Sir, – I always look forward to reading Conor Pope. However, I was more than dismayed by his piece on how to do "Christmas on the cheap" (December 8th). He certainly gets the cheap bit right but in very much the wrong way when he advises readers to "ditch the cards and you could knock €50 off the spend" and suggests we use Facebook, Twitter email or whatever to replace them.
At Christmas, if you really want to know who your real friends are, they are the people who will select a card, sign it and stamp it to make sure you get it. Costly, yes, but if anyone sends me an electronic message, off my list they go! I’ll find some other way to save €50 but not at the expense of good tradition and the personal touch. No silly hashtags or LOLs. – Yours, etc,
JOHN DONNELLY,
Ballinrobe,
Co Mayo.