The Evolution of Christmas Cards

I'm not going to pretend that I'm an expert on the history of Christmas cards, but it's hard not to notice how many changes have taken place on the Christmas greetings front over the years. First there were (probably, just guessing here)...notes. Or simply visiting people to wish them well on the big day. And then, of course, the standard Christmas card as we know it.

Eventually, there was the family photo Christmas card and the annual Christmas letter and even the e-card. Of course, all of those are still in operation, but lately (for the last few years?) there's been something new: the family video card. Some of these have musical backgrounds with fun videos, like this one from the Exum family:

And this one by the Brushwood family, who created a charming, time-lapse scene:

(The Exums and the Brushwoods made the cut for this blog entry because they're fun, well-planned and--almost as important--they got their delightful messages across quickly). 

There are also some innovative families who are singing and writing their own lyrics. If you've been online this week, you've probably seen the "Christmas Jammies" video card by the Holderness family (with over 12 million hits, I'm going to assume you've seen it and not show the actual video, but if you haven't I've included the link). Here's their far less well known 2012 video.

And here's my personal favorite, the Bock family's 2013 card with their own Christmas lyrics to Miley Cyrus's We Can't Stop.

I don't have what it takes to create something like that, but I love watching them, and I'm grateful to the people who have shared their videos publicly (I love YouTube). 

If you'd like to see more, I found these by entering the search term "Family Christmas Card" on YouTube. 

Enjoy, and Best Wishes!

Myrna