Christmas Card Tradition
If you sent or received a holiday card this year, you are following a long-time tradition that’s been around for generations. USDA Historian Anne Effland says before the early 1840’s people sent each other Christmas letters but the first card sent in England helped speed up the process of sending goodwill to your friends and family.
She says the cards gained popularity and began being sent in the U.S. by the 1850s. USDA Historian Anne Effland says millions spread holiday cheer by sending out Christmas cards, a simple tradition that started centuries ago in England to take the place of a lengthy Christmas letter.
Effland says the very first pre-printed card in England featured a family toasting the recipient and it was criticized for promoting drinking and the act of sending cards instead of letters spread in less than ten years.