Dear Santa, you've got mail

Is the Christmas card on its way out with social networking changing the way we communicate? We find out whether it's old-fashioned to be sentimental

Christmas evokes memories of stuffed turkey, plum cake and greeting cards with nativity scenes, but in the age of social media, free access, and e-greetings, is the Christmas card headed towards extinction?



Statistics might say it all. In the UK, the number of card-buyers buying Christmas cards dipped to 73% in 2009 from 84% in 2006, according to a study carried out by market research firm Mintel. The slump in the industry has been attributed to the convenience of

e-cards, which is in stark contrast to the time and money spent on greeting cards and postage. Taking a cue from the trend, greeting card company Hallmark chose the middle path, and offers webcam greetings and e-card subscriptions on their website.

City stores, however, believe that the Christmas card is here to stay. A case in point is Satyam Collections at Churchgate, which boasts a loyal clientele, who have been turning up for decades t do their card shopping. "Sales have gone up in the past year, and we are expecting a good turnover this year," says proprietor Runish Chheda, Satyam Collections.

One such Christmas card loyalist is homemaker Beulah Fernandez (61), who has been sending cards to relatives and friends religiously over the last four decades. "It adds a personal touch that is missing in e-cards.

It shows that the sender spent time and effort in choosing a card, sitting down and penning their thoughts, and it means much more to receive such cards. I have preserved several cards that I received over the years and I will continue sending them, irrespective of whether I get cards in return," she says.

For PR professional Alishya Carvalho (22), who regularly sends e-cards, e-cards are convenient. "They are faster and easier to send, and save one the hassle of going to a shop, selecting a card and mailing it. Soon, even e-cards may become redundant and people will simply paste messages on Facebook or Twitter," says Alishya.

Ironically, the tradition of sending Christmas cards was started by Sir Henry Cole in the UK, who commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley to design a card in 1843 where he could jot a short message as he was too busy to pen individual Christmas letters. Whether e-cards and social networking sites will supercede the humble greeting card, only time will tell.

Greet-ing card trivia
The practice of sending greeting cards is said to have originated in China. Germans printed New Year's greetings as long ago as 1,400 AD.

The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London, in 1843. The controversial card featured an illustration by John Callcott Horsley, depicting a family with a child drinking wine together.

Dutch emigrants carried the tale of a legendary gift-bringer called 'Sinterklaas' to America, where he came to be known as 'Santa Claus'.

'To be off someone's Christmas card list' is an idiom used to indicate a "falling out" between two people or groups.

The UK conservation charity Woodland Trust runs an annual campaign to collect and recycle Christmas cards. The donations received from corporates and individuals for the recycling awareness campaign, helps raise money to plant more trees.