Christmas Greeting Cards: Taking a Look at its Past

When it came to sending out greeting cards, who would have done it better than the Englishman? London is the primary origin of this tradition. Back then, it was a common practice for English folks to send out Christmas greeting cards to friends and family. These were all handwritten or bore some personal greeting from the sender. However, one busy Englishman, by the name of Sir Henry Cole, commissioned the artist, John Callcott Horsley to create and paint greeting cards for him because he simply did not have enough time. He wanted to just be able to add his signature and send out the cards. This went well until after Horsley decided to paint a picture of children enjoying the holiday spirit drinking wine. It saw a sudden end, however, in the 20th century; Kate Greenaway created the first few preprinted cards.

Pretty soon, Christmas greeting cards became a staple in the United States because of Louis Prang who was an American Lithograph printer. He created and sold these greeting cards designed and decorated with pictures that showed snowmen, flowers, birds, toys and children. As the years progressed, Christmas greeting cards became inculcated in our culture and more variations and themes are available today.

Christmas greeting cards are one of the most important things that people send out during the holidays. It not only allows people to send out holiday cheers, but it also makes the receiver feel important, knowing that they are remembered. There are two kinds of greeting cards available today. One is the paper greeting card and the other one is the electronic greeting card.

Even though the popularity of paper Christmas cards is still pretty high, electronic greeting cards is right behind its tail since it's so convenient to send them. Just by having access to a computer, Internet and an email account. Unlike paper cards, you don't have to wait and worry if your mail will be received. In seconds, these electronic cards will be received by the recipient, spreading the Christmas cheer much faster.

For people who like to maintain a sense of personal touch, paper Christmas greeting cards are still preferred. Sending out paper cards might have disadvantages like requiring time and effort as well as entailing costs, but it also has several good points. For one thing, paper cards can be kept for a lifetime unlike e-cards that can only be stored electronically. It also allows you to be creative and add your own personality to the card. Maybe you can personalize the message or add pictures to it. Sending out paper cards showcases how much the person means to you. Whatever kind of Christmas greeting cards you choose to send out, at the heart of it should be a celebration of the holiday cheer and laughter.