving for a paperless and increasingly digitized office. So why break with this value completely at Christmas?
An alternative to Christmas cards: giving the gift of time.
The effort, stress and costs can be saved if the Christmas cards are ultimately thrown away anyway. zeit ag has therefore decided to do without Christmas cards and support a meaningful project instead. We have chosen a project run by the insieme organization in Lucerne: insieme aims to give people with intellectual disabilities time for relaxation and support and to relieve the burden on their relatives. With a donation, we are specifically supporting the "Holiday Weeks" project in Leukerbad, which will take place from April 20 to April 27, 2019, at the Volksheilbad Leukerbad. The focus is on beautiful encounters, new impulses and joie de vivre. We are delighted to be able to support this important and meaningful project with a small contribution and are already looking forward to the many impressions.
What do you think of Christmas cards? What alternatives do you know? Write to us or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin to comment on posts.