The Magic of Christmas & the First Christmas Card

The magic of Christmas does not diminish with age. From little ones to grownups, everyone enjoys receiving gifts, attending parties and family reunions, and demonstrating love through acts of kindness. Aside from the parties and sumptuous food, many people look forward to receiving old-fashioned Christmas cards through snail mail. Christmas cards have a timeless appeal, as they are affordable, readily available, and can be personalized with messages and snapshots.  

Christmas cards were first sent 170 years ago. In 1843, Henry Cole sent the first commercial greeting card with a Christmas theme in London. Cole’s painter friend John Callcott Horsley designed the card, which was composed of three sections. Two side panels had images of a person feeding the hungry, and another, clothing the naked.

The middle panel showed folks gathered together for a Christmas party with a message that read: “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” This historic holiday greeting was colored by hand on a stiff cardboard sized five and an eighth inches by three and a quarter inches. Felix Summerly’s Treasure House had 1,000 copies of the original card and sold each for one shilling. Only 12 of those cards, including the one Cole sent to his grandmother, have survived over the years.

Sending Christmas Cards via Mail is Still Worth It

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for families and businesses. Lack of time, together with the fact that 80 percent of all correspondence is now electronic, may make people think twice about sending out standard Christmas cards. However, before you decide to click 'send' on that electronic card, listed below are a few reasons why it's better to send a Christmas card through standard mail.

Aside from being an opportunity to give people a snapshot of what's going on in your life, sending out Christmas cards allows you to keep up to date with everyone's current addresses. It's also a good way to keep in touch with people who aren't tech savvy. Moreover, Christmas cards are great mementos that can be displayed above the fireplace.

Sending tasteful Christmas cards with a snapshot and a short, heartfelt message is also more personal than emailing e-cards or scribbling greetings on someone's social networking account. You could also schedule a family portrait to be taken, which you can add to your cards. Several companies personalize greeting cards for individuals and businesses that may not have the time to create their own. Aside from being convenient, this option also ensures that you send out unique keepsakes that your friends and family will appreciate year after year.