Christmas cards come in a huge array of different designs and styles. You need only walk into a card shop during the festive season and you’ll be bombarded by hundreds of cards in a variety of colours, styles, and themes.
But there are some images that seem to be more popular than others, and tend to crop up on Christmas cards year after year. They are the images that we most commonly associate with the festive season, and are ubiquitous not only on Christmas cards, but also in Christmas television, movies and adverts.
Today, we’re going to be exploring the most common Christmas card imagery and what it means – from traditional nativity scenes, to snow-covered towns and cities. We’ll discuss each theme’s link to Christmas, and why it’s so popular on greetings cards during the festive season.
Religious Imagery
Though you don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ is seen by many to be the true meaning of the festive season. That’s why religious imagery is so popular on modern-day Christmas cards.
Most religious Christmas cards feature a nativity scene, showing Mary and Joseph looking upon their newborn son. Angels are a common feature, as are the Wise Men, shepherds and their sheep. The Christmas star (or the Star of Bethlehem) can often be seen shining above. Nativity scenes on Christmas cards remind us of why we celebrate Christmas, and inspire joy and hope in our hearts.
For the Christians among your friends, family and colleagues, a religious Christmas card would be the perfect choice.
Father Christmas
Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus in the United States, is the personification of Christmas – that is, he is Christmas itself, but portrayed in a human form. Some form of Christmas personification has been around in folklore for centuries.
The image of Father Christmas, as we know him today, first appeared in the 1600s as a symbol of Christmas cheer. He was associated with feasting and other kinds of adult festivities, such as drinking, dancing and singing.
Nowadays, we associate Father Christmas with the bringing of presents to children. Believing in Father Christmas is something we associate with the very young – typically children under 10 years old.
So, seeing an image of Father Christmas on a Christmas card brings back memories of the magic and excitement we all felt at Christmas time. It also reminds us to be kind to others, as Father Christmas is associated with bringing gifts and joy to people all over the world.
Christmas Animals
Animals have been used in Christmas card designs since the Victorian times, when cards would often feature animals dressed in human clothing, and dancing or playing musical instruments. Victorian Christmas cards also commonly depicted dead birds – something that has, thankfully, fallen out of fashion.
Nowadays, there are certain animals that we can’t help but associate with the festive season. Robins, for example, have been associated with Christmas since the 1800s. Robins on Christmas cards often sit on post boxes, symbolising the sending of letters and cards to loved ones (as Victorian postmen wore red, and were nicknamed ‘robins’).
Deer, particularly reindeer, are firmly associated with Christmas due to their link with Father Christmas’s sleigh. Other animals, such as partridges and pheasants, are popular on Christmas cards due to their history of being eaten at Christmas! A dove on a Christmas card, on the other hand, symbolises peace and hope.
Christmas Presents
Christmas is a time for giving. We spend the vast majority of the holiday season planning, buying, making and wrapping gifts – and waiting in anticipation of the ‘big day’, on which we can share our carefully-chosen presents with our loved ones. It’s no wonder, then, that presents feature so heavily on Christmas cards.
Whether it’s a traditional Christmas stocking, brightly-coloured presents sitting under a Christmas tree, or a single gift box wrapped in a shining ribbon – many Christmas cards feature gifts. These cards represent the traditional Christmas spirit of ‘goodwill to all men’, and remind us to give to others, particularly the less fortunate.
Candles and Lights
Candles have been lit at Christmas for hundreds of years. In the Christian religion, candles symbolise light in the darkness, and hope in times that are bleak. The heat of the candle, meanwhile, represents love. These ideals are still associated with the Christmas period today – hence why candles are still popular on Christmas card designs.
Before electric lights became commonplace, Christmas trees were typically decorated with small candles. A fire hazard, perhaps – but beautiful all the same. The flame of a candle evokes feelings of warmth and cosiness, like sitting in front of a fire while it’s snowing outside.
Fairy lights have now overtaken candles as Christmas decorations, and these can also be seen on several Christmas cards. Their bright colours fill us with joy and excitement.
Snowy Landscapes
Snow has long been associated with Christmas time, even in countries such as the U.K., which rarely experience snowfall in December. In fact, the last widespread U.K. white Christmas occurred in 2010. Yet a Christmas card featuring a landscape – or any outdoor scene – looks incomplete without that soft, white blanket on the ground.
Our love of snowy scenes on Christmas cards is largely thanks to the Victorians – in particular, Charles Dickens. Dickens’ famous novel, A Christmas Carol, featured a white Christmas. After its publication in 1843, the idea of an idyllic snowy Christmas was cemented in our minds.
As a result, modern Christmas cards often feature snow-covered hills, fields and farms. These beautiful landscapes are designed to display the beauty of nature in winter. Depictions of children building snowmen remind us of the innocence of youth, and the magic of Christmas as it’s seen through a child’s eyes.
Towns and Cities
Typically, Christmas cards featuring towns and cities show busy pedestrians dressed warmly in hats, coats and scarves. As with landscape Christmas cards, these cards often show snow falling or on the ground.
There’s something about the hustle and bustle of a busy urban area during winter that makes for a perfect Christmas card. These cards conjure up the feelings of excitement and anticipation that come from doing our Christmas shopping, hearing carollers singing on the streets.
London is by far the most popular setting for urban Christmas cards. The bustling metropolis is seen as the heart and soul of the U.K., and its many recognisable landmarks – such as the London Eye, the Gherkin and Tower Bridge – look spectacular on the front of a card. London Christmas cards are perfect for anyone who lives or works there – or simply loves to visit our capital city.
Christmas Trees
Fir, pine and spruce trees have been used for thousands of years to celebrate all kinds of religious festivals. Just seeing a tall fir tree standing alone in a field is enough to conjure up festive feelings in our minds. But even before our modern celebration of Christmas came about, Polish pagans used to use fir and pine tree branches to decorate their homes during winter.
Modern Christmas trees were first adopted by German Christians during the 16th century, and became popular in England during the Victorian era. They are now a staple in almost every home throughout December – to many of us, it’s not Christmas without one!
Because Christmas trees are evergreen, they are supposed to symbolise eternal life and hope. It’s well known that a home filled with greenery lifts the spirits, and this is more important than ever during the cold, bleak winter months.
A huge variety of Christmas Tree Christmas cards are available, from photographic, to traditional and abstract illustrations.
