London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Best friends have sent each other the same Christmas card for 50 years

Best friends have sent each other the same Christmas card for 50 years

Two best friends have been sending each other the same Christmas card back and forth for more than 50 years.

Alan Braithwaite, 73, first sent Christopher Oakley, also 73, the Oxfam card with Three Wise Men on the front in 1969.

It was returned a year later with the message ‘sorry I’m a bit late’, kick-starting a tradition which has now lasted a half century.

The pair, who met in the early 1960s at a Young Farmers Club, have taken it in turns to share custody of the card for the year and then send it back with a quick update on their lives when Christmas comes around again.

Alan, a retired agricultural contractor, said receiving the card from his old friend always brings a smile to his face.

Speaking from his home near Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the pensioner said: ‘It’s a tradition. It keeps going back and forth.

‘We’ve got to the stage in the last ten years where we deliver it by hand because we don’t want it to get damaged in the post.

‘People think we’re tight or doing it to save money but it’s all in good humour.


The 50 year old Oxfam Christmas Card


L- R Alan Braithwaite, 72, with Christopher Oakley, 72, Kidderminster, Worcester


‘I remember the first time I sent it back to Christopher, I wrote a message saying “sorry I’m a bit late”. It started as a joke really but we value it more than ever now.’

While the pair insist they aren’t Scrooges, they reckon they’ve saved thousands over the years by sending the same card. They’ve not missed a year yet.

After four decades of sending it by post, Alan and Christopher didn’t want to risk damaging their keepsake so have spent the last ten years delivering it to each other by hand.

As they enter their 51st year of sending each other the card, Christopher decided to place it in a special wooden frame to protect it from the elements.

The grandfather-of-three, now retired after working in the timber trade, said: ‘Friendship is important, especially in these difficult times. It is difficult keeping in touch these days so this is nice.


Alan writes his message to Christopher this year and writes; ‘2020 – Hope we can be COVID free’


‘We don’t know whether it’s a great idea or if we’re being cheapskates.

‘People always say how brilliant an idea it is. There’s so much bad news in the world it’s nice to mark our friendship in this sort of way each year.

‘We’ve known each other for 60 years and the card means something to us and seals what’s happened in the year, it documents what’s been or good bad.

‘I’d love it if someone out there wanted to do the same sort of thing.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×