Still on the road, heading somewhere west, day by day, stopping when and where. If you are a regular reader you know I am still managing to blog daily (amazing to me that I am finding the time). I am having trouble keeping up with all the fun, wonderful things we are doing and the friends and family we are visiting. I am more than a few days behind! LOL
I found this reference to holiday cards and letters and I just have to share it with you, and cannot think of a better day to do this than the day the Genea-Bloggers are focusing on Christmas Cards via their Advent Calendar project.
Last year I wrote about my "annoying" holiday letters. They may be annoying to some, but, I noted then, as I do now, that they do record our family history through the years and that many of ours have been saved to reference, re-read and enjoy again.
A week or so, Man, knowing how I love history, Christmas and such handed me an article that appeared in a magazine about Lenawee County, Fall 2010, where I found this delightful little history about Christmas cards, part of which I now share with you.
"Christmas Cards
In 1843, London business man Henry Cole commissioned artist John Horsley to produce a card he could send in lieu of a holiday letter. It was a hand-colored deigned lithographed onto cardboard that featured family members raising wine glasses in a toast. The card bore the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". Horsley printed 1,000 copies to sell in London stores. The idea reportedly caught on because they were inexpensive to send...."
You did see that part about in lieu of a holiday letter, right?? So, that means, if I am reading this little tidbit right, that the holiday letter was FIRST. Well, my my! That means my annoying holiday letter was just returning to the traditions of old. Hee hee. Not annoying, but, A TRADITION! Ya, gotta love a good
Now, I need to write my 2010 traditional annoying little Christmas letter - - so, excuse me - - I'll be back soon with more on THE Trip.
* The disclaimer, the paragraph quoted comes from "Lenawee", Fall 2010, they have a web site at: http://www.lenaweemagazine.com/. (Link was not functional in April 2019.) They published this, they own the copyright stuff, I borrowed almost all of the article, not quite, but heavily. I thank them for the article and the giggles it has given me.
** Photo taken by Moi in Grapevine, Texas, through a store window. Those little elves must be copyrighted, they cost like $150.00 each. WOW!
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3 comments:
I loved your post! Safe travels and so glad you are able to post from the road
I love Christmas letters, but have only done a few. They get saved, the cards get tossed. Thanks for this delightful piece.
The main thing that keeps me writing Christmas letters is that's the only system I have for remembering what we did from year to year.
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