1960’s Etiquette of Christmas Cards

Due to the large-scale shift in population these days, more and more people are having the envelope imprinted with their name and address. According, to Mrs. Peggy Gilbert, etiquette expert for Norcross, Inc., greeting card publishers, it's not only socially correct, but it's a convenient way of notifying friends of a change of address.

Card Etiquette Adds A Nicety

No one has to speak the tongue to understand the sentiment behind a Christmas card, but sometimes we get stumped on Christmas card etiquette. If you plan to have your cards printed this year, here are some things you might like to know.

While titles like “Mr. and Mrs.” may be used on personal Christmas cards, it is friendlier to omit "Mr. and Mrs." on all but the most formal cards or those in tended for purely business acquaintances. When first names are used, the wife's name should be imprinted first.

It's correct to imprint family cards in informal ways like “The Browns,” “The Brown Family,” and so on, but when sending cards do not address envelopes to “Mr. and Mrs. Jack Smith and Family,” or "The Smith Family."

If possible, send a separate (but different) card to individual members of the family or address the envelope to the parents and on the inside write to “Mary and Jack and Johnnie and Jean.”

Due to the large-scale shift in population these days, more and more people are having the envelope imprinted with their name and address. According, to Mrs. Peggy Gilbert, etiquette expert for Norcross, Inc., greeting card publishers, it's not only socially correct, but it's a convenient way of notifying friends of a change of address.

It is also correct to send Christmas cards to persons in mourning and there are religious cards with quotations from the Bible that can thoughtfully convey a message of comfort, as well as a seasonal greeting.

It is customary to address a widow by the same title she used when her husband was alive, such as “Mrs. Frank Jones.” If you receive a card from someone not on your list, don't feel obligated to mail a card in return. Instead, send a New Year's card or a note of thanks.

Remember the post office at Christmas, too. Address envelopes as plainly as possible, avoid abbreviations and use as much information as possible, such as zone numbers. A four-cent stamp is wisest. Not only will your cards be sorted and delivered first, but you can write personal notes on your cards to friends you seldom see during the year. Santa Cruz Sentinel, 1960

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette for Yuletide Custom

                                                  

Yule Card Courtesy Important

THE exchange of cheerful Christmas cards between friends is one of our most delightful Yuletide customs and like all other social relationships, it is governed by simple, common sense rules of etiquette.

You may properly send your holiday greetings to almost everyone - business and professional associates, if you wish, as well as social acquaintances and relatives. Be sure to choose appropriate cards, however. If Aunt Jennie is a garden enthusiast, she'll probably appreciate a beautiful flower print more than a dozen Santa Claus designs.

Special Titles

Cards with special titles, such as “Merry Christmas, Mother,” are available for mothers, wives, sweethearts and practically all relatives, including the in-laws, and are a mark of individual thoughtfulness.

If you can spare a moment or two, pen a brief holiday note on each card. It adds a warm sincerity and a touch of your individual personality to your Yuletide greetings. Christmas time is a sentimental and nostalgic season for everyone, and many a friendship has been kept alive through the years by the annual exchange of holiday greetings. Colored ink is entirely proper both for signing the card and addressing the envelope, provided it harmonizes with the color scheme of the card itself.

Signatures need not be formal, expect on engraved Christmas cards. You may have your name neatly printed if you wish, or take your pen in hand and sign the greetings yourself with a holiday flourish.

“Mr. and Mrs.”

Most couples may omit the Married couples may omit the “Mr. and Mrs.” if they prefer and sign their cards simply “Paul and Jenny Wilson.” Either the husband's name or the wife’s may appear first. Children in the family rate a place in the signature, too.

In addressing the envelopes, it is best to send one card to a husband and wife, and separate cards to other adult members of the family, too. As an alternative, one card may be mailed to the whole family if you are careful to write the names of each individual on the envelope, including the children.

Use three-cent stamps for for your Christmas cards, following the rule of good taste which says that first-class friends deserve first-class mail. It is entirely proper to write your return address on the envelope, to help friends keep tab on change of address.

Selecting attractive Christmas cards for each of your friends is a delightful pre-Christmas activity. Don't treat it as a sober social responsibility. Plunge in with a smile and the gay holiday scenes on the cards will soon fill your heart with Yuletide cheer and sentiment." — Mill Valley Record, 1948

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Holiday Card Etiquette

When you're addressing a Christmas card to a business acquaintance, it’s best if you send the card to the office. When there is also a social relationship, the card can go to the home. 

Who’s Name Where?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (UPI) When a Christmas card is from the entire family, father's name should come first, then mother’s, and finally the children, listed in order of their age, according to an authority from Hallmark Cards. When you're addressing a Christmas card to a business acquaintance, it’s best if you send the card to the office. When there is also a social relationship, the card can go to the home. – LaHabra Star News, 1964

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

1960’s Christmas Card Etiquette

Do you have “understanding-type” friends? Go ahead and add Fido’s name to your Christmas card’s signatures!

Long before emailed Christmas cards, there was detailed Christmas card etiquette. Here are  1964’s etiquette tips for Christmas cards. 

Tom, Dick, Mary . . . And Fido? 

It's OK to Put Dog's Name on Yule Card If You Have Understanding-Type Friends

NEW YORK (UPI)—Problem: Your dog’s practically a member of the family. All your friends know that. Is it okay to include his name when you sign the Christmas cards? Solution; If you’re the informal type, why not? But only to close friends who understand the place your furry friend has in the family’s hearts. Not all problems concerning Christmas card etiquette are solved so easily.

Consider married couples’ signatures. Etiquette says either name first is proper. If he’s the boss, sign cards Fred and Nancy Smith. If you rule, make it Nancy and Fred. How about individual last names? The American Greeting Card Association source for these card-signer’s tips, suggests you use the last name, unless you have distinct first names—say Archie and Mehitabel. If it’s just Joe and Jane, include the last name to keep friends from wondering which Joe and which Jane. 

Include Children’s Names 

Should you include the children’s names on cards? Yes. Usually, the father’s name comes first, the mother's second and the only child’s last. Sample: John and Mary and Tommy Merry. If there are several children, however, follow this form: John and Mary Merry, Tom, Polly and Joan. 

Other card tips to guide you as you prepare the holiday greetings: 

—Personal messages. The inked-in personal note adds warmth. If you address your Christmas cards early, you'll have the time to add the thoughtful messages that mean so much. 

—More than one card to a family? Addressing a Christmas card to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Smith and Family is okay. But if you’ve a warm spot for the small fry, a personal card for each will up your rating. Older members of the family, like a mother-in-law, also appreciate a solo card. 

—What about postage? First class friends deserve first class mail. First class postage also insures forwarding and return service by the post office. Technically, you can include a written message only with Christmas cards sent first class. If you like, use one of the 1964 five cent Christmas stamps. There are four designs featuring mistletoe, holly, poinsettia and pine cone.

—Should the envelope carry a return address? Yes. Add it to the envelope as a help to a friend who wants to return your greetings. Who knows what may have happened to the friend’s address book. 

Personal Touch 

—Is it necessary to exchange Christmas cards? The greetings go to people with whom you want to keep in touch, but there may be exceptions. If, at long last, you’ve lopped Cynthia Figtree off your list, what will you do when her card arrives? No, you haven’t seen her since the third grade, but if she sends you a card, you rush out and send her one post haste. 

Card makers, by the way, are encouraging the personal messages on Christmas cards. Joyce C. Hall, founder and president of Hallmark Cards, says the warmth of the personal note is akin to a handshake and Yuletide greetings exchanged among friends on Christmas morning. When the company's cards for 1964 were being designed. Hall ordered all printed sentiments moved high enough inside the cards to permit both the imprinting of the sender's name and adequate space for a personally written note. – Desert Sun, 1964

Wishing our readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Prosperous 2018 

– Maura J. Graber, the Site Editor of the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia!