Advent Calendar - December 4, 2007

Christmas Cards

Did your family send them? Did your family display the ones they received? Do you still send Christmas cards?

Here is a brief summary of contributions from fellow bloggers and links to their individual posts.

I am starting with Bob's post Vintage Christmas Cards over at Itawamba History Review since he gives a good overview of how the practice of sending these cards got started. Go check out the pics of his collection of vintage cards.

Is there a correlation between the rising cost of postage and the decrease in sending of Christmas cards? At Terry's entry, Christmas Cards, at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, he not only describes various display methods, but he even provides a chart of the various postage rate increases since 1932!

Christmas Cards offered by Jessica at Jessica's GeneJournal (with a nice new Christmas banner!) tells of how she received a Christmas card from the governor of Michigan for several years.

In A Christmas Postcard over at Before My Time, T.K. displays one of the wittiest Christmas postcards I have ever seen - hands down!

Bill over at West in New England describes how he does not send many Christmas cards but he mentions the various display methods he and his family has used throughout the years.

Ever hear of "holiday tape?" Neither did I until reading Steve's post entitled Holiday Cards and Holiday Tape. At Steve's Genealogy Blog he recounts his hunt for the tape that had imprinted Christmas messages and images used to display Christmas cards.

Displaying Christmas cards can be a challenge as Becky notes in Christmas Cards at Kinexxions. And then there is the issue of what to do with all the cards saved over the years - something she writes about as well.

Colleen in Cards brings up an interesting observation in her post at The Oracle of OMcHodoy: Americans became much more mobile starting with out parents' generation. That meant moving around alot and long distances away from family - making the tradition of sending Christmas cards all the more important.

You have to go visit Apple's Tree where Apple has posted about Christmas Cards. Not just to learn how her family sent cards each year, but she has photos galore not only in the post, but a neat Christmas memories slideshow in the sidebar.

Christmas Card Conundrum is what I am up against each year as I explain in Destination: Austin Family. Although I've found a better way for me to send cards, I think over time Christmas cards will go the way of the postcard - which no one seems to send anymore.

Sending cards around the holiday definitely takes some planning as Lori at Smoky Mountain Family Historian knows. In Christmas Cards she also has a creative way to display cards using, of all things, empty Hi-C cans.

Jasia at Creative Gene is designing and printing her own cards this years which she describes in Christmas Cards Over the Years. Also go there to read about a common post-Christmas ritual for many of us: going to buy half-priced cards for the following year.

Janet at Janet: the researcher has a post on Christmas Cards that includes waiting for the sound of lots of cards falling through the mail slot and onto the floor each day.

Diane at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' presents Christmas Cards. She shows us a Christmas photo card of her at age one and talks of other cards from the past.

And lastly, but not leastly, Randy at Genea-Musings has a detailed process that he and "Angel Linda" follow for getting their Christmas cards and holiday letters out the door. Read about it at Christmas Cards.

Check back tomorrow for more submissions on the next topic: Outdoor Decorations