How many email Christmas cards get read?

I am receiving a large number of ’email Christmas cards’ – would not be surprise me if it ran 30 to 50 a day.

Most of the time, I have no idea who the company or law firm is who is sent the card. For that reason I don’t open many of the ’email cards.’

How did they get my email? Probably the same way that companies and law firms got my email in order to send me email newsletters. They find my email address, throw it in their email list and keep sending me email newsletters until I say unsubscribe.

Last week I asked a law firm if I subscribed to their newsletter (not a christmas card). Their response, “We think you may be connected to one of our lawyers in LinkedIn.” We think?

I don’t see that I am to blame for placing my email on the net where people can find it. My personal address and phone number was always in the white pages. I didn’t get newsletters and Christmas cards from people I didn’t know until I told them to stop.

I know for most law firms and companies it’s far too much work to send out thousands of Christmas cards through the mail. That’s okay, maybe you don’t need to.

If you want to use email for a holiday greeting drop someone a personal email with a personal note. Maybe ask how the family is.

Want to use social media? Post a personal note on their Facebook wall wishing them Merry Christmas or ‘Like’ or ‘Comment’ on their holiday pictures. That feels more personal. Not a friend of theirs on Facebook? Maybe that tells you something, I don’t know.

Maybe I am a curmudgeon. Maybe ’email Christmas cards’ is the way of the world.

What do you think?