If Christmas cards are designed to send a note of seasonal affection to both your nearest and dearest and more distant acquaintances, then the images below might make you re-think. You might believe that some modern traditions of holiday celebrations are rather weird until you see the 19th century Victorian era Christmas cards, that are truly as creepy as those times themselves. A series of photographs of festive cards from the Victorian period have been unearthed showing a much more surreal approach to the annual festive missive.
Anthropomorphic cats, murderous frogs, and insects dancing by the moonlight aren’t exactly part of our Christmas card tradition today. However back in the 19th century, Victorians thought nothing unusual about sending their loved ones a grim image of a dead robin with the words “May yours be a joyful Christmas,” or a card with a boy greeting a jellyfish hovering in the air:
Greetings from Krampus
May all jollity lighten your Christmas hours
A Merry Christmas to you
May Christmas be Merry
Wishing you a Merry Christmas
May yours be a joyfull Christmas
A Merry Christmas
A Happy Christmas
Wishing you a Happy Christmas
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Happy Christmas
Here’s a crow for Christmas
Wishsing you a jolly Christmas
Happy Christmas
source: boredpanda