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United Kingdom

Christmas cards banned at England school by principal concerned about their environmental impact

By Nicole Darrah Fox News
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The principal of an elementary school in England has banned students from sending Christmas cards to fellow students — claiming the festive tradition is bad for the planet.

Jonathan Mason, of Belton Lane Primary School in Lincolnshire, claimed in a letter to parents that many students approached him with concerns "about the impact of sending Christmas cards on the environment."

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The principal of an elementary school in England notified parents in a letter that the school will not allow students to send Christmas cards to one another, citing concerns for the environment.

The principal of an elementary school in England notified parents in a letter that the school will not allow students to send Christmas cards to one another, citing concerns for the environment. (SWNS)

"Throughout the world, we send enough Christmas cards that if we placed them alongside each other, they'd cover the world's circumference 500 times," Mason wrote, according to Sky News. "The manufacture of Christmas cards is contributing to our ever-growing carbon emissions."

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The head of the school continued, saying that "in order to be environmentally friendly in school we will not be having a post box for Christmas cards from this year onwards."

One parent called the move "Grinch-like," and claimed Christmas cards "are mostly recyclable anyway."

One parent called the move "Grinch-like," and claimed Christmas cards "are mostly recyclable anyway." (iStock)

Mason suggested to parents who want to send a card to "send one card to the whole class" instead of individual ones, in an effort to "save money and the environment."

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Parents criticized the "Grinch-like" decision, including one who told the Daily Mail, "Why should children have the joy of taken out of Christmas? Why can't all these cards be recycled anyway? And I buy a lot of Christmas cards for charity."

"It's great to see them come out of school with their cards and a smile on their faces. It's a Christmas tradition they have had for a long time and now they are taking it away," the unidentified parent said. "I know we have to protect the environment, but these are a few Christmas cards once a year and to be told about this on a piece of paper seems contradictory."

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Another mother said: "Telling people to stop sending cards in a letter sent out to hundreds of kids stinks of rank hypocrisy. ... They are mostly recyclable anyway. I agree that environmental issues are important but I don't see recyclable Christmas cards as a massive contributor to these problems."

Belton Lane Primary School has 279 students ages 4 to 11, according to Ofsted, a department of the United Kingdom's government that inspects educational institutions.