There is something magical about opening the mailbox during December and finding it filled  with colorful envelopes. I cannot help but feel a little spark of excitement, even though I am well into my thirties. Those Christmas cards, arriving one by one throughout the holiday season, represent more than just paper and ink they are little pieces of connection in our increasingly digital world.

The Surprising Origins of Holiday Card Traditions

I did not realize until recently that Christmas cards have been around for nearly two centuries. The first commercial Christmas card was created in 1843 by Henry Cole, a British civil servant who was apparently too busy to write individual Christmas letters to his friends and family.I can relate, Henry He commissioned an artist to design a card showing a family celebrating Christmas, with panels depicting acts of charity. They printed 1,000 cards, sold them for a shilling each, and started a tradition that would spread around the world.

But what I find most fascinating is how Christmas cards evolved from these formal Victorian beginnings to become deeply personal expressions of holiday cheer. Early cards featured religious imagery, winter scenes, and Father Christmas.

Why Christmas Cards Still Matter in the Digital Age

You might wonder why we still bother with physical cards in an era of instant messaging and social media. I ask myself this every November when I start the process of updating my address book and selecting this year’s design. Would not a quick text or email serve the same purpose? But there is something about holding a physical card that digital greetings cannot replicate. Christmas cards are tangible reminders of connection. They sit on our mantels and refrigerators throughout the season, little ambassadors of goodwill from people we care about.

I remember visiting my grandmother’s house as a child and seeing her display of Christmas cards arranged carefully on a special rack. Each card represented a person or family important to her, and she would tell me stories about them as we looked at their cards together. Those memories stick with me every time I receive a card now.

The Personal Touch: Designing Your Own Holiday Greetings

About five years ago, I started designing my own Christmas cards. It started as a money saving  measure have you seen how expensive boxed cards are these days? but quickly became one of my favorite holiday traditions. I gather family photos, experiment with layouts, and try to capture something meaningful about our year. Last year, I created a card featuring a photo of our disastrous attempt at making a gingerbread house. The roof had collapsed, the walls were crooked, and everyone was laughing widely. It was perfectly imperfect just like our family and our year. The responses were amazing, with friends saying it was their favorite card of the season because it felt so real.

The Future of Christmas Card Traditions

I wonder sometimes if the tradition of sending Christmas cards will continue into the next generation. Will my children’s children send physical cards, or will the tradition evolve into something else entirely? Postal rates keep rising, environmental concerns about paper waste are valid, and younger generations are increasingly comfortable with digital only  communication. Yet I notice that even my most tech savvy friends still participate in the Christmas card exchange. There is something enduring about this tradition that transcends practicality. The annual Christmas card represents a moment of pause, a deliberate reaching out that says, I am thinking of you during this special time.

Perhaps that is why vintage Christmas cards have become collectibles, with their charming illustrations and nostalgic messages. They capture not just design trends of their era but also the enduring human desire to connect and celebrate together, even from afar.

Reference 

Buday, G. (1992). The History of the Christmas Card omnigraphics  

Victoria and Albert Museum. (2022). “The First Christmas Card.” Collections Archive.

Smithsonian Institution. (2018). “The History of the Christmas Card in America.” Smithsonian Magazine

Chase, L. (2011). The Prang Phenomenon: Louis Prang and American Chromolithography. University Press of New England.

Greeting Card Association. (2023). Annual Market Report: Trends in Physical and Digital Greetings.