A
greeting card is an illustrated, folded paper card usually featuring a message. The custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese, who exchanged "good will" messages to celebrate the New Year.
By the early 1400s, handmade paper greeting cards were produced in Europe. By the 1850s, the greeting card had been transformed from a relatively expensive, handmade card to a popular and affordable means of personal communication, due largely to advances in paper and printing.
Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas, they are also sent simply to say "hello" or "thank you".
Greeting cards, usually packaged with an envelope, come in a variety of styles, are manufactured here in the United States by companies big and small. Hallmark Cards and American Greetings are the largest producers of greeting cards in the U.S.
It is customary to give
birthday cards and gifts, for example to celebrate the anniversary of one's birthday. This custom has been around a long time and vintage birthday cards with there beautiful illustrations are very collectible.
Christmas cards are are used to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Vintage cards depecting his birth and Santa Claus cards are highly collectible and often contain nice illustrations also.
Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day falls on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers let each other know about their love by sending
Valentines Day cards. The holiday is named after two men named Valentine. This special day dates back to the Middle Ages and giving valentine cards dates back to the 1800s.
During the late 1900s giving greeting cards began to turn, with consumers looking for greeting cards that were different from the mass produced greeting cards. By the year 2000 the market was clearly beginning to separate in to three different segments: handmade and premium cards, mass-manufactured cards and e-cards.
