Days of Winter Holiday Trivia: Day 24

Here we are on the penultimate day of my 25 Days of Winter Holiday Trivia. It is also the last day for Christmas shopping. Oh, what am I saying? These days, one can shop on Christmas day, either online or in some physical stores!  Anyway, One holiday task that many people try to complete before tomorrow is the purchase -- and sending -- of Christmas cards.

The first Christmas card was published in the 1840s by a man who wanted to unburden the general public of the task of writing Christmas letter greetings. He thought he could take advantage of the penny post to send his creation inexpensively, but it took two decades before printing technology, specifically cheap color lithography, was sufficiently developed for Christmas cards to enter the mass market. You see, that first card cost a shilling which was roughly a full day's wages for the average worker. Way too expensive!

Since then, Christmas cards have seen many changes: they can play music, be personalized, or even virtual. But the intent is always the same: marry mass communication and art in the service of sharing seasonal greetings with friends and loved ones. Your trivia question today:

Who invented the Christmas card? 

Bonus question: In what year did he publish the first Christmas card? 

Speaking of cards ... you could win one of three gift cards if you're a high scorer in my 25 Days of Winter Holiday Trivia. Go ahead and submit your answer to today's and previous questions. See the notes below for details on how to participate!


Contest Notes:

Remember, my 25 Days of Winter Holiday Trivia is an actual contest. If you want to participate, all you have to do is send me your answer to each question I've posted (and for which I have not yet posted the answer). I'll start posting answers on Wednesday, but will likely only go through the first week of trivia. So you still have time to go back through the posted questions and rack up some points.

Points? Yes! The three folks who rack up the most points in my trivia game will receive a gift card!

If you want to participate, simply message me your answers. Don't post in the comments unless you don't mind sharing your work. (Just DM me on Twitter, private message me on FB, or use the contact info on this blog to email me).