A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....12-24,25,26-03 ~ Let Us Rejoice

Billie

[Billie]

(The following excerpts are from Better Homes & Gardens 1993
"Holiday Celebrations"; information & Christmas Cards furnished
by Hallmark Cards, Inc.)

Although the Christmas season has been celebrated for centuries, it wasn't until the last half of the 19th century that printed cards were widely exchanged. Until that time, only a few people sent hand-written Christmas messages - those who could read and write, and afford to pay a messenger. This changed in the mid-1800s, when many people were learning to read and write through free public schools.

The passage of the Penny Postage Act in England in 1840 finally put the price of mailing letters within almost everyone's reach.

The idea of Christmas cards came only three years after England's postal reform. Henry Cole, a London businessman, originated the practice in 1843 when he asked John Calcott Horsley, an artist in the Royal Academy, to design a card conveying his Christmas wishes. The card is believed to be the first commercially-printed Christmas card.

The first-known Christmas card, designed in 1843 by British
artist John Horsley. Only a dozen specimens of the first card
are known to exist. Two of these, including one that has never
been used, are part of the Hallmark Historical Collection in
Kansas City, Missouri.

Several of England's early greeting card companies were established in the 1860s. Cards manufactured from 1860 theough the 1890s by Publisher Charles Goodall & Son and other English competitors - Marcus Ward & Co., De La Rue & Co., and Raphael Tuck & Co. (later called Raphael Tuck & Sons) - are highly sought by collectors because of their limited availability. These cars were exported to the United States and are usually as easy to find here as the domestic cards of the same period.

Sending holiday greeting cards was slow to spread to America. For more than 30 years, the only ones available in this country were imported. Then in 1875, German immigrant Louis Prang, of Boston, began publishing an American version of the popular English missives. By 1881, only six years after the production of his first Christmas cards, Prang was printing 5 million cards a year - most of them Christmas cards. In order to acquire excellent designs, he sponsored contests for artists, with prizes up to $4,000!

Louis Prang, the "father of the American Christmas card",
published this sweet child gracing the cover of a collection
of hymns in 1888.

Prang is credited with establishing card designs with which
we're familiar today. His cards were works of art, often
incorporating as many as 20 different colors.

In the 1890s, the penny-postcard craze hit America, and soon inexpensive German-made postcards flooded the market. Although the cards were crude, the price was right. Until World War I, Germany monopolized the business.

This penny postcard, published in Germany in 1909, features
robins - popular because, according to legend, a small brown
bird fanned a fire to keep the Christ child warm. During the
vigil, the bird's breast was seared scarlet.

The modern greeting card industry began in the early 1900s with the birth of such companies as Hallmark Cards (then known as Hall brothers, Inc.), Rustcraft, Buzza, and American Greetings. Even during the Depression, printed greetings were popular. Money was scarce, so many people sent cards instead of gifts.

World War II shortages curtailed the paper supply. Giltter became more scarce than gold, but still greeting cards survived. The cards became very patriotic - the use of the flag was popular, and even often carried by Santa. Special cards were created for soldiers overseas. "Across the miles" and "Missing you" sentiments reflected the somber reality of the day.

The American flag and the Statute of Liberty are united
for freedom in this inspiring 1942 greeting card.

The Christmas card custom has weathered war, economic turmoil, and social changes spanning well over a century. It serves the timeless human need to stay close, to share special thoughts with friends far and near during our most cherished holiday seasons.

Cards have come a long way since 1843. Designs are more sophisticated; production processes have been refined. But the message on that first Christmas card is as relevant today as it was then ..... "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you".

From all of us to all of you, it is our wish that this Christmas is your best one yet; that your blessings are many; your loved ones are with you; and most of all, that Christ is in your heart.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 12-22-03 Military Monday 12-23-03 Christmas Music

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

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[Billie]

[Billie]

[Billie]

Thank you for FR, Jim!

[Mama_Bear]

Just lovely, Billie! And very interesting about the origin of the Christmas Card.

Thank you for tolerating my continual absence from the threads (if I were you I would have booted me out of the sistah-hood long ago, LOL). After Christmas things should ease up some here. I have missed being able to spend time with some of the Finest people on FR.

I am wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a bright and beautiful New Year.

[ValerieUSA]

K K k k K K k K Gorgeous thread, Billie!

[Diver Dave]

Beautiful, Billie. Just Beautiful. Thank You.

To all our FRiends here at FR's Finest..., May you have a Wonderful Christmas. May Jesus be Glorified with each celebration.

May God Bless and Protect our Armed Forces throughout the world.

[ValerieUSA]

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Billie. A blessed Christmas Eve to all.

[knighthawk]

Merry Christmas!!!

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Merry Christmas Eve !

lookin' for robert blake.....

[deadhead]

[GailA]

The thread is beautiful Billie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORD JESUS

[Kudsman]

Good morning to all. This thread is truly a "Hallmark" moment. Very interesting read on the origin of Christmas cards.

I wish the merriest Christmas to all on this most Holy of times. Off to work now.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[Texagirl4W]

Beautiful post, Billie. May you and yours, and everyone, have a very blessed, safe, and happy Christmas. I just can't post it as eloquently as all of you, but it means the same. lol

[FreeTheHostages]

Oh my gosh! I haven't looked at the thread yet but the hostess greeting is just *so* beautiful!

[FreeTheHostages]

Very lovely, Bilie. Just wonderful.

[Aquamarine]

Just beautiful and interesting, never knew about the origin of the Christmas card. It's hard to imagine a time with no Christmas cards.

Won't be around today but just wanted to wish everyone a......

Click on the pic

[The Mayor]

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12

Without the light of Jesus, we would be in the dark about God.

[The Mayor]

December 24, 2003

A Light In The Darkness

Read: Luke 2:25-33

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. —John 8:12

Bible In One Year: 1 John 3-5

---

An artist was painting a winter scene. Snow blanketed the ground and the pine trees. Night was falling, and the landscape was enveloped in semi-darkness. A log cabin was barely visible in the shadows. The whole scene was one of gloom.

Then the artist used some yellow tints to put the cheerful glow of a lamp in one of the cabin windows. That lone light, its golden rays reflecting on the snow, completely transformed the impression given by the painting. In contrast to the cold darkness of the surrounding forest, that light in the window created a warm feeling of love and security.

What happened on that canvas is a striking portrayal of one of the most dramatic events of all history. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem's stable, a light was placed in this sin-darkened world. The apostle John testified, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).

During this week, as we commemorate the birth of the Lord Jesus, let's be mindful of how much brighter this world is because He came into it. Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).

How has Jesus brightened your life? —Richard De Haan

The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus;
Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in,
The Light of the world is Jesus. —Bliss

Without the light of Jesus, we would be in the dark about God.