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Christmas Cards The Christmas card is without a doubt the most sent greeting of the year. But the Valentine's Day greeting came long before the Christmas card. It can be traced all the way back to the 1400s. The first official Christmas card was first sent in 1843 in England and it depicted a family in a cosy setting drinking wine. The first Christmas cards rarely had Xmas as a theme on the card. Instead they focused on the coming of Spring and showed pictures of flowers, animals and children. The British Royal family also began sending out Christmas cards in the 1840s. Here Queen Victoria focused on the things that had happened in the family the previous year. The Christmas card quickly became very popular in various circles in Europe and in 1875 the German immigrant Louis Prang started the first series of American Christmas cards. A few years later Prang was producing over 5 million Christmas cards for the USA. The Christmas card has been a colossal success since then but today t...

The first known Christmas card is printed on the front cover with a date of 1843. The original was in muted colours, hand painted, printed and sold for 1/- each (5p) - a lot of money in those days. Despite the date on this card, encyclopaedias say that Christmas cards were first sold in 1846! By the 1860s the idea of sending cards had caught on as they were able to be produced much more cheaply with the invention of less expensive colour printing. The first Christmas cards had lace and flowery borders, but then they changed to more familiar designs. Christmas Cards Christmas Cards

A is for Angels, appearing so bright, telling of Jesus that first Christmas night. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host." Luke 2:13 B is for Bethlehem, crowded and old, birthplace of Jesus by prophet foretold. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel." Micah 5:2 C is for Cattle, their manger His bed, there in the stable where He laid His head. "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger." Luke 2:7 D is for David and his ancient throne promised forever to Jesus alone. "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." Luke 1:32 E is for East, where shone the bright star which Magi on camels followed afar."Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born Kin...

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A Christmas tree, Yule tree or Tannenbaum (German: fir tree) is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story. Christmas Tree Pictures Christmas Tree Pictures

Santa Claus suit Christmas is associated with dining and dancing with a religious fervor. There is another important aspect to the festival. That is the ever-loved Santa Claus in his Santa Claus suit. The silver bearded man from the North Pole, who not only grants wishes of the people, but also delivers gifts to them. The concept of Santa Claus is as old as the religion itself. Santa Claus is supposed to shower gifts and wishes for the New Year. Santa Claus is originally believed to be from the North Pole and comes in a sledge driven by the silvery reindeer. The Santa Claus suit worn by him is unique and fits the harsh environment of the North Pole. No Christmas event is complete without the presence of Santa Claus. It is popularly believed that Santa Claus leaves behind gifts for everyone at the base of the Christmas tree after the day of the festival. It is an eagerly awaited occasion as kids look for their gifts with great anxiety. In certain families, one elder person doubles as a ...

A Christmas village (or putz) is a decorative, miniature-scale village often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Mass-produced, cardboard Christmas villages became popular in the United States during the early and mid 20th century, while porcelain versions (especially those created by the company Department 56) became popular in the later part of the century. Origins The tradition of decorative Christmas villages is rooted in the holiday traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. In early-colonial American Moravian homes, the construction of a nativity scene or "putz" at the base of a Christmas tree was a very common holiday activity. The term "putz" was derived from the German verb "putzen", which means "to clean" or "to decorate." These nativity scenes soon became very elaborate and often included sawdust or fine dirt spread to represent roads leadin...

To add good cheer to the merry-making of English Christmases, posset was drunk on Christmas Eve. It was made of hot milk combined with spices, lemon and sugar, and bits of oatcake and bread were added. The posset was taken with a spoon, and lucky, indeed, was the fortunate youth or maiden who drew out the lucky coin or the wedding-ring which had been dropped in the posset-pot! During the 19th century, on Christmas Eve, the custom was to offer each caroling guest a posset cup and a piece of apple pie or tart. 4 cups milk 4 tablespoons sugar 4 slices toast 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 cups of beer (preferably ale) Heat the milk, sugar, and toast in a saucepan, but don't let it boil. Stir the cinnamon and beer together in a punch bowl. Discard the toast. Pour the hot milk over the ale and stir. Drink from mugs while warm. Serves 8-10. Some possets contained raw eggs. The egg-nog (eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and some kind of spirit) is a modern form of this drink.

A rhinestone or paste or diamante is a diamond simulant made from rock crystal, glass or acrylic. Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. The availability was greatly increased when around 1775 the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass had the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the lower side of glass with metal powder. Hence, rhinestones are called Strass in many European languages. Rhinestones may be used as imitations of diamonds, and some manufacturers even manage to capture the glistening effect real diamonds have in the sun. Christmas Rhinestone & Rhine Stud Appliques