Throughout history the celebration of Christmas has been created and molded into the celebration
we have today. In fact many aspects of Christmas such as the hanging of mistletoe date back to
pagan rituals.
During Queen Victoria’s reign however, Christmas became to look a lot like the festival that we
celebrate today. Looking in particular at Christmas cards, they maintained a tradition that was to
sweep the globe.
The Victorians introduced the idea of posting cards to friends and family at Christmas time.
The ‘Penny Post’ made this possible for many people to take part in the activity (soon to be
tradition). This ‘Penny Post’ was essentially the Christmas post. It cost one penny for a penny
stamp that would allow a card or letter to be delivered anywhere within Britain. This made sending
Christmas greetings easier and novel.
This then gave the green light for the greeting card tradition to be born. Sir Henry Cole then
commissioned the first Christmas card in the 1840s which proved to be very popular indeed.
By the 1870s the ‘Penny Post’ was replaced by a postage that cost only half a penny. This was
largely thanks to Brunel and his creation of the railway network meaning post could be delivered
more quickly and cheaply than ever before. And so the Christmas card tradition was born.
Today we send our cards in mass by airmail, email, Royal Mail and even still by hand. The tradition
is one which allows greetings to be sent from friends and family to loved ones, colleagues, local
businesses and neighbors. Many people will include letters and photos and so the tradition of
sending letters is still alive behind the facade of the card.
In the 1800s it appears cards were even delivered on Christmas day. In addition, it seems that the
common picture of a robin delivering a card was derived from the postmen themselves who wore
red and were consequently named Robbins.
The Victorians have a lot to be thanked for as they gave us so much down to the industrial
revolution. This Christmas spare them a thought when you pop your cards in the post box.