Volume 31

John Calcott Horsley designed the world’s first commercial paper-and-envelope Christmas greeting. But he wasn’t what you’d call a real card.

In fact, the English artist had a reputation for being prudish. When he led a campaign against the painting of nudes, his critics called him Clothes Horsley. But in 1843 he was hired by London businessman Sir Henry Cole to paint a Christmas card showing charity to the poor. Cole said he wanted to bring beauty to the world. A tradition was born.

Until that time, people had exchanged homemade, handwritten greetings, first in person, then by post. They became so popular that, in 1822, the head of the U.S. Post Office complained about having to hire sixteen extra letter carriers for Christmas! Ironically, Sir Henry Cole helped modernise the postal system in Britain, which is only fair, considering what he unleashed with that first Christmas card.

It had three panels, one on either side depicting the feeding and clothing of the poor. In the centre, a happy family celebrated with food and drink as a banner proclaimed “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” At that time, merry was a more spiritual word that meant blessed, as in merry ole England. Still, Cole was accused by the temperance movement of promoting drunkenness.

The businessman sent out a thousand black and white, hand-colouredcards, of which twelve still exist. They became wildly popular and commercial cards soon flooded England and eventually spread to North America. Most were elaborate creations, decorated with silk and satin. Cut in various shapes such as fans and crescents, many folded like maps or fitted together as a puzzle. Pop-up cards featured miniature mangers or tiny skaters on a mirrored pond.

In the Victorian era, surprise cards were the most popular. Simple looking at first glance, they became much more complex with the pull of a string, or the move of a lever. On one 1870 card of colourful roses encased in a fan-shaped handle, tugging on a silken thread opened the card to reveal five separate rose petals, each surrounded with more flowers and poetry quotations.

By the end of the First World War, the modern greeting card business was well established. Today, two billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the U.S. alone, more than at any other time of year.

When the original Christmas Message was sent, it was because God wanted to bring beauty to the world. But the power behind that Message is sometimes obscured by the genuine foibles or perceived narrow-mindedness of those of us commissioned to communicate it. Even when that’s not the case, our Father’s tidings of love and accountability are often misinterpreted by others who criticise Christianity simply because it doesn’t suit their own agenda.

Authentic faith is not about foisting anything on anybody. It’s about stopping to consider how much we’ve been blessed by our encounter with Christ. It’s about sharing those blessings in a personal, natural way with others while respecting their right to decline them. And it’s about showing people through our own experience that there’s so much more to spirituality than what they see at first glance.

More than wishing people a merely merry Christmas, we want them to have a blessed one. One that ends the year with a glimpse of how love, forgiveness and daily power for living can transform existence into exuberance — a genuine zest for life that comes of understanding that God has a personalised plan for each of us.

Your life is a Christmas card. It should tell others that you — and God — are thinking of them; that there really is good reason to believe in love, peace and joy; and that when God makes a promise, He delivers.

By Rick Gamble. Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at sgamble@bfree.on.ca