As the holidays approach, I felt that looking into the history of greeting cards would be fun. I discovered a delightful mix of history, statistics, and fun trivia. Sit back and relax for a moment. Escape the stress of the season, and take a little time to learn some things about the Christmas Card.
- Sending greeting cards can be associated with the ancient Chinese. They absolutely loved to send celebratory good will messages to mark the coming of the new year. The early Egyptians used papyrus scrolls to express their greetings. As early as 1400, the Germans were printing their New Year's greetings.
- Christmas cards are an English innovation. They were originally penned by boys who were practicing their writing skills. The parents would receive these delightful handmade cards from their sons.
- Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas cards in London, in 1843. That year, Sir Henry was to busy to write unique letters for everybody. The card contained the words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". John Callcott Horsley created the picture on the card, which was of a family hugging and raising their glasses in a toast. The card's design was condemned by critics for promoting drunkenness.
- Commercial Christmas Cards, which first appeared in America, are attributed to Louis Prang. A German immigrant, he opened a small lithographic shop outside of Boston in 1856. Most people agree that he began the US greeting card industry. He was producing more than five million cards a year by 1881. Throughout the 1890's, his cards continued to gain popularity. By this time, Prang was forced to abandon his greeting card production due to the cheap imports, which began storming the market.
- President Eisenhower issued the first official White House Christmas card in 1953. By the year 1961, the White House was sending out 2000 cards. By 2005, that number had risen to over 1.4 million.
- Current holiday cards can be purchased either in box form or individually. Use the boxed cards to satisfy your mailing list for Christmas, and use individual cards for people that are special to you. 9 out of 10 holiday cards are sold in boxes.
- In 2006, cards were exchanged by 2 billion Americans.
- Cards were sent by 85% of Americans in 2006.
- For every 3 holiday cards purchased and sent, one has a religious message.
- 30% of greeting card sales annually, can be attributed to the holiday season.
- Christmas cards are the most popular of all the seasonal cards. They comprise 60% of the total sales. Valentine's Day, at 25%, is a distant second.
- In the United States there is an estimated 3,000 publishers of greeting cards.
- "Merry Christmas" is the greeting preferred by 53% of Americans 21% of people like "Happy Holidays" and only 12% like "Season's Greetings".
- When considering which boxed cards to purchase, 56% of us consider the variety of cards offered while 63% base our decision on price. If you use an online distributor you should be able to satisfy both conditions: variety and price. They can put more kinds of cards on display than the average store can, as they have space management issues.
I hope that this was an enjoyable trip into Christmas Card history. Perhaps it explains our obsession with this particular holiday ritual.
Sending holiday cards does not have to be a tedious chore. I remember when I was little, my mom would tape all the pretty cards around a special doorframe in our house and I would love to see where they all came from. The pretty trees, stars, snowmen made it fun to see what the mail carrier would bring that day.
There is nothing more special than the smile created at the mailbox from a friend or loved one when they receive your card. It should be something that we want to do in showing those we care about that we are thinking of them, not something we feel obligated to do just because it's ?that time of year again.?
To make sure that your holiday card writing does not become a chore starts with some very basic planning.
Let us face it; December is a very busy month, so the time to plan your holiday card writing can be as early as September depending on your schedule. The first thing to decide is on the list. Who do you really want to send cards to? Family, friends, close acquaintances? There are a number of Christmas card organizers available, but making your list can be as simple as going through your address book and writing the names and addresses on a plain sheet of paper.
Once you have your list together, and you know who you will be sending them to, it is time to buy holiday cards. If you did not purchase any on sale from last year that is o.k. just make a note that you will do some after-Christmas shopping this year. Holiday cards can be found for as much as 70% off the pre-Christmas price, so this will be a great time to stock up for next year. Keep an extra box on hand, just in case there are a few last minute cards to send.
Of course, you will also need stamps. Now that you know the number of recipients on your card list, you will know how many stamps to buy. Each year, the USPS presents a few different holiday designs to choose from. Buying them early will assure that you will be able to get the ones you like.
The next thing to ask yourself is when you want to mail your cards. This way, you can plan a day where you can take a couple of hours to sit down and write out and address your cards. I know this can be challenging, so why not do it as early as possible? There is nothing wrong with addressing holiday cards as early as October so that they are ready for you to mail.
Pick a day or an evening when it is quiet in the house. Make your favorite beverage, put on some relaxing music or even Christmas music to gather your thoughts. It's time to gather what you need, your card list, cards, and stamps, return address labels, envelope stickers and your favorite pen.
Wear something comfortable like your favorite pajamas, grab your favorite beverage and just have a nice, relaxing time. You will get your cards and signed, and ready to go and you will enjoy a nice quiet evening at the same time.
There is nothing more special than sending a card personally signed by you to bring a smile to those you care about. It can be fun and relaxing if you plan and get organized.
Both John Oberhauser & Mohitverma 1980 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Oberhauser has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Cards, Modelling and Shopping. John Oberhauser manages The Image Shop which carries several types of for making the family greet. John Oberhauser's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Mohitverma 1980 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fishing, Marketing and Personal Desktop. Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips, hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to guides on Christmas, recipes, entertainment , gifts, do please browse for more information at our websites.www.infoz. Mohitverma 1980's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.