When I read that only 6% of sales from charity cards actually go to charity in yesterday’s metro, I was absolutely appalled. WhSmith’s topped the chart giving away 20-100%  to charity followed by Asda at 50%. However, reading this also made me groan “Christmas already!!”.

However, the matter of Christmas cards has been quite topical in work today. With the current postal strike (and more on the way) it is no wonder that everyone is thinking that the Christmas backlog and potential walkout will be terrible. Question of the Day: Does this mean people will send cards earlier, or not send them at all?

Some colleagues are going for the rather cheap and impersonal option of sending an email/ecard with a family snapshot. There was one time I thought these were a novel idea, but now I’d rather not receive a card. Maybe this is just because I lack the accomplishments to brag about in response to the self important letter that normally accompanies such cards, but reading about how great various family members of people I barely know are, has never increased my holiday spirit.

Sending cards earlier means you need to be prepared earlier, the bug of organisation is catching on aseveryone is talking about Christmas and we’ve yet to have Halloween and Bonfire night. So how early is early? My mother buys her cards in the January Sales and they are all ready to go on the first of December (along with the tree, fairy lights, fake snow and whatever other goodies are stashed in her attic).  If one is not as organised as my mother and still needs to buy Christmas cards there is a surprisingly good selection available already. I usually buy my cards from Paperchase. However this year I have recommended both Charity Cards and Funky Pigeon by friends so may give them a go.

Charity cards gives you a wide range of options from personalised cards, to single cards to  charity packs (you can choose by charity) and UK shipping charges are determined by weight but a standard pack will be under £2, so in total most packs will come to £5-£6 inc postage. Personalised cards are more expensive with a minimum order of 20 cards, and so they are priced at 95p per card if it has text and a photo (75p per card if text only).

Funky Pigeon provides a wider range of cards and  also sell a wide range of gifts and calendars as well. However, Funky Pigeon provides a personalised card service rather than simply selling other simple options you would find on the high street. However, they are pretty special cards and some of them look beautiful – great if you want to give a card with something extra. The site is easy to use and you don’t even have to register for an account if you don’t want to.  Single personalised cards are mostly priced at £2.99 for an A5 sized card. You can then write a message outside and inside the card whatever way you like. The card can either be sent to you with a blank envelope, or alternatively you can choose to send the card directly to the recipient. You can then choose the delivery date etc and standard first class post is 47p (next day delivery is around £5). A pack of personalised cards (usually 12 cards)  is priced at £15.99 and delivery is £2.95.

If you really do want to be an early bird when it comes to cards myvouchercodes is offering a 30% discount on Funky pigeon if you order before 22 Nov.