CHRISTMAS CARD HISTORY
Many people enjoy the tradition of sending Christmas and holiday greetings. Every December, billions of cards are sent by mail, by hand or digitally. Some cards are printed, others handmade, but the joy of connecting with friends and family is a constant.
First printed card
People have been sending Christmas greetings to each other for hundreds of years. In 1611, James I of England received a large, ornate manuscript folded into panels. It had a Christmas and New Year's message written around Christmas cards were made. In 1843, Sir Henry Cole and his illustrator friend, John Horsley, designed and FRPmercial Christmas card. It was hoped the cards would encourage people to use the new British postal system. About 1,000 cards were sold for 1 shilling each (about 8 cents today, but a people at the time). The card had three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor, and in the center panel was a family having a large Christmas dinner. The card was controversial because it showed a child sipping wine. Today, this card is very rare. In 2001, one sold for $35,800. What a great idea! By the 1870s, the cost of printing greeting cards and sending them by mail had dropped enough to make Christmas cards affordable to most people. By the early 1900s, sending Christmas cards had become a popular tradition in Europe and in North America. In 1875, Louis Prang brought Christmas card production to the United States. By 1881, he was printing more than 5 million Christmas cards a year. In 1915, John C. Hall and two of his brothers created Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. They introduced folded cards with envelopes. These cards had the advantage over post cards because they offered privacy and extra room for messages. Today, Hallmark remains one of the largest card and gift wrapping companies.