THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS CARDS

Even in a world of digital communication, where emails and greetings through Facebook, Instagram, and other social media can be sent in milliseconds, mailboxes around the country are still filled with traditional Christmas cards every single year.  Almost 10 million cards are sent out every Christmas, at a cost of approximately $2 billion dollars per year.  That’s a lot of cards!

But, have you ever wondered where the tradition of sending these Christmas cards began? 

The tradition actually began because one guy was just too busy.  Sir Henry Cole was an Englishman who felt his life was moving so fast that he couldn't afford the time to send a personalized greeting to his friends at Christmas as was the practice of his day.  In response, he hired an artist named John Calcott Horsley to design a card that could be sent in place of a handwritten note.  And, our Christmas card tradition was born.  

So, one man's perceived busyness spawned a whole new industry that creates billions of cards each year, expanded beyond the Christmas holidays to all the other card-giving events in our lives.  

[Sources: Houston Chronicle, 12/16/6, Mini Page 1; http://time.com/money/4148180/christmas-cards-spending-2015/]