The year is already more than half over and you know what that means, the holiday season is not far away. And, that means holiday cards! Yes, holiday cards are an important component of the holiday season. We all love receiving cards from relatives and friends and the holiday season wouldn't be the same without them.
The history of the holiday card can be traced back to England where the first production of cards was commissioned in 1843. Fairies, flowers and fanciful designs were prominent on early cards quite different to what we see on today's cards. The amount of cards American households receive has reduced from 29 in 1987 to 20 in 2004 but, holiday cards are still very popular with American's spending on average $1.9 Billion being each year on cards.
Holiday cards come in many different styles including official cards, commercial cards, charity cards and home-made cards. The U.S. president sent out the first official White House card in 1953, less than 2000 were sent. These days the White House sends out more than 1.6 million holiday cards annually. Homemade cards have become popular of late especially with the creative people within your family. People love the personalized touch of homemade cards. The holiday card process has become a bit of an event within my family, which I'm sure is the same for many families across America. Each year my family gets together and we develop a family newsletter which we include in each card mailed out.
The type and quality of holiday cards we choose depends on the final destination. Cards we're sending to loved ones and overseas relatives are normally of high quality, while cards sent within the office are normally cheaper and of less quality. It's easy to spot the difference between high quality produced cards and cheap ones. The paper quality, colors and text used are all examples of high a quality card product.
Like the joy we experience in receiving holiday cards from loved ones, purchasing a card should also be an enjoyable experience. Don't make the mistake of leaving it until the last minute when the mad rush is on, purchase your cards early. This will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy the festive season.