Christmas Cards With A Difference
As Christmas time approaches, decorations come out of the attic, presents are purchased and Christmas cards are written and sent out to loved ones, far and wide. Have you ever wondered how many Christmas cards are sent out in the UK each year? In 2018, an estimated 900m Christmas cards were sold in boxes and packs worth around £230m, as well as millions of cards bought from online operators. A further 100 million Christmas single cards were sold, bringing the total for the Christmas card market to one billion cards sold in the UK. The History of the Christmas Card The tradition of sending Christmas cards was started in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a senior Government worker who had helped arrange 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. Sir Henry had the idea of Christmas Cards with his friend John Horsley, who was an artist. They designed t