With the festive season almost upon us it seems to me that it is an ideal time to start thinking of doing some socialising. Although you can come into contact with other collectors at fairs it is often difficult to get much further than just saying hello and it takes a while for faces to become familiar. After all everyone is looking for that special card for their collection and chatting can waste valuable hunting time!

This can mean that collecting postcards is a rather solitary hobby and although it gets you out of the house it doesn’t make you many friends. However this need not be the case. Many areas have their own postcard club (see the listings pages in any months PPM) and this offers you an ideal opportunity to not only learn more about the hobby but also to make some new friends.

I know the idea of going somewhere for the first time can be rather daunting, especially if you think everyone knows everyone else, and this is why choosing a meeting close to Christmas is a good idea. Generally the December meeting of any club will have some kind of festive theme, even if it’s only mince pies in the interval, and the members should all be in good spirits.

Hopefully the talks at your local club will be as popular as this!

Most club meetings will have one or two dealers whose stock you can look through at a far more leisurely pace than at a fair, where there are so many stalls to get round in a very limited time. Teas and coffees are also on offer and this allows plenty of time for a chat, this could mean the chance of meeting someone who shares your collecting interest - and maybe the possibility of sharing information or even swapping cards.

The main event of the evening is generally a talk on a postcard related theme that is illustrated with slides from the speakers own card collection. Some clubs have other events such as auctions, short talks given by members, quiz nights and outings. They usually produce a newsletter that will be posted to you in advance of the next meeting letting you know about the forthcoming talk and which dealers have agreed to come.

It is useful to remember that most collectors are as isolated in their collecting as you are and would also benefit from making new contacts. Most clubs welcome new members so take a deep breath and go and have some fun!

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