The practice of mailing Christmas cards started in 1843 with Sir Henry Cole of England.
As legend has it, Sir Henry Cole had too many patrons to hand write Christmas tidings to, so, he employed artist John Calcott Horsley to produce a card onto which he had printed "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". Sir Henry had one thousand cards printed that year. Of those, twelve exist today.Within time, delivering Christmas cards became a custom all over the world.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Kate Greenaway, a successful childrens author, created some of the most popular Christmas cards.She often designed cards with different fabrics and fringe. Some were even elaborate pop-ups featuring skaters and tiny mangers.
It was not until 1875 in the US that Christmas cards were available to the masses. In that year, Louis Prang, a German immigrant began producing them in his publishing shop in Boston. Prior to then, Christmas cards were imported from England.Prang went out of business in the 1890's when foreign printers imprinted lower priced cards.Even so, Prang is known as the forefather of the American Christmas card.
Card publishers competed fiercely amongst themselves during World War I and drove many technical advancements in card production.
The invention of color lithography in the 1930s completely renovated the industry.
A major change in greeting cards in the 1950's was the introduction of staple cards. These cards, for the first time, used humor as an element.
The 1990's saw the introduction of the e-card, an electronic version of a greeting card sent via e-mail.
Christmas cards today are available in many formats to appeal to the masses. From traditional and religious Christmas cards to cards with jokes, there is something for everyone. In fact, the industry has evolved so much that there is a card for virtually any event, or "non-event." Still, Christmas remains the highest ranking of the card-selling holidays.
Christmas cards are a staple of the holidays. People send them to family and friends, as well as business colleagues, to show them that they care. Some use Christmas cards as a way of updating family and friends about events that have happened in their lives during the year. They are always evolving; from e-cards to written letters chronicling the year, to picture postcards, the warm sentiment is always there: Merry Christmas!
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