Christmas cards are essentially an artistic tradition. In 1930, the New York Public Library held an exhibition showcasing various techniques used by American artists in making greeting cards, including etching, woodblock printing, oil felt clip art, and lithography. Although not all greeting card printing can reach artistic heights, this exhibition is at least filled with a festive atmosphere.

The curator of the library, Frank Weitenkampf, wrote, “These small crafts printed with unique paintings can be considered both a personal expression of the artist’s skills and a delightful solution for the visual expression of good wishes

In addition, emotions also allow the tradition of exchanging Christmas cards to take root and sprout. The New York Public Library exhibited Christmas cards the following year, and the American Journal of Nursing explored the joy people feel when receiving holiday greeting cards. Everyone has something in their life experiences that can make their friends think of them, “the author wrote.” A greeting card is a sketch that expresses the sender’s life experience, personality, and interests, and is collected in friends’ Christmas memories, so friends are very happy to receive these cards

In the 1940s, many non-profit organizations began to raise funds by selling Christmas card commemorative sets, which often featured the organization’s emblem or images reflecting its mission.

The most famous fundraising practice for holiday greeting cards is UNICEF’s annual holiday greeting card sale, which aims to purchase basic services for children in difficult living conditions around the world, such as vaccination and drinking water purification. The first UNICEF greeting card was issued in 1949, featuring a painting by a 7-year-old Czechoslovakian girl from a village that received food and water aid from UNICEF after World War II. Nowadays, the illustrations on UNICEF greeting cards are voluntarily designed by professional artists.

Perhaps most importantly, buying holiday greeting cards can satisfy people’s deep-seated subconscious needs. In his 1947 publication “The Symbolic Meaning of Art and Culture: A Psychological Study of Cards,” William E. Henry believed that cards became a tool for people to convey “emotions and desires.
He mentioned that in the public context, Christmas cards are endowed with special connotations by the general public, such as personal warmth, family feelings, returning to the protected state of childhood, and an opportunity to ease parent-child relationships. This study provides a detailed explanation that consumers’ greeting card choices often stem from personal desires and personalities. For a buyer, greeting cards can satisfy their need to maintain relationships and a sense of self-esteem. In other words, sending greeting cards is not only a gesture of goodwill, but also an act of expressing oneself.

At the end of the 20th century, the task of sending Christmas cards still mostly belonged to women. Michaela di Leonardo’s study in 1987 pointed out that women are increasingly busy dealing with work pressure, taking care of the elderly, and also balancing their desire for play during Christmas. So the question is, do they have time to send Christmas cards?
Some buyers’ answers are undoubtedly negative. However, interestingly, Leonardo’s research shows that even if women break free from the constraints of sending greeting cards, it does not necessarily mean they can enjoy a happy Christmas. Some women may feel guilty for not keeping in touch with their loved ones through greeting cards. After all, this tradition has deeply rooted in people’s hearts and has a long history.

In fact, the new printing method allows for mass production of greeting cards without losing personalization, that is, family names and photos can be printed on them. The person who sends greeting cards no longer needs to spend their precious time writing blessings or signatures. Those who own home printers don’t even need to write their address on the shipping envelope. Although this “production line style” method has compromised the original meaning of sending greeting cards, at least it ensures that the task of “sending greeting cards” can be completed.

Producers also gradually began to attract new consumers and develop greeting card products beyond Christmas, so Hanukkah (Jewish holiday) and Kwanzaa (African American holiday) cards began to be popular. In fact, nowadays greeting cards can be finely divided into many categories, targeting different audiences – ironically, these audiences even include atheists celebrating Christmas.