Perhaps inevitably, though, people have been sending fewer cards in recent years. This may be the result of a general sense of austerity, the huge cost of stamps, the onward march of digitalisation or a combination of the three. Whatever the explanation, research shows that we spent £272 million on boxed Christmas cards in 2005, £259 million in 2010 and just £200 million in 2014.
However, it looks like those people who do still send Christmas cards like to them to be lovely, luxurious, bespoke ones. Sharon Little, chief executive of the Greetings Card Association, has said: “People are sending slightly fewer cards but are spending more on the ones they are sending to family and close friends.
“Everyone predicted the end of the greetings card because of the fashion for digital. But it’s the one area of print communication that proved extremely resilient.”
If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Here, we round up the five sites that sell the best bespoke Christmas cards.
HoneyTree Publishing
www.honeytreepublishing.com
At Somerset-based HoneyTree Publishing, the Christmas cards come in two sizes, you can add your own photo or choose from their beautiful illustrations, you can personalise the font and inside of the cards and you can choose when you want your cards to arrive. Fuss free, but fabulously festive.
Mount Street Printers
www.mountstreetprinters.com
Everything about Mount Street Printers is beautifully finished and decidedly posh. Customise one of their gorgeous, hand-engraved, off-the-shelf cards (we love the “typographic Noel” design) or create your own photo card online and have it delivered within just two to three working days.
The Letter Press
www.letterpress.co.uk
The Letter Press gives good Christmas. The company’s personalised Christmas card sets, bespoke photo cards and gorgeous border cards pack a serious punch in heavyweight board and come with matching envelopes. Also, many of these cards support Xavier Project, a charity that works in Kenya and Uganda with refugees escaping conflict in Congo and Somalia.
Papier
www.papier.com
Papier’s USP is that they collaborate with leading artists, illustrators and studios to bring the customer fresh looks across all of their products. The result is that their Christmas card range (all of which is customisable) is quirky, unusual and deeply appealing. The “Christmas Cat” design is irresistible.
Rosemood
www.rosemood.co.uk
Rosemood is a young French company, with a passion for quality and design. Check out their website for a stunning range of bespoke Christmas card ideas. Their “Minimalist Portrait Christmas Card” is ridiculously chic. Best of all, their sophisticated online editing tool is a pleasure to use.
November 2017