Christmas cards through time
Did you know that the tradition of sending Christmas cards started in Britain, in 1843? It was the year that Charles Dickens published ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Christmas trees became fashionable.
Victorian society fell in love with Christmas like never before and it was in keeping with this festive spirit that Sir Henry Cole dreamed up the first Christmas card.
Sir Henry Cole wanted a card he could send to friends and family, wishing them a Merry Christmas. An artist friend of his, John Calcott Horsely, designed the artwork for the card, which depicted a family enjoying a large Christmas dinner and in the background, acts of Christmas charity being performed.
Christmas cards really took off at the dawn of the 20th Century, when the industrial revolution meant that workers left their families to find jobs. Christmas cards were sometimes the only way of wishing family members a Merry Christmas. Today, families are even more far-flung and Christmas cards are often used as a way of keeping relatives and friends up to date with family news.
Just as the purpose of Christmas cards has changed over the years, so have the designs. In Britain, secular, festive images like Father Christmas, reindeer and snowmen have superseded artwork designs like the nativity, doves and angels as the most popular Christmas card design. This is because Christmas is no longer just a religious festival, it has become a holiday everybody in the UK can enjoy, a celebration of family, giving and making bright the gloomy winter nights.
Technology has advanced to the point where consumers can design their own Christmas cards, perhaps in a backlash against the millions of mass-produced, generic cards that are sent every year. People can upload their original artwork to use as the design of their card, or perhaps a recent family photo which would be great to send to relatives or friends that live far away.
With Instantprint, you can either upload your artwork, or customise one of their existing templates. You might not want to do this for everyone on your Christmas card list, but there are some people that warrant a more meaningful Christmas card message. For example, ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’ isn’t going to cut it for a close friend who has had a difficult year… ‘Wishing you love this Christmas’ or ‘A brand New Year is just around the corner!’ means so much more.
