Scottish Catholic Observer

Traidcraft, a leading ethical retailer that has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities including the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), is behind a new campaign to inspire people to send real Christmas cards to their friends and family this year.

The campaign (below)was started due to the rise in people sending e-cards and using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to send their loved ones their Christmas greetings, instead of using tradition routes such as cards that help charities.

“Facebook’s great for sharing family news and the latest photos, but it’s a bit more everyday than special these days. When it comes to Christmas, the pleasure in choosing the right card with care and the delight when it arrives is better than any e-mail or post to a Facebook wall could ever be,” Mags Vaughan, (above) CEO of Traidcraft, said.

Royal Mail had recently conducted a survey that revealed that 80 percent of people would rather receive a real Christmas card rather than receive a message on a social media website, one in four people found that receiving a message on Facebook or Twitter to be impersonal and ‘a bit empty.’ The survey also found that 85 percent of people love the tradition of Christmas cards and like being able to display them in their house or office.

“Putting up a single card at the back of church or in the office for everyone to sign, or posting a greeting on Facebook sometimes works well,” Ms Vaughn added. “But if everyone did this, then some people would have an empty mantelpiece at Christmas—just imagine how that would make you feel. A charity Christmas card says so much more and you can trust Traidcraft and our partner charities to turn your good wishes in this country into good work in another.”

Traidcraft has helped raise over £50 million for various good causes through the sale of these charity cards. The organisation has raised over £500,000 for SCIAF, CAFOD, and Christian Aid through the sale of these cards.

Other religious campaigns surrounding seasonal greetings this year include the Keep Christ in Christmas campaign (favouring religious cards) and the push to have Royal Mail widely supply Christmas stamps with a religious theme.

—Traidcraft charity cards can be ordered now through http://www.Traidcraftshop.co.uk/christmascards

—SCIAF and ACN Christmas cards can also be ordered via the different charites’ websites