Re: Found it! Ho, ho, ho.

Posted by Filomena Martin on December 22, 1999

In Reply to: Found it! Ho, ho, ho. posted by ESC on December 22, 1999

: : Does anyone know who originated the Christmas card and when did it come into common use. I suspect that it was sometime in the last century (1800s) for all sorts of good reasons such as the invention of cheap mail systems and stamps etc.

:
: This doesn't say if this custom began in the U.S., but I'm guessing it was. Does anyone know otherwise? "The tradition of sending Christmas cards originated in the mid-1800's when a few people began to design handmade cards to send to family and friends. A man named John Calcott Horsely is credited as being the first to actually print Christmas cards. The card depicted a family enjoying the holiday, with scenes of people performing acts of charity. The card was inscribed:"Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to You"

: This comes from a very nice site http://www.picklejar.com/traditions.htm that has origins of other Christmas traditions.

: And while I was looking, I also found a site that tells the real meaning behind the song "Twelves Days of Christmas." http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~rlm/twelvedays.html

: And a Merry Christmas to all you guys from here in snowless Kentucky.