More Christmas cards are sold for pets than for mothers-in-law
Sales of specialist Christmas cards to pets outsold those to mothers-in-law last year, a report from Clintons Cards has revealed.
The retailer said that dogs and cats received 12 times more Christmas cards last year than those addressed specifically to mothers-in-law.
Meanwhile, Christmas cards for same-sex couples – including “mum and mum”, “daughter and girlfriend”, “brother and boyfriend”, “son and son in law”, “sister and girlfriend”, “dad and dad” and “sister and sister in law” – have increased substantially in the past two years.
Tim Fairs, vice-president of marketing and e-commerce at Clintons, said: “Pets are considered by many to be a key part of the family, with people choosing to treat their pets with cards and presents at Christmas. We’re a bit alarmed at the relative volume of cards sold for mothers-in-law, however, and we’re going to be doing our bit to promote the central role that mothers-inlaw play in our lives as Christmas approaches.”
He added: “There’s no doubt that the Christmas family picture is changing, and it’s fantastic that diversity is being celebrated.”
Claire Morrison, manager of cat cafe Maison de Moggy in Edinburgh, said pet owners were increasingly buying cards and presents for their animals to mark special occasions.
She said: “People really see cats as part of their family and at Christmas, they buy cards for everyone else, so why not for the cat? For quite a long time things like Whiskas Christmas stockings have been available, so this is just an extension of that.
“At the cat cafe, we hold birthday parties for our cats and people come along and give them presents and sing happy birthday – just because the cats don’t really know what is going on, it doesn’t mean that it’s not nice for us to mark the occasion.”
Edinburgh-based etiquette expert Roddy Martine said: “Presumably this indicates that people think more highly of their pets than their mothers-in-law, but I’m sure a pet would much rather be given something to eat or, in the case of a dog, taken for a walk.
“Personally I’d opt for nongender cards as it is all too confusing nowadays. It is so easy to unintentionally offend, and being a thrifty Scot, it’s probably more economical and best not to send cards in the first place. simply relay your sentiments in person, by phone or if you must, send a text.”
The report also found that there is an increased demand for cards aimed at specific jobs or professions, such as “to my carer” or “to my boss”.
0 Pets get more Christmas cards than mothers-in-law receive