Christmas Gift Wrapping Paper ~ Julie Lence

 

Hallmark paper

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I like to shop, wrap, and send packages early so I can enjoy the season. Back during our first Christmases, hubby and I had an assortment of decorations; Santa Clauses, reindeer, wreaths, and when kiddo came along, kiddie decorations were added. It wasn’t until about 10 or so years ago that I decided I wanted a theme of snowmen. They are my favorite, and with kiddo grown, it was easy to get rid of the old and welcome in the new. Currently, I enjoy a theme of snowmen patterned in blue & white in the living and dining rooms, and snowmen patterned in red & black in the kitchen and family room. But my love of snowmen isn’t just reserved for decorations. I wrap presents in snowmen themed paper and have snowmen gift tags.

The Chinese are credited to be the first to wrap gifts in paper. Dating back to the 2^nd century B.C., the Chinese wrapped presents with paper to form the shape of an envelope, known as chih pao. The coarse wrapping paper was made from rice straws and bamboo fiber. Fast forward to the Victorian era and Christmas presents were wrapped with what we know as tissue paper. Scraps of colorful ribbon and lace were tied around the present and fashioned into a bow. Real greenery was also used to dress up the gift. The tissue paper came in various colors, and with the invention of Christmas Cards and technology booming to create mass Christmas cards, Victorians cut pictures from the cards and glued them to the tissue paper for a festive look. This led to manufacturers printing tissue paper with patterns (pictures) to match Christmas cards. This new rage spread to the western states and in the early 1900’s, the Hall brothers began printing large rolls of the Christmas paper we enjoy today.

Joyce Hall; Courtesy of Hallmark

At a young age, Joyce Hall hopped a train and moved from Nebraska to Kansas City with two shoeboxes full of scenic picture postcards he hoped to sell to dealers throughout the Midwest. Not having a lot of money, as he came from a poor family, he rented a room at the YMCA to use as home and office. Going from jobbing postcards as a teenager to manufacturing and selling his own line, Hall soon earned enough to open a checking account for his new business. Within a few years, his post card business grew and he asked his older brothers, Rollie and William, to join him in opening a specialty store, the Norfolk Post Card Company, to sell postcards and stationery. The brothers did well, but later on, Joyce worried the postcards were losing appeal and thought that selling higher end greeting cards, Valentines and Christmas cards with envelopes might be more profitable, naming his new venture Hallmark, which is derived from his name and the term ‘marked’, dating back to the 1300's where gold and silver were marked for quality.

Joyce Hall's card display case

 The Hall brothers also printed and sold tissue paper in shades of red, green and white for the holiday season. When they ran out of the popular colors one season, they began selling colorful envelope linings from France. These became popular with Americans, leading the brothers to add ribbons to the new design before they began printing larger rolls of Christmas paper. In 1923, the brothers and their 120 employees moved from tiny offices in four separate buildings into a brand new six-story plant. In 1936, Joyce introduced display cases housing rows of cards for customers to browse at their leisure. Joyce passed away in October 1982, and today the Hallmark Industry sells over 10 billion cards annually and Americans spend over 3 billion per year on Christmas wrapping paper.

 

One of Hall's early creations. 

The Christmas Card

The Christmas season is upon us. Folks are rushing from store to store, or combing through Amazon’s gazillion pages, to find the perfect present at the lowest price. Cookies bake in the oven, turkeys and hams are bought in anticipation of a scrumptious meal, and somewhere in between attending parties and wrapping gifts, many people take the time to address and send Christmas cards to their loved ones and friends

Horsley's Christmas card

The Christmas card was first introduced in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. Cole worked as a civil servant and wanted to find a way for the average person to use the Public Post Office. Up until this time, only rich folk could afford the price of postage. When the UK began using trains instead of horses and carriages to ship mail, the Penny Post was created, making it possible for the common person to afford the price of postage.

Having little time to keep up on his own correspondence, Cole hired his friend, John Horsley, to design a Christmas card he could send to family and friends in lieu of writing long missives. Horsley crafted a card with three panels. The outer panels depicted scenes of people caring for the poor. The middle panel featured a family enjoying Christmas dinner. One thousand cards were printed and sold for a schilling. When people realized these cards could be mailed in an unsealed envelope for half a penny, they became very popular in the UK.

Christmas cards were also introduced to the United States in the 1840’s. Since they were costly, most Americans couldn’t afford to buy them. R.H Pease is credited with crafting and distributing the first American made Christmas card in the United States. Pease owned a variety store in Albany, N.Y and his cards depicted scenes of families, reindeer, Santa, and Christmas presents and foods. 

One of Prang's Christmas cards

In 1875, Louis Prang began mass producing greeting cards in the United States. Originally from Germany and a printer, Prang arrived in the States in the 1850’s. He’d previously worked in the UK on their earlier cards. By 1870, Prang owned two-thirds of America’s steam presses and had perfected the colour printing process of chromolithography. Upon distributing his cards at an 1873 exposition, his agent’s wife suggested he add Christmas cards to his line. He did and the cards were an instant success with the American people, so much so Prang had difficulty keeping up with the demand for them. He later took up the English printers’ practice of offering prizes to artists with the best designs for his cards. Many of the winners crafted Biblical scenes, putting religious significance into the Christmas card, which had been lacking until that time.

Hallmark is the greeting card giant in today’s society.  John C. Hall and two of his brothers developed Hallmark Cards in 1915. It’s estimated that 1.6 – 1.9 billion Christmas cards are purchased in the United States each year. Though my list has dwindled through the years, I’m happy to say I’m one of those purchasers.            

Yee Haw, It's Valentine's Day

Although I tried to find some history of what this day might have been like in the old west, I could only find the history of Valentine's Day as it came to be.  Seems back in the triple digit years A.D., some priest guy named Valentine was executed for defying the then Ruler by continuing to perform marriages despite a decree that single men made better soldiers.  Later on down the road he was granted Sainthood and this day became synonymous with love and romance. 

Of course you realize, this is case of history perpetrated by two other huge personalities, St. Hallmark and St. FTD

 

Now, don't get me wrong...I love mushy cards and flowers as much as the next gal, and once the chocolate industry got involved, this immediately became one of my favorite holidays, but I can't help but wonder what this day would have been like back in the old west, say...out on the Rockin C Ranch, miles from a mercantile and long before boxed chocolates and fresh flower delivery were available.  Let's imagine together, shall we:  Note:  For the sake of saving brain cells, I'm going to use Frank and Mariah from my time-travel, Sisters in Time as the characters, since they lived on the Rocking C in old Denver territory.

Bacon sizzled and spit grease onto the cast iron stove.  Mariah took a step back to avoid the splatter.  The smell of baking biscuits wafted in the air.  All that was needed for a special breakfast she'd share with just her handsome husband were eggs and she was about to break them into the pan.

  The children were spending a week with their grandparents, and fresh coffee perked on the back burner.  She wore her best gingham, and had foregone pulling her hair into it's usual bun and left it down around her shoulders--Frank's favorite look for her.  Although not practical for chores, today would be about him.

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Frank curried his stallion while it munched oats from the feedbag.  All his other chores were done, and the boys from the bunkhouse were already out on the south forty, moving the cattle to the north pasture.  Earlier, he'd washed up, put on a clean shirt, and dusted off his black Stetson.   Storm finished his meal, and Frank's stomach rumbled in anticipation of his own.  He removed the bag from the animal's head, stowed it and the curry comb on the back wall, and gave his black beauty a pat on his hind quarter as he left the stall.

Outside the barn, he breathed in the fresh air.  The aroma of alfalfa mingled with the smell of cooking bacon drifting from the open kitchen window.  He caught the occasional strains of a song his wife hummed, and his heart quickened with love for her. 

He crossed to the water barrel at the corner of the house and washed his hands.  The back porch screen squealed open.  "Frank, breakfast is ready."

He glanced in Mariah's direction.  Her red hair hung loose around her still smooth and beautiful face. Her trim waist and curvy figure belied the birth of two children nearly grown.  He was indeed a lucky man.   "Be right there," he called back.  She stepped back into the kitchen.

On his way inside, he paused in front of the flowerbed running along the porch.  Stooping, he picked a small, colorful bouquet of pansies and concealed them in one hand behind his back.  He opened the screen and walked inside, his smile wide and his head filled with thoughts of the desert he craved....

Okay, that's it for my creative talents on this special day.  The point is that even without today's conveniences, I'm sure something as simple as Mariah leaving her hair down and Frank pausing to pick a few posies would mean something to their mate.  Even if you don't have money or means...show someone you love them today...in a special way.  Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.