Do you ever wonder where we get all our Christmas traditions? In this episode we will explore the history of the Christmas card and its many forms and purposes throughout the year. From the origin of one clever man saving time during the business of the holiday season, to the creation of one of the most well-known greeting card companies in the world: Hallmark.

References:

Ballard, Linda M. “Some Christmas Customs.” Archaeology Ireland 3, no. 4 (1989): 132–35. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20558315.

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "John Callcott Horsley." Encyclopedia Britannica, October 15, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Callcott-Horsley.

Hanc, John. 2015. "The History of the Christmas Card." Smithsonian Magazine. December 9. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/.

Ristow, Walter W. “Worlds of Christmas Greetings.” The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress 35, no. 4 (1978): 234–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29781786.

Zakreski, Patricia. “The Victorian Christmas Card as Aesthetic Object: ‘Very Interesting Ephemeræ of a Very Interesting Period in English Art-Production.’” Journal of Design History 29, no. 2 (2016): 120–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44652020.

2024. "History." Hallmark. https://corporate.hallmark.com/about/hallmark-cards-company/history/.