MeFi Holiday Card Exchange

November 4, 2020 2:31 AM

The MeFi Holiday Card Exchange sign up is live! It will be open from today until Thursday, 11/19, and lists will go out by Monday, 11/23. (likely in batches)

I did add a Europe only option.

I will do a pull around 11/13 or so, and get an international list out to people who have signed up at that point.

-Number of card options are in sets of ten - 10, up to 20, up to 30. If you are open to more than 10, but not 20, you can add that to the notes. Sometimes the sorting works out that I have some odd numbers.
-Also, if you want to send anywhere, but not too many international, you can put that in the special notes section as well. Most of the participants have been in the US in previous years.
-Any type of card is fine - handmade, storebought, postcards, etc.
-We don't have a specific timeline on when you need to have your cards sent out by, just whenever you can.
-Some people put specific requests in the notes i.e., specific holiday they celebrate or don't celebrate, requests for non-religious cards if possible, etc.

posted by needlegrrl to MetaFilter-Related at 2:31 AM (52 comments total)

Signed up -- thanks for organizing this!
posted by JanetLand at 6:14 AM on November 4, 2020

Same and thank you also for the Europe only group!
posted by ellieBOA at 6:55 AM on November 4, 2020

Thanks! Signed up - Some lucky participants will not only get cards, but limited edition cat stickers.
posted by jzb at 9:33 AM on November 4, 2020 [4 favorites]

Signed up. Thanks!
posted by kathrynm at 10:59 AM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

I found your comment on the other thread yesterday - did I win at signing up?
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:39 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Tandem Affinity - yes, I see you in the responses!
posted by needlegrrl at 4:08 AM on November 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

Yay!
posted by mochapickle at 10:51 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Signed up! In fact, I signed just up for MeFi inspired by this :-)
posted by residual delays at 11:25 AM on November 5, 2020 [11 favorites]

Done and done! Thanks for organizing! It really was the highlight of my holidays last year.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:56 PM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Done!
posted by Gorgik at 7:45 PM on November 5, 2020

Signed up! I’m really excited about this, since it helped my holiday depression so much last year. Thanks for doing all the hard work, needlegrrl!
posted by notaninja at 7:52 PM on November 5, 2020 [3 favorites]

Signed up, thanks! BTW, should we look for an email that says "2020 MeFi Holiday Card Exchange" as the subject? After I completed the form, it said: please look for an email with "2019 MeFi Holiday Card Exchange" as the subject.
posted by wicked_sassy at 7:58 AM on November 6, 2020

Done! I'm already looking at fun card options. hehe!
posted by RhysPenbras at 8:47 AM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yay yay yay! Glad to have this to look forward to!
posted by the primroses were over at 9:36 AM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Wicked_sassy - yes! I will go in and update that, thank you. :)
posted by needlegrrl at 11:46 AM on November 7, 2020

I didn't receive a confirmation email. Should I sign up again? I really look forward to sending and receiving cards.
posted by googlebombed at 9:25 PM on November 7, 2020

Thanks for organising this. I have been mostly off the internet for a while (cat death and general stuff) and this will be good to get re-connected again.
posted by paduasoy at 1:33 AM on November 8, 2020 [3 favorites]

googlebombed, I see your info, so you should be good!

paduasoy - I am sorry to hear about your cat, but glad to see you!
posted by needlegrrl at 4:32 AM on November 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

Thank you, ❤️
posted by rip at 5:56 AM on November 9, 2020

What's the rationale for the 'Europe only' category? Here in the Netherlands the international rate is the same, regardless where it goes to outside the country. Is this different in other European countries?
posted by HFSH at 4:08 PM on November 9, 2020

Yes - UK is £1.45 for Europe letters (20g), and £1.70 for World Zones 1, 2 and 3.
posted by paduasoy at 1:00 AM on November 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

I also didn't receive a confirmation email?
posted by Lesium at 5:00 PM on November 10, 2020

Heck yeah, let's do this.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:37 PM on November 10, 2020

Would you mind checking my info has saved? I didn't get an email either. Thank you.
posted by paduasoy at 12:24 AM on November 11, 2020

I didn’t get an email, either. Can you please confirm? Thank you!
posted by Atrahasis at 4:54 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

If it’s at all helpful for me to say, the various card exchanges typically haven't sent out signup confirmation emails in the past. You just sign up and then on match day you get a neat, organized address list from the organizer.

I really recommend reaching out to needlegrrl directly if you want to make sure your signup arrived and everything's looking good. She's fantastic.
posted by mochapickle at 5:32 AM on November 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

I've double checked the form (I only use these once a year, and I copied the one from last year, so apologies for my lack of familiarity with them), and it says it should give a confirmation message that says "Thanks for filling out the 2020 MeFi Holiday Card Exchange signup form. Please look for an email with "2020 MeFi Holiday Card Exchange" as the subject, from needlegrrl at gmail.com with addresses!" I think this happens when you submit the form on your browser screen.

The only way I can get it to send an email is to also collect email addresses, which it's not currently set up to do.

I did check, though, and Lesium, paduasoy, and Atrahasis, you are all in there! I am happy to check for anyone.

I'm checking this post once a day or so, but will get a notification of memail, if you have any questions, or you can email me directly!
posted by needlegrrl at 6:19 AM on November 11, 2020 [5 favorites]

signed up, possibly twice
posted by scruss at 9:27 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Thank you for doing this!
posted by medusa at 7:30 PM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

I signed up! This is gonna rule.
posted by heteronym at 7:59 PM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've never signed up for this before but I've gotten very into penpalship this year so I'm excited to send some cards!
posted by Tesseractive at 11:16 PM on November 13, 2020

Thank you needlegrrl for running this, I’m excited to send out cards again this year!
posted by lepus at 3:15 PM on November 14, 2020

Thank you for organizing this!
posted by kimberussell at 7:24 AM on November 15, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've just joined the site, partly because I saw this highlighted at the top of the site. I will join the exchange next year (when I'm not still squeaky new). It is a very warm community feeling to see people sending real Christmas/ holiday cards. I still send cards to family and friends every year even though almost no one sends any to me. So, I will be looking forward to next year here. :) Thank you to the people who set up and run this.
posted by thatgrrl at 10:25 AM on November 17, 2020 [9 favorites]

I felt inspired by the two new members in this thread (welcome, residualdelays and thatgrrl!!) to sign up. Thanks needlegrrl!
posted by youarenothere at 11:00 AM on November 18, 2020 [4 favorites]

I'm also planning on sending more cards than usual to my meatspace friends this year, because we haven't really seen each other in six months.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:39 AM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

I signed up, for the first time!
posted by spinifex23 at 4:26 PM on November 18, 2020 [2 favorites]

I hope i did it right. I want to be signed up. fingers crossed.
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 1:39 PM on November 19, 2020

probably not that Karen Blair - yes, you're in there!
posted by needlegrrl at 4:08 AM on November 20, 2020

Just got my cards for my group printed up (as in literally making linocut prints on my etching press) and excited to send them off in a few days after the dang things dry.

You new folks signing up warm my heart too. If you missed signup want a card just for the heck of it, mefimail me your address and I'll send one your way too.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:11 PM on November 20, 2020 [7 favorites]

All lists have been sent out! Please reach out to me if you don't see yours. :)
posted by needlegrrl at 1:18 PM on November 21, 2020 [6 favorites]

Did anyone else get themselves in the list? If someone's list has fallen apart I can cover, but equally I won't complain when I don't receive one from myself.
posted by scruss at 8:40 AM on November 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I believe everyone's group list will include their own address. It means less adjusting of lists when sending out groups, and also gives people a chance to notice if there's a typo in the address sent out to their group.
posted by the primroses were over at 9:21 AM on November 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

Yes - you will absolutely have your own address. :) The base lists are 11 instead of 10, so it accomodates for it.

We had over 150 people sign up this year (!!) and 18 groups, some of which had 20 people in them, so it really helps not to have to customize every email. :)

I do sometimes send at least an empty envelope to myself, just to get the postmark (sometimes I send them for fancy postmarks, and that tells me when they actually go out!), but I don't imagine most people do. :)
posted by needlegrrl at 9:29 AM on November 23, 2020 [4 favorites]

Thank you, needlegrrl! :)
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:37 AM on November 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

Oh - someone suggested I mention that if you have more than 10 cards, you may have a duplicate name on your lists. I tried to avoid it, and I think I have a solution for next year, but there are a couple this time.
posted by needlegrrl at 5:07 PM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

International cards went out with my gift swap package. U.S. Cards stamped and ready to go out today. Thanks for wrangling this, needlegrrl!
posted by erloteiel at 8:22 AM on November 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

As I mentioned in the gift exchange thread, I'd been waiting on an order of
special charity holiday cards. The cards package arrived 10 days ago - minus cards. (So I guess the good news is, they're so attractive perhaps someone else wanted them?)

The charity sent me a replacement box, and I sent my three international addressees their cards this weekend. I'll get the rest out this week.

It'll be really interesting to hear from MeFites in such a range of places.
posted by NorthernLite at 8:14 PM on November 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Sent out the last of my international cards today, and about 1/2 of my U.S. peeps.
Also: Cortex! I got your linocut print card today and it is awesome! I will use it as a bookmark, as I do with especially cool cards. Thank you!
posted by Atrahasis at 8:55 PM on November 30, 2020

My cards are mailed! The die is cast! The ship has sailed! The call is coming from inside the house! The end is nigh! The eagle has landed! Le crayon est sur la table! My cake is dough on both sides!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:34 AM on December 1, 2020 [8 favorites]

I wrote the last of my cards tonight, and they'll go out tomorrow. I got my first one yesterday. This is the sort of holiday tradition I can get behind!
posted by heteronym at 7:23 PM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]

In the mail tomorrow!

This has been a super-bleak season, and working on my cards gave me an up so thanks to everyone who made this happen. Yet another reason why I’m grateful for the Blue.
posted by kinnakeet at 3:13 AM on December 2, 2020 [8 favorites]