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Slate Thinks Facebook Killed the Christmas Card

by Amar Toor on December 21, 2010 at 04:20 PM

christmas photo Once upon a time, long before the age of e-mail, text messaging and fire, early man used to send these things called "Christmas cards." Every winter, just after the last woolly mammoth had been slain and right before the annual yuletide feast, many humans would pull out their "address books," and begin writing a series of seasonal missives to friends and cave people with whom they hadn't spoken in many, many moons. These letters typically provided generic information about what had transpired among the tribe over the course of the previous year. (Thor made a wheel, little Jenny developed opposable thumbs, etc.) Some would even include pictures. They'd end the letters with a cheery wish of "Merry Christmas," and would send them away on the backs of pigeons.

It was an annual rite, and one upon which many relied to keep in touch with their fellow hominids. Then, the Internet happened, and Facebook soon followed. People no longer needed paper to communicate, and, with social networking, they could easily find out what their friends had been up to since last year (or, for that matter, last week). Throughout this technological upheaval, the deeply ingrained Christmas card tradition persevered, thanks in large part to old people and Hallmark. In 2010, though, everything changed. This, you see, was the year that the Christmas card finally died away -- according to Slate, at least.

Granted, Slate has virtually no hard data to support that thesis. In fact, industry analysts expect only a slight decline in holiday mail circulation this year. But anecdotal evidence (read: "personal musings from bored Slate staffers") suggests that in 2010, Christmas card volume dropped off precipitously for many consumers (read: "Slate staffers"). But why? And why now?

Slate offers four potential explanations, ranging from the plausible (tough economic times that discourage even the smallest of postage expenditures) to the outright ridiculous (e-cards). Ultimately, though, it lays most of the blame at the feet of Facebook. According to Slate's theory, the rise of the social network dovetailed perfectly with the dawn of a new breed of Christmas card: one with plenty of family photos, and plenty of impersonal, borderline-solipsistic information about a family's "Very Busy, Very Exciting year."

With Facebook, however, people don't need annual photos to marvel at how much little Jenny has grown. And they don't really need an update on what an individual or her family has been doing all year. "In 2010, people don't need to wait for December to brag," writes Slate's Kate Julian. "They've been doing it all year." It certainly seems like a reasonable, if somewhat obvious theory, and one that our own dearth of Christmas cards would ostensibly support. But it doesn't necessarily imply that the Christmas card is dead, either.

Perhaps it's time for the tradition to undergo yet another transformation -- to move away from the businesslike, and return to the more intimate. Slate's right: no one needs to see family photos or read formulaic letters about what your daughter chose as her major, because Facebook already tells us that. But that's not really a bad thing at all. Instead of mourning the imminent demise of a holiday tradition, we should take this inflection point as an opportunity to breathe new life into the Christmas card, and find new ways to distinguish it from Facebook. Sure, snail mail is slow, and postage isn't free. But a hand-written, personalized letter will always get more attention (and appreciation) than just another empty-hearted Facebook post.

If you have any ideas about how to revolutionize and revitalize the Christmas card, let us know. Our messenger pigeons are on standby.

Tags: Christmas, ChristmasCards, facebook, hgg, holidays, photos, slate, SocialNetworking, theory, top, Tradition

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