School Bans Christmas Cards
An elementary school in the U.K. has banned the traditional mass swapping of Christmas cards.
Instead, students will be allowed to make one card each for someone in their class so everyone gets a homemade card.
The head of the school, Nicholas Daniel, says the reasons for not having cards are "endless."
Cards in school cause litter problems and can become a popularity contest about who gets the most, with the risk some children could be left out.
A neighboring elementary school also asked students to forgo the annual card swap as part of its bid for an award called the Eco School Gold Award-Green Flag.
The head teacher requested that parents donate 1 pound (instead of cards) for
Oxfam which will be used to to purchase a goat or mosquito net for a family in Africa.
Parents expressed outrage, of course. But the tree-hugger in me doesn't think banning cards in school is so terrible. With 1.9 billion "season's greetings" cards sent each year just in the U.S., it does seem like an insanely wasteful tradition.
In fact, I think we should get rid of all holiday card swapping, or at least card swapping at its most extreme level of meaninglessness. I'm talking the card swap with the person with whom you haven't had any other contact since college. Who got married, had kids, got divorced, had a sex change and moved across the country without you ever having even known, except for the change of address and name.
Or the business card swap -- you know, the card with the generic winter scene, throwaway "peace on earth" sentiment and a stamped corporate logo. Which you know the sender didn't even send out himself, but had his secretary do it. Why even bother? If it doesn't have money or at the very least a fruit basket or some chocolates attached, who really wants to get these things?
Anyway, that reminds me. I'd better get my Shutterfly order in before the holiday rush.
School bans Christmas cards [Ananova]
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