Over 1.3 billion Christmas cards are expected to be mailed between Thanksgiving and the end of this year, a drop from 2 billion a few decades ago — but still a significant sum in an ever-expanding era of mass digital communication.
It might surprise you that the tradition of mailing cards at Christmas is traced back to 1843 and a British-born society man, Henry Cole.
Overwhelmed by all the Christmas letters he was receiving — a standard practice at the time — he conceived of the creation as a means by which to quickly acknowledge all his holiday mail that was piling up.
Then, as now, failing to respond was considered bad manners.
Many of us enjoy sending and receiving Christmas cards, an annual opportunity to share photos, letters and notes you can hold in your hand — and maybe even put on your refrigerator or tack up around a doorway.
Part of the charm of the card is receiving it in your mailbox, which is a welcome departure from the flyers, bills and other non-personal posts that come each day.
The card arrives courtesy of the United States Postal Service, which now charges 66 cents (it’s going up to 68 cents in 2024) to mail one ounce anywhere in the country.
To add some festivity to the envelope, senders can take advantage of two new “holiday-themed” stamp series being offered this year. | 
