Christmas Card Day

The first Christmas card was created in 1843 for Sir Henry Cole, a businessman in search of a fancy way to congratulate his clients. Today, it is a multi-billion tradition that makes an average American send 70 Christmas cards a year.

History

Traditions

Marketing Activities

History of Christmas Card Day

Henry Cole, first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, hired an artist John Calcott Horsley to draw him a printable greeting card to avoid hours of handwriting on Christmas.

The picture of a lovely big family party at the table, flanked with the smaller images of people giving clothes and food to the poor, worked so well for Mr. Cole that he printed a thousand of them and sold the excess for a shilling apiece. Fast forward a century, and you’ll see one of the original cards, signed by Cole himself, sold on an auction for 30,000 dollars.

This anecdote has set precedent in history for the commercial Christmas cards and started their international expansion.

Across the ocean, in the United States, the tradition of holiday cards took on in the period from the 1880s to the 1910s. As a new generation of Americans moved to cities in this period, cards became a way for them to keep in touch with home.

New customers and technologies ripened the market for harvest. In 1915 Hallmark made its first Christmas Card folded and fit for an envelope, setting up the standard for the industry. But what’s more important, it has launched the sales into orbit.

Even with the many people adopting the digital ways of sending their seasonal greetings today, the industry in the US remains gigantic. Every year Americans buy 1.6 billion Christmas cards, and they’re looking for ways to do it better, faster, and easier.

Traditions of Christmas Card Day

First and foremost, this national holiday is about a tradition of sending a Christmas card to your family and friends. From here, you can do it whichever way you prefer. You can buy or make your own Christmas card, compile a custom e-card, or record your own video.

We’re big fans of the homemade family Christmas Cards. Millions of families throughout the world, from Kardashians to the Royal family, go for taking the cutest holiday-themed photos and sharing happy appreciation spirit with the world.

Start your own brand tradition by setting a lovely picture set up for a Christmas Card Day photo op every year. Make a lovely Christmas Card avatar for your customers and followers to enjoy. Or, turn it upside down and make company cards to celebrate your team, your resolutions, or your achievements.

Marketing Activities for Christmas Card Day

In the past, biggest companies commissioned their Christmas designs to the artist superstars including Salvador Dali and Norman Rockwell. Today, marketers use Instagram mega-influencers. How? Check out Bruce Willis’ and Demie Moore’s extended family 2020 quarantine selfie. It’s great to get inspiration for your next Christmas Card campaign.

Here’s a piece of good information to consider when targeting your promotion: in the United States, 80% of greeting cards are purchased by women. Meanwhile, millennials think that Christmas is rather a calendar event than a religious one and mostly choose non-religious images.

The Christmas Card Day social media feed is an amazing opportunity for designers and printing studios to put out the deals and specials. If you’re in the digital-only industry, don’t back out! Many people are looking into digital gifts now, so it’s a lucky date to promote the game-changing solutions under your logo.

Do not get swept away by innovations too much, though. Look into the Christmas spirit instead and try to come up with the touching slogans and quotes. Struggling to come up with the right messages? It’s totally fine to leave it out blank. Actually, the most-sold ever Hallmark card didn’t read anything.

Hashtags for Christmas Card Day: #christmascardday #christmascard #xmascard #holidaycards #holidayideas #familytime #nationalchristmascardday #seasonsgreetings

Colors of Christmas Card Day

#d4001a
#146b3a
#b7871e
#cccccc

Santa Red—everyone’s favorite celebratory color, the red speaks loud and clear about love and affection. This common Christmas color starts its winter reign on December 9th.

Dark Green—the second best Christmas color sets up the lush background for the shiny gifts and stands off the white snow perfectly.

Dark Gold—the must-have Christmas party invitation color is best used in the postcards for the tasteful accents. Wait till the New Year time to go into full swing with it.

Silver—ideal transparent color to combine with the rest of the pack. Go for it when looking for a more subtle version of gold.

Symbols of Christmas Card Day

Christmas Card—the definition symbol of the Christmas Card Day, it has been around for almost two centuries. While the new era sets up the declining trend for the printed cards, their online journey is yet just starting.

Family—the common symbol of Christmas is the family. Aside from the Holy Family story, the pattern of coming home for Christmas activity won over cards and screens thanks to Hollywood.

Postal Envelope—the postal paraphernalia of envelopes, funny horns, bags and stamps sets up the mood for the Christmas Card Day holiday romance.