Christmas Cards: History in a Nutshell

The History

The tradition of sending Christmas cards begun in 1843 – 

about the same time as the first Christmas seal was published. 

The first Christmas card was produced in England, 

and the idea was well-received, because the following year, 

more than 25,000 Christmas cards were sold. 

However, the first Christmas card provoked controversy in

 certain circles in England, because the Christmas card 

pictured a company of people touching glasses

 and saying “Merry Christmas”. 

Putting alcohol and holy Christmas in one picture

 did not please the English citizens then.

For more than thirty years, Americans had to import

 greeting cards from England. In 1875, German immigrant

 to the U.S. Louis Prang, opened a lithographic shop

 with $250, and published the first line of U.S. Christmas cards. 

His initial creations featured birds and flowers, 

unrelated to the Xmas scene. 

By 1881, Prang was producing more than 5 million Christmas cards per year.

 The big American producer of Christmas cards, Hallmark, employs

 a whole army of Christmas card designers who produce new

 Christmas cards every season. The most popular cards are the old fashioned

 and nostalgic ones with sledges and pixies, and a big,

 chubby Santa Clause in a red and white coat. 

Why are Dasher and Dance always taking coffee breaks?

Because they are my star bucks.