The first documented Christmas card was given to King James I of England in 1611. It would take a long time before the Christmas card tradition would become the one we have today. The first commercially produced Christmas card was printed in London in 1843.

 

Finnish citizens like Christmas cards. You see 75 percent of Finnish citizens sent Christmas cards in 2017 and 70 percent of women over the age of 35 think it is a tradition worth cherishing.

 

The Finnish Christmas card tradition has a lot to thank the Swedish tradition. In Sweden during the 1890s it was popular to give picture cards during holidays. It was however always given hand to hand before 1897 when the lines to write addresses on were added because of the need to send cards created by the Worldsfair in Stockholm.

 

Lauri's collection contains Christmas cards from the start of the 20th century until the 1990s. The collection is large and we have therefore divided it into smaller portions based on when the cards were sent. Christmas cards and their themes change depending on where and when they were made, but there are however some recurring themes, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, Religious scenes, children and decorational motifs.

 

Click below to explore Christmas cards of the different decades.