Mom nails the ‘mental load’ of Christmas cards—because they really are a pain

TikTok mom, @itsme_abbye, is over the Christmas card charade this year. In fact, she has only done them once when her baby was born. And never again after that.When her husband suggested that she should do Christmas cards this year. She said, “Sure, why don’t you do Christmas cards this year?” She then proceeds to inform her poor unsuspecting husband about the mental load that is “doing Christmas cards.

She runs down the insane list of things that go along with “doing Christmas cards.”

• Source the photographer
• Find a date that aligns with your schedule and the photographer’s schedule
• Decide what clothing everyone should wear
• Pick a location
• Take the photos
• Pay the photographer
• Pick the edits
• Find a website to make the cards
• Pick the card and then choose which photos you’re going to put on the card
• Figure out what to say on the back of the card
• Get addresses for both sides of the family
• Buy the envelopes
• Stuff the envelopes
• Address each envelope
• By stamps for the cards
• Stamp the cards
• Take them to the post office

Her husband responded, “Huh.” She continued in her video, “Yeah, it’s not just Christmas cards is it?” 

“The mental load of Christmas cards has never seemed worth it to me,” she said. “Anybody that I would send a Christmas card to I see regularly. If you don’t see me regularly, you wouldn’t be getting a Christmas card from me to begin with,” she said. “And this is what the mental load of sending out Christmas cards is.”

There were mixed feelings in the comments about this mom’s observations. One said, “I appreciate NOT receiving Christmas cards, they end up in the trash.” Well there goes all that time, money, and mental energy into the garbage can.

Another said, “Christmas cards are my favvvvvvorite, I do them for MY joy, every other aspect of Christmas is for everyone else.”

“Nicole” shared that she loves the mental load of Christmas cards, and it’s her favorite project of the year.

And another viewer aptly pointed out that you don’t have to send cards with a photograph of your family, and that people used to do generic ones all the time.

So whether you’re team Christmas cards or not, if you receive one, please don’t just throw it in the garbage can—especially now that you know all of the work and effort that went into them.