Best Christmas Cards

\\\ Pet Christmas

Updated December 2021

Dont’ Forget – Last Posting Dates for the United Kingdom – 2nd Class Friday 17 December – 1st Class Monday 20 December

Pet Charity Christmas Cards

Since the 1840’s Christmas cards have been sent in their millions up and down the UK, another Victorian introduction along with the Christmas tree and decorations. Ideas which have accelerated into a colossal marketing campaign worth billions, starting from the end of one year leading to the next year’s events by major stores around the globes.

Christmas scene with dog sitting in chair

Do You Send A Pet Charity Card Or E-Card?

Choosing A Pet Charity Card Or E-Card?

With more than 168,000 UK charities currently in England and Wales, it provides a huge platform for choice, with charity donations peaking during the season of goodwill.

The rise of e-cards doesn’t seem to have altered the millions of Christmas cards the UK send. The UK loves sending greeting cards with the highest rate of card-giving in the world. According to latest stats 76% of Britons bought at least one in 2020 compared to the US 53%.

Statista found that just 15% of the UK population would prefer to receive an e-card whilst the majority of the population would like to see a proportion of the sales going to a charity. (2018).

As Britons send more cards per capita than any other country in the world, according to the Greetings Card Association, a trade body, representing the UK greeting card industry for over 100 years, pet charity shops keep a range all year round of event greeting cards.

However, the recent pandemic has changed all that! According to the I news, Autumn and Christmas 2020 saw even a bigger revival of Christmas Cards being sent by millions via Royal Mail, believed to be a way of keeping in touch whilst the country had been in lockdown during November, and specific city and towns starting fresh lockdowns in hot spot Covid-19 areas.

Christmas Cards Win – With Donations To Charitable Causes

The pitiful donations being given to charities by traders selling millions of packets of Christmas cards is called into question every year by numerous press articles, how little is actually being received from the total card sale.

Comparisons are difficult to assess with some traders providing a flat donation to the charity and others a percentage of sales. See Which? magazine (2018). Pet charitable card income seems to remain a mystery.

Where Can I Buy Pet Charity Christmas Cards?

Buy Directly From Pet Charities

The best way to ensure as much money is received by the Pet Charity is to buy DIRECT from their pet websites. Larger pet charities have an increasing range of cards and gift products to choose from. Here’s a small selection of larger national charities listed below –

DOGS

CATS

Cats Protection League @CatsProtection
National Animal Welfare Trust
Blue Cross
RSPCA @RSPCA_official

BIRDS

RSPB @Natures_Voice

EQUESTRIAN

BHS The British Horses Shop @BritishHorse
The Donkey Sanctuary
The Horse Trust
Race Horse Sanctuary
Riding For The Disabled

Smaller local pet charities may not have a Christmas online shop but would be most grateful of your online donation. Check out their websites.

Small local Christmas events may have local pet charities selling cards.

Look out at UK Libraries who often sell pet charity cards during December.

What are the most environmentally friendly cards to buy?

A huge problem is the sustainability issues of buying cards that are going to be binned after December. Most cards are made of paper and can be recycled along with the envelopes into normal household recycling collection, or at your local supermarket collection banks.

It is the cards that are accessorised with additional glitter, sparkly bits, added on craft items, even those that come with batteries that present even more problems to recycle successfully. All the bits and pieces need to be removed from the paper card and disposed of in landfill adding to the country’s waste problems, and batteries need to be disposed of at local recycling points. Read Recycle’s Christmas Cards recycled safely policy.

Royal Mail Christmas Card Posting Dates

If you have Christmas cards and gifts to send to friends and loved ones around the world, you’ll need to get purchasing your cards and gifts early and send during Autumn.

Last Posting Dates for the United Kingdom

2nd Class Friday 17 December

1st Class Monday 20 December

Royal Mail Tracked 24® Tuesday 21 December

Special Delivery Guaranteed Wednesday 22 December

Last Posting Dates for International Mail From The UK

Wednesday 8 December Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America, Far and Middle East

Thursday 9 December Cyprus, Malta

Friday 10 December Australia, Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia), New Zealand and Turkey

Saturday 11 December Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA

Royal Mail Economy posting dates to most of the world from the UK end in October so there’s some sense in cards appearing as early as August each year, online or in the high street shops, sending a physical card to outposts cheering up those friends in remote parts around the globe.

How Do You Recycle Pet Christmas Cards Environmentally?

The Christmas Card Re-Cycling Mess Left Behind

The recycling organisation, Recycle Now, has a different perspective of the problems that Christmas leaves behind and reminds us to use our local recycling points including cards and envelope waste.

_{Did you know that a staggering 300,000 tonnes is used in UK households during the festive season – enough to wrap Big Ben almost 260,000 times! Or, if we laid all the card packaging side by side, it would cover the return distance between London and Lapland over 100 times.}
RECYCLE NOW

Personalised Pet Christmas Cards

The British public loves personalisation and especially sends Christmas cards featuring themselves with their pets. The personalisation market has grown where Large Format Review estimates a 1 billion pounds size market. There are many online companies offering services including Christmas and other cards that can be printed. Charities do not offer this kind of service currently but there are several businesses where charity cards can be personalised with your name and message and where some of the cost is paid directly to the charity that you chose to use such as Charity Christmas cards.