oooh, yes ...

... it makes my blood boil too, being called Mrs Brown or Mrs anything really.
And just like the author of the article the addressing of xmas cards is where I usually encounter it. Mr Brown says it's just the age of the writers and what they are used to. But I say that if you have told someone your name it's just plain rude not to use it, to use what you think someone should be called.
If anyone calls (cold calling) asking for Mrs Brown I always say "no Mrs Brown lives here". I'm tempted to send back mail too - but am generally thwarted by Mr Brown - who wants to see what's inside. Grrrrrr.