A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to Christmastide and the holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchange during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. Christmas cards showed religious pictures of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, however, it is more common to see winter scenes, Father Christmas, cartoon characters or jokes.
The traditional greeting reads “wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”. There are innumerable variations on this greeting, many cards expressing more religious sentiment, or containing a poem, prayer, Christmas song lyrics or Biblical verse; others focus on the general holiday season with an all-inclusive “Season’s greetings”.
Unique Christmas Cards
A Christmas card is generally and has its design commercially purchased for the occasion. The content of the design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative with depictions of the Nativity of Jesus, or have Christian symbols such as the Star of Bethlehem or a white dove representing both the Holy Spirit and Peace. Many cards show Christmas traditions, such as seasonal figures (e.g., Santa Claus, snowmen, and reindeer), objects associated with Christmas such as candles, holly, baubles, and Christmas trees, and Christmastime activities.
Many people around the world send these to both close friends and distant acquaintances, potentially making the sending of cards a multi-hour chore in addressing dozens or even hundreds of envelopes. The greeting in the card can personalize to a person but brief or may include a summary of the year’s news.
Types of Christmas Cards
There are various types of cards which are:
- Traditional e.g. pictures of the nativity scene;
- Formal e.g. a painted picture of a winter scene or Christmas Tree;
- Cute e.g. a snow scene with cute little animals or
- Funny e.g. Rudolf throwing snowballs at Father Christmas.
