Good Morning Britain viewers have slammed a woman who wants to ban Christmas cards.
Columnist and radio presenter Beverley Turner said they’re bad for the environment and pile even more pressure on already-stressed mums.
She told GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway today: “There should be a rule that you should not be sending or receiving them unless you’re over 70.
“I understand for the elderly and the gradmas, it is lovely to get a card and open it, but we are in contact with each other all the time through Facebook, through Twitter, through WhatsApp.
“I know what my friends had for dinner last night, so it’s not as if I need to catch up with them on one piece of paper.
“It’s not great for the environment, it’s costing us money, frankly all the mothers are so harassed at this time of year, I just want them to take one thing off the very long list of things we have to do. Christmas cards can go.”
But TV presenter Zoe Salmon said she would be “heartbroken” if festive cards died out and that she made choosing, writing and sending them an annual experience.
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“People talk about Christmas card shopping and I’m reaaly into that. I would just be heartbroken if Christmas cards were to die out,” she said.
“Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the tradition of writing all those Christmas cards. I do make it a real event and an experience.
“I love going out, choosing the cards, bringing them home, lighting a candle, putting on my Christmas music, writing all the personal messages, doing drafts first in case there’s a mistake on the cards.
“I make sure that I make that time every year. They’re like a little gift.”
Viewers were overwhelmingly on Zoe’s side in the debate.
One tweeted: “Humbug, millions of people love Christmas cards and I know lots of people and my friends who are young teenagers and in their 20s love sending and receiving Xmas cards.”
Another wrote poignantly: “I lost my dad last year and my mum suffers with advanced Parkinson’s. Can’t explain how incredible it was to find Xmas cards from my 1st Xmas.
“Why would you take that away from kids today? A card is for life, not Xmas.”
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A third added: “Who the heck is the woman on GMB this morning saying Christmas cards should be binned because there is too much pressure on women?
“What a stupid (thing) to say. I am quite confident we can cope with the once a year festive event of Christmas card writing and I love getting a card.”
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Imagine no Birthday 🎁 Cards too 😮 She needs to bore off 🙄🙄🙄
— 🐬Elek🐬 (@Dakota16West) December 13, 2018
Hum bug millions of people love Christmas cards and I know lots of people and my friends who are young teenagers and in their 20s love sending and receiving Xmas cards. It will never die out it’s the enlightened Christian west’s tradition sorry about that Beverly. #gmb
— Enlightened Christian West (@Tracie1970hello) December 13, 2018
@GMB I lost my dad last year and my mum suffers with advanced Parkinsons. Cant explain how incredible it was to find xmas cards from my 1st xmas. Why would you take that away from kids today? A card is for life, not xmas
— Sam Casey (@Samanth76565040) December 13, 2018
I love Christmas cards sending them and receiving them, my nan kept her cards lots she recycled making tags out of them. Cards have a special meaning to me. #GMB
— gemma garrett (@garrettgemma) December 13, 2018
Who the heck is the woman on GMB this morning saying Christmas cards should be binned because there is too much pressure on women.. 🙄 😱What a stupid to say I am quite confident we can cope with the once a year festive event of Christmas card writing and I love getting a card
— Judith Tipping (@JhtJudith) December 13, 2018
But others agreed with Beverley that it was time to end the tradition.
Christmas cards? Have these people not heard of email? #gmb
— ash (@racingspoon) December 13, 2018
An estimated £50million is raised for charities through card sales each year.
* Good Morning Britain is on ITV weekdays at 6am.
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