An old custom in England was to send a Christmas and New year’s letter. A letter or card could be sent anywhere in the UK for a penny, when the ‘Penny Post’ was introduced. This was a problem for Sir Henry Cole who had a lot of friends in 1843 and it was considered rude not to reply. As his unanswered mail piled up, he had a brilliant idea. He asked his friend J.C. Horsley, an artist, to design what was to become the first Christmas card on cardboard 5 1/8 x 3 ¼ inches in size. At the top was the salutation, “TO:_____” allowing Cole to personalize his responses, including the greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to You.”
Although Cole and Horsley get the credit for the first, it took several decades for Christmas cards to become popular.
Modern Christmas cards began in 1915, with Kansas City postcard printing company started by Joyce Hall. The new cards (4 x 6 inches) were inserted in an envelope. A decade later the company changed its name to Hallmark, synonymous to greeting cards the world over.
Sadly, in today’s busy world Christmas cards are becoming a thing of the past. Postage is expensive and people are too busy to take the time to write them, when they can simply send a bulk email. Thus, another tradition dies.