SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

It is time to start signing up for the 2023 SI Christmas Card Exchange! Details and the sign up form are posted here. Any questions/comments can be addressed on this thread. Deadline for participation is Monday, October 31st.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do we sign up to participate?
A: Please use the online sign-up form if you wish to participate.

Q: But what if I want to remain anonymous?
A: Everyone will remain anonymous. Only MangledHeart and the SI Elves will see the names on the mailing labels. All other participants will only see your username or however you decide to sign your Christmas cards.

Q: How do we handle postage?
A: A list of participants will be posted after the October 31st sign-up deadline which will include the cost of the postage to apply to each participants' envelope. Postage rates are based on USPS first class standard size envelopes for the current rate.

Q: Who applies the postage to the envelopes?
A: All members are required to add their own postage on the envelopes for each recipient.

Q: What about International members sending cards to the United States?
A: Please enclose the correct amount of USD currency you will need for postage in your package and we will purchase the postage on your behalf and apply them to your cards. the Elves will apply them to your cards during their toy making breaks.

Q: What is the record amount of envelopes sent/received?
A: Our record was 2013 with a staggering 5082 cards!!!

Q: What is the "Real Name" used for on the Christmas Card Exchange form?
A: It's up to you how you want your envelopes labeled. Just specify the name as you would like your postmaster to see it when they deliver your cards. Some members use their real name, some only use their first names and some only use their SI name. It's entirely up to you.

Q: If our spouses/partners are also members here, do they need to sign up as well?
A: No. Only one member needs to sign up on behalf of all family participants. Just make sure to include their username and/or real name on the Christmas Card Exchange form.

We would like to express our deep appreciation to the volunteer Elves that have come to the SI Santa's Workshop to help make all of this possible!! We look forward to the tradition continuing this year. They are wonderful and generous with their time and love for all of you.

Christmas Card Sign-up Form

YAY!!!!

Woohoo!

Signed up. I think lol. Took me a bit to get back to the forums page from the sign up page.

I can't wait. This year not holding back. Glitter Queen title shall be mine bwahahaha

I'm in!

I would love to do this. Please could you advise me of how I make payments? I’m posting from Europe. Thank you.

Please could you advise me of how I make payments?

For members outside the United States, once the signup deadline passes you will see the total cost of postage on the participant list. You can pay by making a donation via credit card or Paypal for the amount and we will pick up the necessary postage for you.

Thank you so much for your reply. 😄

Oh how fun!! I just signed up!!!
Considering the last week has been hell (we had to put our dog down 10.8.23) - I NEED some goodness in my life right now, something to look forward to. ❤️

Sorry if this is a dumb question but how does this work? Do we select other members to send cards to? I feel a little silly asking….
#faq

how does this work?

1. You have until the end of October to sign up to participate.


2. At the beginning of November we publish a list of all members that signed up and how much postage needs to be applied to each members' envelope.


3. Print the list, buy enough cards & postage for everyone on the list.


4. Fill out the cards, write the username of the members on the front of their envelope where the address label will go and apply the appropriate postage.


5. Bundle the cards with rubber bands in alphabetical order by username, pack them in a shipping box or envelope and ship them to the north pole.


6. The elves and I will then apply the address labels to the cards for each member while drinking eggnog or tequila, or both.

See the official rules and shipping address here.

This sounds like such fun! Since you won't know how many people will sign up, how do you know how much it will cost (postage, for example) to participate? Are you able to provide a ballpark estimate based on prior years?

Also, would love to hear from anyone that's done this in the past about any creative ideas they had or fun/creative cards they received. I've never participated in one of these, but am very interested.

I've done this several years now, and it's truly one of my favorite things every year.

As far as cost, I don't think I've spent more than about 40 bucks on postage the last few years? Plus card cost, obviously.

Creativity-wise - expect glitter. No, more than that. No, even more than that. Get a bowl. Learn to love the glitter!

The numbers over the past 5 years:
2018: 39
2019: 50
2020: 51
2021: 30
2022: 26

For those of you that have never done this but are considering it, I want to share how special of an event this is.

As many of you know, the holidays can be difficult for a variety of reasons, but infidelity just exacerbates life’s everyday struggles. So how nice would it be to receive a stack of Holiday Cards (most of them glitter packed for some zing!) from a group of people that understand just how you are feeling? A bundle of love from your friends that know just how hard this season can be.

The whole process is brilliant. I have had the honor of being an elf. Helping to sort, label, and send off the cards.

The first year we decided to participate is the first year that we became elves. A freak ice storm hit our areas and we ended up driving through those icy conditions in 4 wheel drive for the first leg of the drive just to get there. It was worth it. To meet DeeplyScared was pure joy and the Christmas spirit could not be ignored. Maybe it was the tequila, either way there was spirit! It was that day that I knew that DS and I would be friends for life. I only wish that the time we had was much longer, but her tradition continues thanks to MH and the esteemed elves.

This will be the first year that I am not involved behind the scenes in over 10 years. I ask that my fellow elves take a shot (or 3) for me.

If you are not a fan of glitter, this may not be for you. I kid you not, I had a piece of glitter on my dining room wall that just would not go away. When I did get a shiny glimpse of it, it always made me smile. I will wonder if the new owners of that house find glitter everywhere lol. I have made Christmas ornaments out of the glitter and labeled them by year. They are beautiful.

I hope for those considering this do sign up! Just keep in mind if you sign up please keep the commitment to participate. We have had many people over the years sign up and then don’t send cards in because they forgot or time got away from them. Those that get their cards in have already put the time and effort into making a card for each person that has signed up and they will get one less card on return for each person that doesn’t get theirs in.

Cheers to all!

I’m in! This is really a fun and a worthwhile tradition! Looking forward to it again. Do watch the deadlines though for mailing the cards.

I’ve done this for a number of years now.

In fact I just opened up last year’s cards a few weeks ago!! They got put in a corner and I just found them 🤪.

I loved reading all the personal notes people wrote in the cards ❤️

I get a clear bulb ornament, put the glitter in it and put the year on it.

It all makes me smile 🙂

Sand and I are in. I want to just say this is a great event - the first year for me was 2012, and it couldn't of come at a better time for me as I was still struggling a year out. But the cards, and the glitter, and the nice notes from people I had never met but we knew each other in poignant ways, exchanging stories that most of friends may never here. It's become a tradition that I look forward to every year.

Got in, hopefully, just under the wire. Did not have the opportunity to participate last year and missed it, and really looking forward to this year's Christmas Card exchange again. Have another ornament ready for all the glitter! Although I'm not sure if I will participate in spreading it this year. I'm in a better mood already just thinking about it. Just hope there are more stragglers like me before the deadline. The more, the merrier!

Yay! It's so good to see some old-bies and new-bies alike on this thread.

Like Tred, I first participated in 2012 and it was literally the thing that helped me get through those horrible days feeling so isolated during the holiday season.

I sat with my stack of cheerful, happy cards - some with notes - some homemade - and thought what a brilliant reminder that others out there get it. A bunch of people who've walked a similar path sending a bit of joy through the mail.

I still do it every year - you never know who might need a pick-me-up on any given December day.

Looking fer-werd to it my fellow elfin folk!

Yay!! Chili's in! Like Chili, I am glad to see more familiar names from previous exchanges as well as some newer ones. I look forward to seeing the complete list and getting started on the cards. Have to send them in order to get them!