Who can afford to send Christmas cards any more?

At this time of year I’d usually be writing dozens of Christmas cards, with a Snowball to hand, heavy on the Advocaat. Many would be to people with whom I have no contact at any other time of year. It can be quietly meditative to write a note with an actual fountain pen to an old school friend or neighbour.

But this time, in an abrupt break with tradition, I’ve bought just a couple of packets of cards. My list has been strimmed to include family, godchildren, a few very old people who’d miss receiving something in the post – and those to whom I can hand-deliver. The tradition of sending Christmas cards is under threat, not from e-cards or from Gen Z-ers who wouldn’t recognise an envelope if it gave them a paper cut – but from the price of a stamp.

In my mind, a stamp is still about 27p. I physically staggered at the Post Office counter on being told the cost of a book of 50 second-class stamps (£42.50). Even if I were to get all my cards written in a timely fashion, I’d be spending almost £150 on postage alone. For late cards, a book of 50 first-class stamps will set you back £82.50.

It’s particularly ironic given that the very first Christmas card was commissioned and sent in 1843 by Henry Cole, founding director of the V&A, who’d been instrumental in setting up the Uniform Penny Post, which encouraged the sending of seasonal greetings.

‘We’re very concerned about the cost,’ says Amanda Fergusson, CEO of the Greetings Card Association, who’s on a train to London to lobby MPs about this very issue when I call her. ‘Christmas cards decorate our homes. Sending and receiving cards means a huge amount to people – it’s a tangible connection with loved ones.’