| as cards have been a popular means of | | | | New York. |
| expressing holiday cheer for over a hundred | | | | Even companies started sending holiday cards. |
| years. In Victorian England these cards were large, | | | | Depending on the size of the company, you might |
| elaborate and quite expensive. Velvet cutouts, | | | | get a card even you only did business with them |
| satin bows, and even gold lettering and silver dust | | | | once. Larger companies would send cards to all |
| painted on turned some of the cards into works | | | | their larger or preferred customer base and |
| of art. Before mailing cards became the standard, | | | | frequently would take that opportunity to provide |
| families would usually exchange cards at get | | | | these customers with upcoming product updates, |
| togethers. Because of the expense, receiving a | | | | etc. - information only made available to these |
| card was considered to be quite an honor. | | | | select groups. |
| Most of the earlier cards had to be either printed | | | | Once the Internet became popular and almost |
| specially, or hand made. One of these cards cost | | | | every household had a computer, people quickly |
| the same as a week's worth of food for an | | | | jumped on the bandwagon and took full |
| entire family, or a pair of leather dress shoes | | | | advantage of everything the Internet had to |
| (quite an extravagance). | | | | offer, and one of the most popular gimmicks was |
| Boxed cards weren't even possible until | | | | the invention of electronic, or E, cards. Suddenly |
| commercial printing became affordable and more | | | | people no longer had to shop and shop for the |
| available to the average consumer household. | | | | perfect Christmas cards, and pay a small fortune |
| These sets became very popular in the mid | | | | for postage. They could send a card to hundreds |
| 1930s when the US Postal Service recorded | | | | of people in less time than it took to make a cup |
| record numbers of holiday mail being delivered, | | | | of tea. For free. |
| which they attributed to the number of holiday | | | | As technology improved even further, and pricing |
| cards being sent out. | | | | came way down, many people chose to design |
| Cards from this era tended to be very fancy. | | | | and print their own cards at home. These may |
| Raised printing, beautiful art, and real gold and | | | | not have actually been cheaper, but t did give |
| silver glitter added to their beauty. Whether you | | | | consumers the unique ability to personalize each |
| wanted religious cards or secular themes, there | | | | and every card that was printed. |
| were hundreds of designs to choose from. Over | | | | A recent invention even allows people to record |
| the years many of these original styles dating to | | | | their own messages inside cards. Some even |
| before WWII have become valuable collectors' | | | | come already equipped with holiday music, |
| items. An envelope in perfect condition will add | | | | birthday greetings, and everything in between. |
| even more value. Some of these collections have | | | | Opening a holiday card hearing from your son |
| been valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. A | | | | overseas can bring more happiness than most |
| card thought to have been sent by Abe Lincoln | | | | can imagine. |
| was recently offered for auction at a gallery in | | | | |