Post thy heart, this Xmas

 

“Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” – this was how a traditional Christmas greeting read. But now, the modern trends of the 21st century have given a new look to Christmas cards with change in styles and messages. The evolution of cards has now replaced the traditional ones, once in parchments and later in papers, with the present status of E-cards.

 Christmas cards were the most important part of Christmas celebrations, the way to send all the love and peace of Christmas season to our dear ones. Gone are the days when we used to save all our pocket money for the whole year, only to spend it on Christmas cards. With the upcoming of Internet and message services in cell phones, things are no longer the old.

 Christmas cards have now given way to E-cards and Christmas SMS. The process of buying the Christmas cards, getting stamps and posting it to near ones have all turned a tiresome job for the present day generation. They find it easy to surf through the websites and find a suitable E-card for their friends or relatives, that too only on the day just before Christmas.

 Long back, Christmas cards were made in dried leaves and parchments. Later paper greeting came in and by the 20th century, cards with envelopes became trendy. The designs used were simple like picture of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus in the crib, or the three kings’ visit to see the trio, the star of Bethlehem or Christmas star.

 New designs were introduced, and slowly Christmas cards became the part and parcel of Christmas celebrations. The production of Christmas cards was, throughout the 20th century, a profitable business for many, with the design of cards continually evolving with changing tastes and printing techniques.

 The purchase of greeting cards was a month-long job. Selecting Christmas cards was a shopping favourite among many. The members of the family would sit down together, pen down the list of relatives for whom the cards should be sent. Friends used to go in groups to the shops to buy the Christmas greetings. When it comes to youth, the wording inside the cards was given the priority, whether some poems or biblical versus.

 “During our time, Christmas was celebrated by all religions and sections of society. Christmas greetings were the most loved thing among us. We didn’t have a Valentine’s Day or Friendship Day to celebrate. All we had was Christmas and New Year. So it was a time to exchange cards and gifts, not only among friends but also among lovers,” says Ranjini, a 40-year-old housewife.

 “The Christmas seasonal sale is on. But we don’t experience a rush like yesteryears. May be the effect of global meltdown or spread of E-cards, there is no much wanted for the Xmas greetings this year,” Govindraj, manager, Archies Collections, Coimbatore said.

 Many shops in Coimbatore experience a similar sales-down. Apart from inflation many reasons the booming of E-cards as a major reason for this dullness in card sales.

 E-cards are available in ‘n’ number. There are even special websites exclusively for Christmas greetings. They also offer plenty of variety among them. The most interesting thing with E-cards is its option to customize the cards. You can leave your customized message on it. Even photos of you or your friends can be uploaded and can be sent as greeting card.

 “I find it quite easy with E-cards. Moreover, it’s a good thing that we can customize our cards and send our personal messages in cards. Its very creative too,” Ancy, a medical transcriptionist said. Most of them fine it economic also.

 Even in E-cards there are a wide variety including animated Christmas carol cards. You can select a carol song and send it along with your E-card. The infant Jesus giggling or chuckling inside the crib or Mary and Joseph watching their child. There are several animated cards narrating the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

   “From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another.

Let the warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other through this SMS,” no wonder, this is also a new way of sending Christmas greeting, not via post or web, but through mobile phone! This is another trend that have come forward to replace the tradition of paper greeting cards are Christmas SMS. With a month to go for Christmas, people starts sending advance Christmas SMS.

 “Who cares to go behind all these stuffs in shops when you have a mobile phone and lots of forwarded messages, exclusively Xmas greetings, in your inbox. Also, as sky is the limit for creativity, we can use our personalized picture messages and multimedia messages to send the greetings” Sasha, a second year visual communication student from Bishop Appasamy College, Coimbatore said.

 Rather than individuals, corporate firms and companies are still sticking on to Christmas cards to wish their customers and well-wishers a Merry Christmas. Though there are many modern ways to convey Christmas greeting, some people still find it interesting to send Christmas cards. “The Christmas cards should be sent with more love and intimacy. E-cards or mobile SMS can never replace the importance of Christmas cards. It is a joyful and nostalgic feeling when you receive a Christmas card addressed to you. This becomes more special when a postman come in search of you and give it,” Thomas, a retired headmaster said. Anyone, who has at least once, received such a Christmas card from your loved ones, will undoubtedly agree with him.

 As an old Christmas greeting says, a silent night, a star above, a blessed gift of hope and love. A blessed Christmas to you!