The first Christmas card was sent in 1843 by a British civil servant who was simply too busy to write long letters. In Victorian times, Christmas card messages sometimes featured creepy images—like dead birds or haunted snowmen. The Guinness World Record for the most expensive Christmas card sold is \$35,800—it was one of the first ever printed.

Early cards weren’t just festive—they were mini artworks, often hand-painted and trimmed with lace or gold leaf. One famous illustrator, Kate Greenaway, helped popularize colorful children's illustrations on Christmas cards in the 1880s. During World War I, soldiers often sent embroidered Christmas card messages home, stitched on silk from France.

In the 1940s, Hallmark began mass-producing folded cards with envelopes, which changed the way people sent holiday greetings. American households once kept their cards on display well past New Year’s as part of their décor. In Iceland, it's common to include a poem or riddle with your Christmas card—no pressure, right?

Franklin Roosevelt sent out custom White House Christmas card messages, complete with presidential signatures. In the Philippines, cards often include colorful parol lanterns as a symbol of hope and light. Japan’s New Year cards, or "nengajo," serve a similar purpose and are timed to arrive exactly on January 1.

In Finland, people used to send cards with pictures of mischievous “tomte” elves—not always the jolly kind. Queen Victoria received so many cards each year, her staff had to stack them in special display frames. Before stamps were invented, sending cards was so expensive that many were hand-delivered by children.

By the 1960s, people began including family photos with their Christmas card messages—a tradition that stuck. Some vintage cards had pop-up scenes or mechanical moving parts, like tiny sleighs and twinkling lights. In South Africa, recycled paper cards featuring local wildlife are popular alternatives to snowy scenes.

Some families reuse old Christmas cards to create new ones—cutting, pasting, and turning them into fresh messages. A town in Indiana named Santa Claus gets hundreds of thousands of card requests every year to use its postmark. In 2001, a Christmas card was sent to the International Space Station—it made history in orbit!

Eco-friendly card options now include seed paper—plant the card and grow wildflowers after the holidays. In Germany, it's common to receive cards with tiny Advent calendar doors hiding warm messages or candy stickers. Some people in Scandinavia write messages in rhymes, and the tradition is called “julrim.”

Before glitter, early card designs used crushed beetles to create a shiny, red shimmer—festive and weird. The Royal Mail in the UK handles around 150 million cards during the Christmas season alone. In Australia, Christmas card messages often feature Santa surfing or kangaroos pulling his sleigh.

One woman in Canada has sent a Christmas card to the same pen pal every year since 1942. Children used to create their own cards in school to give to parents, complete with macaroni and tinsel. In the Czech Republic, cards with illustrations of baby Jesus in a golden glow are still common.

A Christmas card once triggered a breakup when the sender reused an old card with someone else’s name erased. The town of Loveland, Colorado offers a Valentine-style “remailing” service to stamp your card with a heart design. In Brazil, handwritten Christmas card messages are still considered more heartfelt than digital versions.

In 2020, card sales boomed as people tried to reconnect during pandemic isolation. Online services now let you send physical cards with custom messages directly from your phone. Some families keep a scrapbook of all their Christmas cards, dating back decades as a family history archive.

In the UK, a tradition called “the last post” marks the deadline to get your card delivered by Christmas. Tiny cards, no bigger than a matchbox, were once popular as collectibles and tucked into gifts. In some cultures, sending a card without a personal note is considered rude or lazy.

There’s a town called Christmas in Michigan that gets flooded with cards every December. Vintage card collectors pay top dollar for rare designs—especially those with cats or comic Santas. A few pranksters once sent cards “from Santa” that included bizarre messages about elves on strike.

The first known printed card featured a toast: “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” Artists like Norman Rockwell and Charles Dana Gibson designed holiday cards in their spare time. Some people even create 3D-printed cards that can fold into ornaments or holiday scenes.

In Russia, New Year cards are more popular than Christmas ones, often featuring Ded Moroz, the frost grandfather. There are card-making competitions where designs are judged for originality, humor, and sentiment. In Ireland, people sometimes write poetry or proverbs on their Christmas card messages.

Corporate cards exploded in popularity in the 1980s, with big firms sending thousands to clients and staff. Some families include “year in review” newsletters summarizing the highs (and lows) of the past 12 months. In South Korea, Christmas cards sometimes include tiny gifts, like pressed flowers or tea bags.

You can buy musical cards that play carols when opened—technology and tinsel combined. In Mexico, handmade cards with embroidered designs are still a beloved tradition. The practice of signing cards “Love from all of us” became common as families grew larger.

In Norway, cards often show cozy cabins in snowy forests, symbolizing warmth and togetherness. Some people create pun-filled cards with lines like “Yule be sorry if you miss this party!” Christmas card messages have become a form of storytelling, wrapping family identity in paper and ink.

Digital e-cards are growing in popularity, but many still love the charm of real Christmas card messages. Dogs, cats, and even lizards have their own photo cards now—pets are family, after all. Some people keep the most touching Christmas card messages in a keepsake box for decades.