Christmas Cards Akimbo!

Pick a Card, Any Card. You Might Want To Make It A Christmas Card. 

We’re at the pointy end of the year now.

You all know what that means. It means thinking about December 25 and everything that can be done before that date arrives.

Got buddies and family living overseas? Want something more for them than a fancy Facetime session? Or something more impactful than a digital message with loads of celebration emojis? Like a real thing they can put up on their tree, Venetian blinds, or mantlepiece? If yes, then read on. 

Christmas cards. You need them now. We have them! Charity Card Packs in Dove, Bluebird and Elf themes.  Earth Greetings Card Packs for the ones who love an Aussie Chrissy - possums and sugar gliders! How about Joyful Waratahs? The Caroline Gardner Christmas Cards are in Dover and Tree, Baubles and Wreath, and Robin and Wreath.

It’s all very seasonal, we must say. 

How Did All The Fuss About Christmas Cards Come About? 

Students of Pulp, take a seat. 

So you know that person who always has something to do on the weekend? Always talking about people they know, people they went to dinner with, people they went whitewater rafting with? Those people. They have a lot of friends. Maybe even a million. You never know! 

It was a British man called Henry Cole, who travelled in the elite social circles of Victorian England and had so many friends that he didn’t know what to do with them all.

Come Christmastime, his social anxiety went through the roof! You see, the practice back in the day was to send detailed letters to everyone you knew. Cole had a million friends to reply to, and “it was considered impolite” not to respond. 

He had to figure out a plan! He asked an artist friend (John Calcott Horsley) to draw him a picture of Christmassy stuff: “a triptych showing a family at a table celebrating the holiday flanked by images of people helping the poor”, to be precise. Coles then innovated an idea to help him reply to all these people.

As an expert from The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. recounts: 

“He got a thousand copies made up at a London printer in card form. The image was printed on a piece of stiff cardboard 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 inches in size. At the top of each was the salutation, “TO:” allowing Cole to personalize his responses, which included the generic greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You.” 

Then, Abracadabra! The Christmas card was born!

Options galore, and we’ve only just begun.

To Display or Not To Display Cards? That is The Question.

Display, of course. 

You’ve got mail, Meg Ryan, and it’s piling up! Get your artistic juices flowing. Think pegs, twine, jute, raffia, string, clips, ribbon and washi tape! All of these will work a treat.

Choose your tools and become besties with your inner Nora Ephron. Hoik those cards up onto a tree, mantlepiece, blank wall or office desk and flex your social standing, just like Henry Coles. You’re worth it! Make a lil’ feature of all your correspondences for overall Festive Good Time Vibes.

All-In-All ... 

Followers? Meh. Do you know what we’re saying? I think you do. Cards for days and from real people, not paid bots. That’s how we like it. Breathe if you agree. 

Come see us at our little shop on Sydney Road for cool, quaint, mindful, Aussie, sassy, funny, quirky etc cards …  the inventory goes on.

Pick ‘n’ choose your card, any card: one to suit each of your million friends … xx