Commercial greeting cards have been sent during the holidays since the mid-19th century.
In 1843, John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole to illustrate the first Christmas card. English Parliament had passed the Postage Act in 1840, making it possible to send letters for a penny throughout the UK. In a clever business move, Cole printed two batches of the greeting, selling a total of 2,050 cards that year for a shilling each. The card read “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You” and displayed a happy family enjoying Christmas festivities. Unfortunately critics believed the card, which showed a child enjoying a sip of wine, was “fostering the moral corruption of children.” Nevertheless, the custom of sending cards at the holidays became popular and within 10 years Christmas cards were the rage of England. Of the original Christmas cards printed, only 12 are known to still exist, two of which are in the Hallmark Historical Collection. [source: Emotions Greeting Card’s Greeting Card Museum, Wikipedia]
You may already be posting your holiday greetings (or perhaps you’re going paperless).
But, if you’d like to have some super-cute, dance-themed cards to hand out to your teachers or students, or save for next year, we’ve got a great giveaway for you today!
At the request of their members, our friends at DanceStudioOwner.com have created these really sweet holiday cards, inspired by dance during the festive holiday season. Illustrated by Lisa Graves, this one-of-a-kind card collection features three bright, colorful, and sweet designs finished with holiday greetings. The interior is blank with plenty of room to write a personalized note.
Inside each boxed set are 12 notes (4 of each design), plus 12 smooth white envelopes.
Learn more on the Holiday Collection product page at DanceStudioOwner.com.
DanceStudioOwner.com would like to give away one boxed set of the Holiday Collection Note Cards (which retail at $12 each) to FIVE Dance Advantage readers.
How to Enter:
Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite Holiday tradition (dance-related or not).
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will close at MIDNIGHT (Eastern) on Saturday, December 10, 2011.
Winners will be drawn randomly from the comments.
Once contacted via the email used to comment, winners have only 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. PLEASE READ our giveaway policy before entering.
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
