Can you hear that whooshing sound? It's Christmas rushing towards us apace.

Five weeks today it will be Christmas Eve. Definitely time to start thinking about Christmas cards in earnest. Worth noting, too, are the last posting dates.

Many PrintWeek readers will be able to produce their own cards easily enough, of course, and I look forward to receiving a few. Not all will, though. For those of us who will be purchasing via a third party, whether for corporate or personal use, a charity card is often the route of choice.

Last week a Guardian article looked at the 'best and worst' high street retailers when it comes to the percentage of sales that actually go to the charities involved. "With no legislation to control the amount going to charity, companies can give as little as 1% and still label the card as a charity card. We think this is wrong as EU regulations would not allow a meat pie with 1% meat to be labelled as such," says Hilary Blume of the Charities Advisory Trust, which carried out the research.

Note to self: read the small print. And while high street retailers dominate the space, it's obvious that for domestic purchasers dealing with a charity direct is the best route to guarantee the maximum amount possible goes to the intended beneficiary.

I'm also interested in the provenance of this year's cards in terms of where they are produced, having noticed a worrying rise overseas sourcing by some retailers. As a result I am spending an increasing amount of time studying the 'made in' details. The Royal Mail reckons some 700m cards will be sent this year, that's quite a chunk of print.

Plaudits, then, to the RSPB which has made a point of having all its cards printed in the UK, on FSC stock, and highlights this fact in its online store: "We could cut corners to save money, but instead we print all our Christmas cards in the UK on 100% FSC card from sustainable forests. And, when you buy Christmas cards directly from the RSPB, instead of high street retailers, you can rest assured that 100% of the profit goes to your charity of choice." Similarly Oxfam is highlighting its production credentials too: "They're all made in the UK and 100% recycled."

Also to be applauded is the National Trust, and for those of an artistic bent the Royal Academy of Arts prints all of its range here too.  

I should also mention that the granddaddy of the personalised corporate Christmas card scene, CCA Occasions, prints in the UK and offers a suitably rapid turnaround for those who may have been caught unawares by the festive season's speedy approach. Thank goodness for print-on-demand, I say.