A Guide to Christmas Cards: Do They Still Matter?

A Guide to Christmas Cards: Do They Still Matter?

Are Christmas cards an essential part of the holidays, or a thing of the past? We ask some of our friends what they think—before listing our top 100 festive designs!

Ah, Christmas cards… they seem like such a ubiquitous part of the holidays, but is that still true? Bringing news, or illegible scribbles (is the one with the baubles from Jane? Jon?) wrapped in snowy scenes or dreadful puns, they’re our annual chance to receive some actual mail (that isn’t a bill or another three menus from the local take-out restaurant), and to send smoke signals to those we’ve been meaning to catch up with since… well, last Christmas.

Christmas Card History

A tradition which began in 1843, Christmas cards were created when Henry Cole, a Brit who worked at the newly established UK Post Office, was pondering on ways to make the postal service more usable by ordinary folk. He and an artist friend, John Horsley, designed a card, printing around a thousand copies. As printing methods improved and costs dropped, cards became increasingly popular. The custom spread throughout Europe, and to America, where they started to appear in the late 1840s. In the US a gob-smacking two billion Christmas cards are now sent each year. Which is a lot of nativity scenes and gold embossing… and makes up a whopping 61% of all the country’s greeting card sales.

Christmas Card Example

I’ll admit, I love Christmas cards. I love sending—and receiving—them, because for me they represent a small, festive wave, or hug, just letting your favorite folk know that you’re thinking of them. Plus, twenty years ago I started making my own. To begin with, I’d spend a weekend surrounded by colored card, fancy paper and glue sticks, inadvertently spreading glitter throughout the house… In the years (decades!) since, they’ve become increasingly elaborate, and ridiculously time-consuming. But I’m always happy to take the time to make them, because—well, firstly, it’s become a tradition (my friends kindly tell me they look forward to receiving them each year!), and secondly, what I’m attempting to signify through this enthusiastically-crafted gesture is that regardless of how frequently or infrequently I’m in touch with each of the folk on my list, I care about them and am happy they’re part of my life. (Incidentally, I have an album of my card archive here).

With everyone’s time seeming increasingly hectic in the run up to the holidays, and with much of our communication these days taking place online, does this mean Christmas cards are going the way of the dodo, or the VHS cassette? We had a chat with a smorgasbord of folk, asking our interviewees for their thoughts when it comes to sending, and receiving, Christmas cards, and that controversial annual accompaniment, the Round Robin letter. Are cards an essential part of Christmas, spreading a little festive cheer? Heart-warming tradition, or tree-felling mission; a treat or a chore? Are Round Robins pesky or perky? And do we need to send a holiday ‘hola!’ when our lives are shared every day on social media? Read on to find out what our elfy pals think… and in case all this talk of Christmas cards leaves you keen to send some of your own, we’ve found one hundred holiday cards to share with you (currently available in stores throughout the US)—which you’ll find at the end of this article!

So now. Our first question was:

Do you like to receive Christmas cards?

From which we learned...

Yes, people like to receive Christmas cards (phew!)

There were some simple ‘n’ enthused responses, such as Ryan and Ellen’s...

Ryan Shrime

I love it!


Ryan Shrime is a multi-talented actor/writer/producer. His hobbies are woodworking, writing, movies—and eating!

www.ryanshrime.com

Ellen Gilkerson

I love receiving Christmas cards.


www.xperiencedays.com

And it seems holiday cards are indeed spreading a little cheer and helping to keep the fires of friendship burning:

Virginia Moffatt

I LOVE to receive Christmas cards. It’s a great reminder to me that there are loads of people in the world I love and it’s always good to hear from them.


Virginia Moffatt is a procurement and contracts manager, and author of Echo Hall. No doubt relatable for many readers, she doesn’t have any gift store suggestions, saying ‘I am the WORST person in the world to ask this as I hate shopping.’

www.virginiamoffattwriter.wordpress.com

Fiona Stocker

I live on the other side of the world from many of the people I was friends with in my younger adult life. The cards I really love to get are from them, and they always have a message with some news. Those cards stay on my desk all year round. They’re waiting for me to reply to them, which I of course never do, but they are like small paper reminders of the love and joy of those friendships.


Fiona Stocker is author of recently published memoir, Apple Island Wife and co-owner of a ‘tiny family farm’ in Australia. Her local Red Cross shop ‘is my favourite as it has leftover stock from boutiques and you can pick up something stylish and unworn for a fraction of the usual cost. They keep accessories too, like handbags – perfect for gifts.’

www.appleislandwife.com

Aaah! As warming as a spiced wine.

Though some folk believe it’s a wilting tradition

Lucy Stevenson

Yes! I love to receive Christmas cards. But it’s very much a dying trend.


Lucy Stevenson wears a multi-talented handful of hats: pub waitress and mental health support worker, she’s also a keen photographer.

@Luce_photos

And others are worried about the trees...

Stevyn Colgan

I can take or leave them. An awful lot of wasted paper. Especially when from people I see regularly. Save the planet!


Stevyn Colgan is a writer who has published eight brilliantly diverse books, including recent murder mystery novel, A Murder to Die For. He has also written for BBC TV and radio.

www.stevyncolgan.com

And here’s an interesting thought:

Oli Jacobs

It’s always intriguing to see how one is viewed by people through the medium of cards – and where you stand socially with who gives you them.


Oli Jacobs is author of a number of sci-fi novels and eclectic short story collections. His upcoming horror novel, Deep Down There, is currently available for pre-order.

www.olijacobsauthor.wordpress.com

Books

... which could lead you to consider who you don’t receive cards from any longer—and also, who you might have quietly dropped from your own list!

People love a well designed or handmade card

Sean Leahy

I do! Especially nicely illustrated ones.


Sean Leahy is a London-based Graphic Designer, and also author of children’s book, The Monster Café. Handily, given some of the successful Secret Santa presents we’ve heard about, for gift shopping he advises: ‘Threadless and MySoti are both great for one-of-a-kind T-shirts that you won't find anywhere else.’

@thepunningman

Mia Underwood

Yes, it is especially nice to receive a card in the mail. Particularly if it is handmade, or an art print to frame, so then you tend you keep it.


Mia Underwood is a Designer, Illustrator and author of a number of books, including My Felted Friends and the forthcoming The Secret Woodland Activity Book (incidentally, a perfect gift for kids age: 4 to 11 years old!).

www.miaunderwood.co.uk

Mia's Books

Some are also fans of receiving cards if they’re home-made or feature pictures of growing little ‘uns… though won’t be impressed at the more impersonal cards that land in their mailboxes:

Abby Hitchcock

I love to receive Christmas cards. We mostly get photos of people's kids which is fun to see as they grow up. I don't like cards that feel like an obligation on someone's part that just say "Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas" with not even a photo. And nothing is worse than a way too detailed letter about the preceding year. Short and sweet with a quick personal note is all it should be! And I love well thought out hand made cards, but I only have one friend who goes to the trouble. I look forward to those every year.


Abby Hitchcock is a Chef, and Owner of New York City restaurant, Camaje. Here’s her shop tip: ‘I love practical gifts and I think The Grommet is awesome for those.’

www.camaje.com

Judy Long

Only if they’re (a) home made, or (b) photos of growing children, travel or major family events. Or if they have a personal handwritten newsy greeting. I do not like getting a preprinted card with a canned greeting, no note and a printed signature: ”Season’s Greetings, The Joneses”.


Judy Long is a Retired copy chief, The Nation magazine, New York City. Her go-to shop for quirky gifts is Flying Tiger.

Christmas cards make for good holiday decorations

Mary Monro

Love it! I wouldn’t have any Christmas decorations if it weren’t for Xmas cards.


Mary Monro certainly has many talents: she is an osteopath, an experienced lecturer, presenter, and author of technical and academic articles. She also recently published her first book Stranger In My Heart.

www.strangerinmyheart.co.uk

Mary’s reply reminds me of my friend Rosie who, after Christmas, takes her favorite cards and turns them into tree decorations for the next year… which is a handy bit of upcycling.

Some folk love to receive them… but are left fretting about reciprocating:

Tabatha Stirling

I do love to receive cards, but they make me feel really guilty because I can’t organise myself in time to send them to other people. It seems one of those wonderfully inclusive gestures.


Tabatha Stirling is a Publishing director, book cover artist, and author of the upcoming novel, Bitter Leaves. Her elfy shopping tips are UK-based www.notonthehighstreet.com and the Literary Gift Company.

www.stirlingpublishing.co.uk

Tim Atkinson

I do, yes. Although I'm hopeless at sending them. Last year I sent animated e-cards because I'd left it too late to post them!


Tim Atkinson is the author of novel The Glorious Dead. An ever-alert gift ninja, he says ‘I tend to buy stuff I (think) I know people will like whenever and wherever I see it.’

www.timatkinson.info

And that leads us to our next question, which was:

Do you still send Christmas cards?

Which led us to discovering:

Ellen Gilkerson

I love sending Christmas cards. I like to send funny cards, so I pick out individual funny Christmas cards for each friend and family member based on their humor. It takes a lot of time in the card isle.

Virginia Moffatt

Oh yes. I always leave it too late and I end up sitting at the TV getting through a huge pile through gritted teeth. But I love writing to friends and family at Christmas.

… though maybe send just a selected few

Lucy Stevenson

I like sending Christmas cards to those closest to me, as I like the sentiment over the holidays.

Mia Underwood

Sometimes, I only send them to close family.

Michael Daniels

Yes. A handful to a few good friends and family members. The albeit minimal effort involved allows me to take stock of who is important to me. Anything that doesn't say "Happy Holidays".


Michael Daniels lives in London and works in Marketing research. His excellent tip for gifts that truly give is www.musthavegifts.org.

Stevyn Colgan

Very few. Generally just to people far away. Local people and family get hugs and handshakes. MUCH nicer.

Judy Long

Only to reply to people who sent me a card. I write a chatty personal note back to them, particularly if the person sent an impersonal pre-printed card. This is an attempt to teach by example how to do a proper card. It doesn’t work.

Judy also enjoyed sending handmade cards—and she wasn’t the only one...

Judy Long

For years and years and years, I designed and made my own cards, at first silk-screening them, later using the marvelous color Xerox. Designing my cards in early December kicked off the Christmas season. I no longer do this. Why? Lack of time or inclination? Email? Yes. Email.

Sean Leahy

My wife and I had a long run of doing really quite tacky personalised christmas cards. It was going to be a one off for a joke, but we got quite into it and started doing more and more. It was quite expensive, but the reward was great. Although people got quite upset when they didn't receive one!

For others card-making is more an appealing notion than a reality…

Fiona Stocker

I would gladly still send Christmas cards but the cost is nothing less than extortion!! (I live in Australian and Australia Post seems to want to go out of business). I especially think it would be a lovely exercise to do with my children each year, getting them to sit down and think of a small message to send to their family overseas. The reality would probably be considerably more tortuous than the idea.

Sending cards is an opportunity to donate to charity

Mary Monro

I tend to send charity cards, mainly to keep in touch with people I don’t see much. I don’t send ones to neighbors and colleagues who I see all the time. I like the physicality of cards and choose designs that I think will look decorative or that suit the recipient. The charity donation makes it feel slightly less pointless.

Though plenty of folk (even the elf ones!) have never sent Christmas cards...

Ryan Shrime

I’ve never sent a Christmas card. As much as I love Christmas, it’s never been something I’ve even considered doing. I did one year think about sending around a photo of me and my cat, but the work needed to execute sort of outweighed my desire to do so.

Oli Jacobs

I’ve never been a card person. Ever since missing one year at school, I have defiantly stuck to my philosophy of not giving cards out. Birthdays, weddings, and seasonal greetings have remained purely verbal… until my wife decides otherwise and I sign my life away as ordered.

Abby Hitchcock

I never really have. I think I would if I had kids. I would make them short and personalized.

Toby Howden

I’ve always tried not to send cards in a lazy attempt to avoid being sucked into a nightmarish and endless exchange of obligation. I try and keep it simple, no news is good news. Let’s just assume were all still friends, merry Christmas, bah humbug. My Wife, on the other hand has an encyclopedic knowledge of exactly who sends what, and who we need to reply to. This incredible feat of knowledge extends to birthdays and party invites.


Toby Howden is a writer, and the author of memoir Paper Tigers: Martial Arts & Misadventure in Japan.His hobbies include music, DJing, martial arts, gardening, obsessive book collecting, camping, and occasional rock climbing.

Toby's Books

@tobyhowden

And some folk feel cards are unnecessary in our social media age

Tabatha Stirling

I would love to. As I’ve got older it seems much more important to stay in touch. But social media makes it really easy to make announcements without having to put in the work. Isn’t that an awful admission?

Tommy Stewart

I don’t feel the need in 2018. We are so connected as a society that I have to say I feel that Christmas Cards are a tad obsolete.


Tommy Stewart is a Freelance Comedy Writer/Producer and Broadcaster. For gifts he opts for all-rounders such as Amazon or Ebay, and says ‘Walmart or Walmart.com seems to have everything these days, too.’

Our final question was:

How do you feel about ‘Round Robin’ letters?

Ah, the often-derided Round Robin… an en-masse missive jam-packed with the year’s news and achievements. You may remember the perils of these featuring in Everybody Loves Raymond episode, ‘Season’s Greetings’. So, cheery and fun, or bragging and loathsome? Our interviewees weren’t keen, but let’s start with the more diplomatic responses:

Eliciting a mere shrug is almost positive

Ryan Shrime

I’ll sort of skim them, but I don’t really digest them.

Michael Daniels

Always seem a tad impersonal.

Stevyn Colgan

Haven’t seen one in years.

There are some folk who are enthusiastic about them

Ellen Gilkerson

I’ve never heard of them, but I’d probably like to read them. I like knowing about what goes on in the lives of my friends and family. I live far from most of my friends and family, so I don’t get the play by play I used to get when I lived in the same state.

Tommy Stewart

I like having the year recapped. Reminds you of what happened and helps you set goals and get excited for the year ahead.

Though Toby’s enthusiasm is rather more double-edged, and entertaining:

Toby Howden

I totally love them for all the wrong reasons. They’re like a hilarious relic from The Eighties. The ones that are thinly concealed humblebrags are always the best. “Since we’ve got back from Monaco I’ve hardly had a moment to clean our gigantic Georgian mansion what with Dave’s spectacular promotion and our little Allen off to Oxbridge.”

Which leads us nicely into our next conclusion:

Many folk are not fans at all

So, um, these were the most succinct of our less-than-keen responses:

Mia Underwood

Never received one—and I am not a fan.

Sean Leahy

I've never received one, and I'd love to keep it that way.

Virginia Moffatt

Sorry to the friends and family to send them, but not a fan. They often come across as unintentionally boastful and I find them a bit impersonal. I prefer a handwritten scrawl!

As some of our non-fans observe, if you really must send one, keep it short, well written, don’t mention incidental characters, and don’t try to be funny...

Tabatha Stirling

I completely understand why they happen and the short ones are great. But I’ve a friend who writes a short novel about her family, the dog, garden slugs, Mr Petrie who has a large collection of plywood gnomes etc in full, graphic tedious detail.

Mary Monro

In principle they are a great idea and I like to know what people have been doing, but in general they are hymns to ego, competitive and poorly written. I’m not sure how healthy they are, for either the sender or the recipient. Mind you, I run out of steam writing personal notes to everyone and then I feel guilty if I just write ‘love from Mary’ so you can’t win.

Fiona Stocker

Hmm. I get a few of those. And I’ve written them as well. As a writer, I would say the secret is not to give too much detail, especially about your children’s teachers (they’re too many steps removed from the person you’re writing to, who will not give a stuff), keep it light, and if you can, funny. But be aware that writing humour is a knack. Only some can do it, and putting three exclamation marks at the end of every sentence doesn’t make you Bill Bryson.

Judy Long

They make me want to write a satire Round Robin, featuring failing health, bad grades, being fired, announcing my gender switch, divorces, deaths, homicidal rampages, and detailing grandpa’s deepening senility. If you must do one, I would caution the writers to keep it to one double- or triple-spaced page (Yes! Some people send 2 pages! Unfair!). Shortest is the best. Better, dump the Round Robin and write a personal note hitting the highlights.

Abby Hitchcock

In my experience, most people can't write and therefore they should not (harsh!). Or maybe just write less. These letters always seem like a catharsis for the writer! I grew up with a mother who is a writer and an editor. She instilled less is more!! Also, they are sort of obsolete it would seem in this digital age. We all know what everyone is doing all the time, for better or for worse.

Who needs a Round Robin when we’re all plugged into social media all year round?

As Abby and a bunch of our panel have noted, few folk need a recap on anyone’s lives when we’re bombarded with daily updates.

Julia Kite

Oooh, can’t stand Round Robins. There’s really no way to do them gracefully, is there? You’re either boring or you’re boasting…And if you know someone is having a really lousy Christmas, it feels like rubbing your happiness in their face. We’re all on social media every day, anyway, so I’m sure I haven’t missed any big news in the lives of my pals!


Julia Kite is a transportation policy advisor in New York City, and author of novel The Hope and Anchor. Her shopping tip? ‘Fish’s Eddy is my favourite place for whimsical housewares. Everyone can use a few more glasses, especially if you’re prone to breaking a few after eggnog. They have lots of cool New York-related designs.’

www.juliakite.com

Oli Jacobs

With social media these days you are pretty subscribed to people’s lives, so a yearly round-up isn’t as necessary as it potentially was before.

Tim Atkinson

Personally, I can't stand 'em, especially the boastful look-how-good-our-lives-are ones. If I'm in time to send cards I always try and write a short note to the recipient myself. Besides, in these days of oversharing social media overload, most of us know most of it already.

So, readers, what can we deduce from our festive card-related research? Here’s a quick recap:

Mostly folk enjoy receiving cards (hurray!), especially if they’re nicely designed, hand-made, and/or feature photos of a family’s growing sprogs. As a bonus, Christmas cards can be made into jolly decorations (though if not getting crafty with ‘em after the holidays, be sure to put any cards in the recycling).

Conversely, less of our interviewees tend to send cards. Those that do send to a limited selection of friends ‘n’ family. Also, folk that have given making their cards a whirl tend to enjoy it—and their recipients love it (honestly, if you have enough spare time to try it, you should: the entertained and appreciative responses you’ll get make it well worth it!). Alternatively, sending charity cards gives you the opportunity to donate to good causes.

Most folk won’t be enamored of Round Robin correspondence, and especially not if it’s long, poorly written, and features Great Aunt Ethel or Mr Pratt from three doors down, who they’ve never met and had never previously heard of. Also, bragging is tedious (would Santa—or Jesus—do it, hmm?).

A big thank you to our interviewees for rustling up their opinions on all things Christmas card-related.

Our Top 100 cards that you can buy right now

If you’re sending cards this year—ah, go on!—and not indulging in the home-made variety, in addition to charity cards, you could check out local museums and art galleries for original designs, such as those at MoMA, SFMOMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Plus you’ll find some fun, creative options on sites such as Etsy, where there are plenty of handmade cards, and designs that can be personalized.

To whet your card-sending appetite, we’ve gathered one hundred—yep, one hundred!—designs for you to choose from. From the Arctic and angels to candy canes, cats, Cardinals, carolers and cookies; from hope, ho ho ho’ing, Hawaiian shirts, and (knitted) hats to Santa, snowmen, snowglobes and squirrels, here are our festive favorites—and don’t worry, we’ve plenty of Nativity scenes, too: