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christmas, custom, england, family, friends, greeting card, henry cole, history, holiday, image, j.c. horsley, letters, lions pride, louis prang, mail, memories, personalize, postal system, salutation, season's greetings, spirit, story, year
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. People are genuinely joyful; the snow seems appropriate and no one seems to mind getting mail. That’s because it’s the season of holiday greeting cards, a time to observe what our friends have been up to in 2019.
Monday, December 9, is National Christmas Card Day. Let’s observe the celebration with a quick history lesson about the card that started it all.
The story dates back to the year 1843. A man by the name of Henry Cole had a problem; he had the misfortune of having too many friends. The British Postal System had recently expanded, and people could now send letters to anywhere in the country with a penny stamp.
Cole watched as a stack of letters began to form. Of course, it was considered rude not to respond, but he simply didn’t have the time to write to them all.
Then, he was struck by a brilliant idea. He asked his artistic friend J.C. Horsley if he could design something for him. Cole gave him an illustration of a three-paneled scene of a family enjoying a holiday dinner and others helping the poor. Horsley was able to print on the image a 5 1/8” x 3 ¼” piece of cardboard. At the top, there was a blank salutation so Cole could personalize his responses. The first Christmas card was born, but not without a little controversy.
Christmas cards also began appearing in the United States in the late 1840s, but they were relatively expensive. It wasn’t until 1875 when Louis Prang, a printer originally from Germany, began mass-producing the cards, so more people could afford to send them.
Nowadays, the possibilities for Christmas cards have become limitless. You can now find hundreds of blank cards with beautiful holiday scenes that you can customize like Henry Cole or create your own holiday card with favorite memories of the year. No matter which option you choose, there’s no better way to say, “Season’s Greetings!”
Do you and your family send out cards this time of year? IF so, how do you decide on your theme? We’d love to hear in the comments below.
Happy National Christmas Card Day from Lions Pride!
probably remember your excitement as the holiday quickly approached. The days leading up to Christmas Eve, you were on your best behavior (but had good reminders from your parents and teachers.) When December 24 finally arrived, you couldn’t wait to go to sleep that night. Your mom and dad likely helped you prepare for the evening with a fresh plate of cookies and a glass of milk. You brushed your teeth and quickly went to bed, but then spent most of the night watching the clock – just waiting for an appropriate time to wake up. Then on Christmas morning, you couldn’t believe your eyes as you found a Christmas tree full of presents replaced with an empty plate. You believed in the magic of Christmas.
gift- giving holiday that stems from ancient Greece. Will you and your family be celebrating?
believe we are already well into the month of March. If you’ve been keeping up with us for the past six months, you know that our organization has gone through a lot of changes during this period.
The spirit of Christmas is all around us. With the big holiday only days away, we continue to see it in store windows, on light posts and underneath the tree.
The world seems a little gloomier this week, as we have all lost a very great man. Our Chairman and CEO Dewey Carl passed away last Tuesday, and our board continues to mourn. We thought there would be no better way to honor him than with a post to celebrate his life dedicated to helping others.
Campaign received private funding arrangements. Work toward the campaign began in 2003 and in May 2005, the Lions of Wisconsin voted to approve the campaign. The campaign was introduced in 2006. In mid-2011, the WLF Board of Directors voted to establish two separate 501(c)(3) corporations, and the Lions Pride Endowment Fund was born.
