The history of Christmas cards is shrouded in controversy. One account is that in 1842, a 16-year-old boy by the name of William Maw Egley engraved the first card. This card showed a picture of Christmas dinner, skaters, dancers and the poor receiving gifts. Inside, the message said "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." This card still exists today.

The first Christmas greeting is often credited to Sir Henry Cole, not William Egley, although Egley's card was clearly around prior to Cole's. In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, the directory of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, commissioned Christmas cards that were illustrated by John Callcott Horsley, a popular artist at the time.

The illustration of this one-page stirred controversy because the scene depicted parents and a small child sipping glasses of wine, as well as the hungry being fed and the naked being clothed (although they were shown fully dressed). The message, printed on a banner in the center of the card, read "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." One thousand cards were issued by Summerby's Home Treasury Office and were sold for one shilling each. Only 12 of the original 1000 printed still exist today.

Not everyone liked the idea of holiday cards. Some Protestant groups did not approve of them until the 1900s. During Cole's time, people complained that the cards were too secular and that they would contribute to children developing poor morals, "alcoholism and intemperance."

Overall, the general public loved the idea of sending cards at Christmas. In the beginning, holiday cards were hand delivered with a calling card. In the 1840s, Brits began mailing cards to one another and by the early 1850s, the idea of sending holiday cards had spread to other countries on the European continent.

Unlike our modern holiday cards that feature religious or winter themes, early cards were wholly secular. They were more likely to show pictures of flowers, fairies and other springtime scenes. Over time, pictures of children and animals were used. More a collage than a card, at least in the modern way of thinking, these holiday cards were cut in elaborate shapes and made of increasingly ornate materials. One early card, still in existence today, is made of 750 individual pieces of material sewn together. Other cards had silk, pearls, frosted glass, tassels, dried flowers and other ornate decorations attached.

The tradition of giving Christmas cards to family and friends did not make it across the pond to America for 17 years. In 1874, German immigrant and lithographer, Louis Prang printed the first American holiday greeting cards. The fronts of his cards were decorated with flowers and birds, similar to the English spring-themed cards. At first, he shipped his cards to England because sending cards had not yet come to the States en masse. In 1875, Prang began selling his cards in America.

By 1881, Prang's lithograph shop was producing over five million holiday cards a year. By this time, the fronts of the cards started to feature winter scenes, people around fireplaces and children with toys. Mr. Prang was a stickler for quality craftsmanship. Today his cards are sought after by collectors around the world. Unfortunately for Mr. Prang, other people imitated his style and were able to make cards more inexpensively, eventually causing him to go out of business.

Over the last 168 years, the Christmas card industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, selling over four million cards per year with American Greetings and Hallmark controlling 80% of the market. Today the average person sends about 20 Christmas cards per year. The holiday card tradition is forever embedded in Western cultures.

About Ged Matthews

Ged Matthews is the owner of www.christmasnetwork.co.uk. They are suppliers of personalised charity Christmas Cards to the UK market. All Christmas cards are produced in the UK using only sustainable materials. Follow the link to find out more or order a FREE sample printed Christmas Cards http://www.christmasnetwork.co.uk/.