What is better for the Environment, Paper Christmas Cards or Email Cards?

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What is better for the Environment Paper Christmas Cards or Email Cards?

In this ever changing society, i mean, who would have thought we would be able to send cards to all our family members, just using a computer.
For a couple of hundred years, we have been giving our friends and family, Christmas cards, every single year. This year however, i have wondered, which is better for the environment, a Paper Card, or an Email Card?

Does a paper card make more damage to the environment we live in, than sending a simple email one does?

Here are a few issues to think about with standard paper cards.
This does not include recycling, or recycled cards.

People or machines which use fuel and emit CO2, have to cut the trees down, and deliver them by truck to a machining plant. They then have to be made into paper, printed, delivered to the shop, took home by you in your car, then taken back to the post office, and then delivered, maybe by car, then truck, then plane, then truck again, then you get it, show it off for a few weeks, and then throw it in the garbage.

Email Cards.

A little bit different, but a lot less hard work. Their is basically no work done by you, except, the power you use for lighting and your PC or Laptop, and modem. What happens on the other side, by Hallmark or another Email card company, that would be impossible for me to know.....Can you help?


Maybe it's a hard question to answer, but i'm sure everyone would know.
Which are better for the Environment Paper Christmas Cards or Email Cards?