How to simplify the Holiday Card Madness and Help Local Charities

Yeah, I guess I can say I joined the movement and will no longer be sending Holiday Cards! 
What?
You think that's rude?
Well, I tend to disagree with that, but before we start arguing and you call me Scrooge, let me tell you why I decided to take the road less traveled...

I enjoy the Holidays and Love Christmas, thank you very much, but the past several years I always found myself stressing out just thinking of the whole Holiday Cards project.  Planning the right family picture. Finding the best, cutest, possibly funny, politically correct template to have the cards printed on, which, as it turns out, is a lot of actual work.  And we have to get it all done, addressed, and mailed before a certain deadline, otherwise the cards might not arrive before Christmas (Ugh!).

Of course it's lovely to receive cards with pictures of our friend's newborn babies, the dogs, the cats and grandmas alike, but let's be honest, come the first week of January and all those cards end up in the trash!
What a waste of energy and money.

So how can we simplify this madness and still feel good about ourselves?  How about donating to a charity of your choice in lieu of buying overpriced holiday cards + postage?

Little did I know there's an entire movement in the UK about this already.  A whole study about the greeting card industry, where they claim a total of 2 billion cards are sold just in the UK every year! Check out the site DontSendMeACard.com and view their infographic on the environmental impact of sending each card.  The numbers blew my mind!

I know what you're going to say: that I'm a book blogger and own hundreds of books, so who am I to talk about the environment?  Yes, I love books. And yes, I buy more than a few (and I also get some free books from publishers), but I don't throw them in the trash.  I keep most of those books, and the ones I don't keep, I donate to the library, so chances are, they don't end up in a landfill.

DontSendMeACard.com created a fantastic concept of making it easy for charities to receive donations in lieu of greeting cards.
It's the card that actually Gives Back!
Wow!

Anyway, the name of my blog is Trendy Simple Life, so I wouldn't be true to my personal "brand" if I couldn't come up with a reason to simplify my life (and who knows, maybe start a new TREND?).

Unfortunately, there's nothing similar in the US, which I'm still trying to figure out why the heck not, so until someone creates an eco-friendly company to provide this service (hint, hint),  I decided to improvise based on the idea.

 Here are the main 3 reasons why I am officially greeting card free:

1. DONATE
My total cost of sending Holiday Cards is usually around $60 to $80 (printing cards + Domestic and International postage).  Sending cards might be the traditional thing, but I'd rather donate this cost to a local charity, who rely on the financial support from donors to keep their doors open. 

2. BE GREEN
According to DontSendMeACard.com study, for every greeting card not sent, 140g of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) is saved. It may not sound like much individually, but imagine what we can accomplish together!

3. TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
I actually felt really good about making this decision.  It made me think of the meaning of Christmas! About being grateful for what I have and helping others.  I chose to support a local charity called MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity), which is an interfaith network of 17 member food pantries located throughout Essex County, NJ.  They run the local food pantry where I often volunteer, so I know the impact that my donation made.

I developed my e-card on Canva.com and even added the logo of the local charity I'm supporting.
Here's the final work:

What do you think about this idea?  

Would you consider jumping on this train with me?  

Be a trailblazer and say NO to Holiday Cards! 

Happy Holidays Everyone!