A digital card or a message written by Amazon just does not say “ you matter to me and you’re on my mind this Christmas’ ‘ quite like a hand written one does.
If you are of a certain age you’ll remember stringing the cards up all over the house because all the available surfaces were already covered but sadly it’s a tradition that is dying out.
A poll this week on 2,000 adults found one in four were tired of Christmas traditions like sending cards or popping satsumas in stockings (yes, we agree it’s outrageous not to be greeted with an orange in the stocking!)
That message scribbled straight from your heart in your own handwriting is the one that will hit the spot – and not one written by some bot for Amazon. It never is about the money at Christmas, it is about the thought that people spend.
However it’s one thing to understand it’s special to write to people and send gifts with a card, and not just rely on an online retailer to sort you out, and it’s another being organised to follow through.
So here are the An Post deadlines for 2023.
Irish address
Anyone posting Christmas cards and parcels to an Irish address will need to send it by December 21.
All standard post letters, parcels, registered post and express post should be sent on or before that date.
Up North
Anyone sending Christmas cards and parcels to Northern Ireland should post it by December 19.
Standard post letters, parcels, registered post and express post should be sent on or before this date to arrive in the north for Christmas.
Anyone sending Christmas mail to the UK is being warned the cut-off date is December 18 for standard letters, parcels, registered post and express post. And for the international/courier service to the UK, the final date is December 20.
Rest of Europe
For anyone posting to European countries, the final date of sending is on or before December 18 for letters, registered post and express post. The deadline for sending standard parcels is December 14.
For international/courier service the final date is December 19.
USA
An Post customers are being advised that yesterday, December 11, was the deadline to ensure letters or express post arrives on time – so if you do send after that it will arrive after the big day, although for international/courier service the final date is December 15.
Rest of the World
The deadline for sending letters, parcels and registered post to the rest of the world was December 6 but if using an international courier service the final date is December 15.
Holiday services in Ireland
An Post customers are also being advised that there will be no mail delivery or collection from December 23 until December 27. Everyone needs a break and especially your friendly post delivery person who has been run off their feet.
Mail delivery and collection will return on December 28 so you can always post off a Happy New Year card if you don’t get it together for the Christmas one.
