The history–and many faces–of the Santa Clause Christmas Card

No single figure is a more popular image on Christmas cards today than Santa Clause, the jolly, benevolent figure associated with abundance, joy and the Christmas spirit. Yet if not for some major changes along the way, Santa could have wound up being a pretty scary figure.

The forerunners of Santa go back hundreds of years. By the time he showed up on the first Christmas cards in the mid 1800s, his image was already partly shaped. Ancient images include the Christian Bishop of Myra (4^th century), known as Saint Nicholas. Bishop of Myra was famous for his kindness to children and generosity to the poor in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey.

Then there was the mythic Norse God Odin, in the 12^th century (pictured below, far left), the God of War. Odin, with his white beard, has an slight but eery resemblance to today’s Santa and apparently he was known for riding on his horse, bringing either gifts or punishments, as appropriate. He was both loved and feared since he was said to be able to read hiding thoughts.

There were various Santas, different traditions by country. As this site points out, St. Nicholas is said to arrive in Holland

Seven facts you didn’t know about Christmas cards

Christmas cards cut across cultural, economic and demographic groups. Nearly 2 billion Christmas cards are sold in the U.S. each year alone; cards were sent by 85% of Americans in 2006. Yet much is still unknown about one of our most enduring traditions. Here are seven facts you didn’t know about Christmas–ok, maybe you knew one or two (If you knew more than that, call us and we can put you to work…helping write our blog 😉

1) Christmas cards are an English innovation. They were originally penned by boys who were practicing their writing skills and they would present these handmade cards to their parents.

Victorian era transforms society–and the Christmas card

Since the beginning, the Christmas card has reflected society’s view of Christmas and all the related traditions–and much more. So it’s no surprise that during the Victorian era, Christmas cards reflected the explosion in creativity among writers and artists.

The Christmas card was actually born amid the Victorian era, which started in the 1830s in England. Hard to believe, but before Queen Victoria’s reign started in 1837, few people in Britain knew anything about Santa Claus, Christmas cards or even a work holiday.

The wealth and technologies generated by the industrial revolution of the Victorian era transformed Christmas forever. The Victorian era was a time of great growth of the cities, expanding economies, education reform and

Christmas card pioneers

According to many sources such as Wikipedia and the online postcard museum, the two pioneers of the early Christmas card movement were John Calcott Horsley and Louis Prang. As mentioned, Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in 1843 to paint a card showing the feeding and clothing of the poor.

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole commissioned John Collcott Horsley, a fashionable artist of the time, to design the first Christmas card. Horsley, along with his artwork, was known for his leadership of a campaign against the use of nude models by artists-work. This effort earned him the nickname “Clothes-Horsley”

Horsley (pictured here) born in London in 1817, also designed the Horsley envelope, a pre-paid envelope that was the precursor to the postage stamp. Later in life, in 1882 was elected treasurer, a post which he held till 1897, when he resigned and became a “retired Academician.”

It apparently took three years before the Christmas card custom caught on; then the English Parliament passed the Postage Act,making it possible to send letters for a penny. Popularity had boomed within a decade across England. Of the 1,000 original Christmas cards printed,