Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

From an environmental stand-point, shouldn't we be banning Christmas lights and cards?

Everyone is claiming to be environmentally friendly, and yet there's never a mention of the impact of cards and lights, especially the big street lights, and all the shops leaving their lights on overnight etc. etc.

I wonder how much money would be raised if all Old Blues sent virtual cards via email, and didn't bother with lights this year, donating the money they would have spent to fund education at CH??

Actual/invironmental costs, cards and lights:-
Buying the cards
Stamps
Raw materials
Manufacturing
Transport
Postal costs
Electricity

Who's up for it??

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J

For the last few years our local church has had a system whereby we pay a contribution and design our own card which is then printed in the parish magazine in December, so that we are not all scrabbling around in the pigeon holes at the back of church sending cards to each other. It always seems fairly pointless to me anyway to send cards to people we see practically every day! I would be sorry to see the 'banning' of Christmas greetings to long-distance friends and family, and I suspect that posting a card does less environmental damage than all this computer usage - or possibly telephone calls, although the latter are more personal than a hastily written card! I have no problem with Christmas tree lights used in moderation, but the massive outdoor displays both in shopping centres and more recently on people's houses are not only damaging to the environment but frequently a distraction to motorists. In multi-cultural Leicester the lights go on for Divali in October and stay on through a series of festivals right through to Orthodox Christmas in January.

"Yes" to extravagant lighting displays, whether Council or business, or those usually ghastly & tasteless decorations on idiots' houses. "No" to lights on our tree!
"No" to cards. For a start, some of the people I send them to haven't got the internet. A phone call isn't a satisfactory substitute for something tangible, especially when it's a home-made card like those my little grand-daughter loves making.
There's the problem of reducing the opportunity for seasonal work which for some will be the only chance of a job all year.
And what about the charity I get my cards from? (http://sreepurcards.org). They receive 100% back for every pack of cards sold, which is miles more than most other "charity" cards. They rely on this income to fund the village. A very worthwhile cause, HINT, HINT (but they've sold out this year's stock already! - though you can be put on the email list for 2010).
So, sorry but I can't support most of your suggestions, Julian!

I am with Annie and Frances.

I send my Dad a Christmas card and my brother who lives 200 miles away, but ther family members I will see. I will see Dad as well but he is different.

To friends who query why they haven't had a card for the last 3 years I say "Oh didn't it arrive , bl**dy Royal Mail". as they don't know each other it doesn't matter.

Laziness, not enviromentalism.

Three letters on the lights front.

LED

So long as we don't get a Round Robin Christmas Family Bragging letter, everything else is OK by me.

Angela Woodford wrote:So long as we don't get a Round Robin Christmas Family Bragging letter, everything else is OK by me.

I'm with Angela. Bah humbug to the environmentalist mafia

anniexf wrote:"Yes" to extravagant lighting displays, whether Council or business, or those usually ghastly & tasteless decorations on idiots' houses.

Heard of one family who had to cut back when the electricity bill (they claimed) went into 5 figures. To me that is stupid as are many of the private outdoor lighting exhibitions.

sejintenej wrote:

anniexf wrote:"Yes" to extravagant lighting displays, whether Council or business, or those usually ghastly & tasteless decorations on idiots' houses.

Heard of one family who had to cut back when the electricity bill (they claimed) went into 5 figures. To me that is stupid as are many of the private outdoor lighting exhibitions.

Is that an annual figure?

My entire energy bill was just into four figures and I have a bog standard 70's terrace. DIY loft insulation (not very well done), double glazing and quite an energy efficient boiler, 90% low energy lightbulbs. 4 adults, 2 TVs, 3 of us shower, 3 laptops and a PC.

I think the whole Xmas lights and cards thing is great as long as it's not overdone. If people want to put lights up, then that's fine. Just don't try to sell it to me!

I am very much against the ridiculous amount of marketing and subliminal advertising at Xmas. It's about time someone told the major companies that a lot of people genuinely can't afford to by little Jonny a Wii this year and he'll have to settle for a bike and a piece of cake. It makes me so angry when people get into debt because someone's said they "must have" a certain item.

Either I buy cards direct from the charity I support, or I make them. We don't go in for lights orselves (years ago the cats tried to climb up the Christmas tree) but I think our councilis irresponsible in giving a prize to the "best" house decoration,ie the one where the most money has been spent on lights and electricity. But there again a lot of people ask for donations to charity if you go to gawp at their lights.

I like getting Christmas cards from family and friends and, whilst I don't much like the sort of bragging round robin letters complained about above, these exchanging Christmas cards do provide a useful way of keeping in touch with old friends whom I rarely see these days. On the other hand, I absolutely loathe corporate Christmas cards and equally have no wish to receive cards from workmates whom I both like and respect but are certainly not close friends. But then, whilst I quite enjoy a bit of a party at Christmas, I dislike the commercialisation that goes with it and the fact that far too many people feel forced to spend vast amounts of money they simply don't have. How can anyone really enjoy something that puts them into debt for the rest of the year? Have a great time but keep it to family and friends and don't go over the top with gifts and partying.

We sent, this year, 100kg of rice, to a country, which would appreciate it more than a Christmas Card (Tear Fund)
and a card goes up on the Church Notice Board, telling everyone why they ain't going to get one --- this has prompted many to do the same (Goats, Chickens, etc)

However --- we have also bought CH cards, for some individuals !

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:We sent, this year, 100kg of rice, to a country, which would appreciate it more than a Christmas Card (Tear Fund)
and a card goes up on the Church Notice Board, telling everyone why they ain't going to get one --- this has prompted many to do the same (Goats, Chickens, etc)

What a lovely idea. Think I might look into doing something similar myself.

midget wrote:years ago the cats tried to climb up the Christmas tree

Oh, that brings back a memory! We were invited for Christmas Eve drinks at a neighbours' house. They had a huge magnificent sparkly tree. Cue kitten: who swarmed up the tree to the very top, scrabbled desperately at the fairy, swayed to and fro, and in hideous slow motion brought the whole thing crashing down.

Our hostess had been in the kitchen. Her face! It was terrible.

Angela Woodford wrote:

midget wrote:years ago the cats tried to climb up the Christmas tree

Oh, that brings back a memory! We were invited for Christmas Eve drinks at a neighbours' house. They had a huge magnificent sparkly tree. Cue kitten: who swarmed up the tree to the very top, scrabbled desperately at the fairy, swayed to and fro, and in hideous slow motion brought the whole thing crashing down.

Our hostess had been in the kitchen. Her face! It was terrible.

Not really funny, but this did make me smile. Sounds like something out of a comedy sketch!