Christmas Cards Free

Unique Christmas cards, some of them old, others quite modern for your friends and family. Christmas puzzle too!

The custom of sending Christmas cards was started in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a civil servant who had helped set-up the new 'Public Record Office' now called the Post Office, where he was an Assistant Keeper, and wondered how it could be used more by ordinary people.

The first known 'personalised' Christmas Card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas 1891 and sent cards back to her friends and family in the USA featuring a photo of her on it. As she was in Scotland, she's wearing tartan in the photo! Annie reportedly designed the cards herself and they were printed by a local printer.

In the 1910s and 1920s, home made cards became popular. They were often unusual shapes and had things such as foil and ribbon on them. These were usually too delicate to send through the post and were given by hand.

Nowadays, cards have all sorts of pictures on them: jokes, winter pictures, Santa Claus or romantic scenes of life in past times.

And thankfully we don't need to pay money to send e-cards!