Holiday Cards

Before 1840, only the wealthy could afford to send holiday cards. Mail was expensive, beyond the reach of most British people. That changed with railways. Their box cars carried much more mail than the horse-drawn carriages of the day, reducing mailing costs. To entice people to use the British mail service, the Victorians launched the modern Christmas card in 1843 with the ‘penny’ post card.

Christmas cards grew steadily until, in 1915 in the U.S., the modern Christmas card industry appeared in Kansas City thanks to the Hall brothers (later to become the Hallmark company). They transformed the flat postcard into a folded book card format because people wanted more space to write holiday notes and greetings. The rest in history… as they say.

Today, using computers and apps, we can design our own cards and even have them signed and shipped automatically. It was easy to send several hundred in just hours, not days of effort. But those days are past. With electronic cards and social media, many people no longer send cards, they just post greetings. This is perfectly acceptable, but I continue to send paper cards through snail mail.

My Christmas card list is a memories inventory, over 60 years worth. Many names are those of family and close friends. But some names are living souvenirs from my past that influenced who I am today. I don’t talk with or see these people often. By sending them cards, I celebrate our shared experiences. Signing and addressing each card by hand is an intimate act that gives me joy and the time to relish the relationships and restore details of my life that should never be lost in the folds of time. 

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!