There is still something wonderful about the arrival of the first Christmas card, it prompts the pinning up of the traditional string on which to display them and though it looks a bit solitary for a day or two, pretty soon cards are stacked on top of each other.

For many of us in this busy world, there is only a fine thread of communication left with some of our friends and relatives, so the Christmas card plays a vital role in keeping this connection alive.

The birth of Christmas cards

The tradition has been with us since the Victorian days, when the first public postal service made it possible to send out Christmas communications to family and friends. The original Christmas card was created by Sir Henry Cole and from about 1860, the tradition took off countrywide, when Christmas cards were produced in much larger quantities.

Personalised cards

If you long to be different this year, by sending out cards that say something about you and won't be duplicated by anyone else, why not create your own unique set of Christmas cards? PhotoBox can produce a special set for you, complete with your own photo and a personalised Christmas greeting.