Christmas Cards

Expressing your feelings has found many a media in recent times. We no longer need to find a reason to gift something to the special people that bring meaning to our lives. The innumerable gifting ideas to letters to mails to messages, all help in or expressing our various feelings and emotions. Though conveying a message through the written word becomes more impressive if the medium used is doing it in an effective manner.
The range of cards available these days vary from hand made paper greeting cards to the expensive designer ones .The recent development in the usage of internet has given a chance to all of us to send our wishes through e-cards. This also lets you create cards that include music, your own messages, and animation to delight and entertain your recipients.

Where did it all begin?
In 1843 the first Christmas cards were printed in England. But the greeting card business did not establish itself until about 20 years later. The Christmas card was lithographed on stiff cardboard, 5 1/8 by 3 1/4 inches, in dark sepia, and shows a family party in progress, beneath which is the greeting, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". It also states that is was "Published at Summerly's Home Treasury Office, 12 Old Bond Street, London". The price was 1s. each.

The first so called Christmas cards were mass produced in 1860 by Charles Goodall & Sons. They had the size of a visiting card, about 3 by 2 inches. As it was customary in those days to leave a visiting card when calling at somebody's house. These Christmas and New Year's cards were the forerunners of greeting cards.

The Story - Evolution of Christmas Cards
In the late 19th century, cards were lavish, but didn't have the religious symbols present on either the original cards or the cards of today. Hand-painted cards, heavily influenced by the Art Deco movement were popular during the 1920s. The 1930s brought cards that popularized the animated films characters like Popeye and Mickey Mouse. A surge in Christmas cards came in the 1940s, new technology allowing for more vivid cards. The 1950s introduced humor. Santa was pictured as a couch potato watching television on one card. Untraditional cards took center stage in the 1960s, as Santa was poked fun at and peace symbols appeared on many cards. New inventions allowed cards to feature embossing and gold foil.

The 1970s had an athletic Santa to reflect the public's physical fitness obsession. Sophistication was big in the 1980's. The cards took on the appearance of fine art as technology improved. As the public continued its thinness craze, pictures on cards showed a thinner Santa. Traditionalism came back, to some extent, in the 1990s. Cards featured snow- covered landscapes, wreaths and Christmas trees. The year 2000 relied on technology. Many card buyers used the Internet to order and send their Christmas cards, preventing the need to personally touch an envelope. However, those into tradition could still buy and mail their own cards.

Times have changed - From Homemade Cards and Christmas letters to E-cards
Be it any occasion, the personal touch is what makes all the difference when conveying your wishes. To make an occasion memorable and special, homemade cards, no matter how simply done. Christmas letters are a way of using Christmas as the time for connecting with people and keeping in touch by writing to them about the year gone by. E-cards are the instant yet creative way to keep in touch with everyone. The effort and time invested is so less and that is the reason that with the changing times everyone has adapted themselves to this quicker way of sending Christmas wishes across.

The medium used when expressing your heartfelt wishes is also as instrumental as the message itself in making the occasion memorable for everyone.

Links for E-cards
Free HiGreetings.com - Send everyone you know our free ecards and make their days all the more merrier.

Christmas Greetings From Ecard4all- Christmas is all about togetherness, love, and sharing and giving cakes, gifts. Sent Free ecards to anyone.

Christmas Fun