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Day 4 - The First Christmas Card

Season 10 Episode 3

On Day 4 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve Webb opens the door to a fun and fascinating piece of Christmas history: the origin of the Christmas card. What begins with a surprise audio card from James Cooper soon unfolds into the story of Sir Henry Cole, the penny post, and the first officially sold Christmas card in 1843. This episode blends charm, Victorian quirks, and a surprising amount of postage trivia.

A Christmas Greeting From James

The door opens to an audio Christmas card from James, thanking Steve, Leanne, and the family for joining him in creating the Advent Calendar series. That warm moment sets the tone for the topic of the day: Christmas cards — where they came from, and why we send them.

How the First Card Came to Be

James explains that while scholars debate the exact “first,” most agree that Sir Henry Cole deserves the credit. Cole was a Victorian-era government worker fascinated by the newly launched public post office. With the introduction of the penny post stamp in 1840, everyday people could finally afford to send letters and cards. Railways had expanded postal speed, making Christmas communication more practical than ever.

In 1843, Cole teamed up with artist John Horsley to design and sell the first commercial Christmas card. It cost one shilling — inexpensive by modern standards, but a meaningful expense in Victorian Britain.

A Controversial Beginning

Surprisingly, that first card caused quite a stir. The central panel depicted a family enjoying a festive Christmas meal — including children sipping wine! The side panels, however, highlighted the charitable spirit of the season, showing scenes of feeding and clothing the poor.

Christmas Cards Take Off

By the 1860s, improvements in printing made cards plentiful and affordable. The tradition spread throughout Europe and became especially popular in the UK and Germany. Early cards featured nativity themes as well as snow scenes inspired by the harsh winter of 1836 — a Victorian form of nostalgic memory.

But the Victorians didn’t stop there. They also had a taste for the strange: cards with frogs, dancing cats, crosses, summer landscapes, and curious imagery that today feels more eccentric than festive.

Christmas Cards Today

Fast forward to the present: the U.S. Census reports more than 1.9 billion greeting cards exchanged each year in the United States alone. That’s an enormous amount of holiday cheer — and thankfully, no one has to lick that many stamps anymore.

To learn more about the history of Christmas traditions, explore WhyChristmas.com, and visit LifespringMedia.com for additional Lifespring content.

Thanks for listening to Day 4 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar. Come back tomorrow as we open the next door together!