Mailing business holiday cards to co-workers and clients seems to be a tradition of many companies. These personalized greeting cards can improve customer relationships, build trust and even help a company gain new business. But this got me wondering something: When did this friendly tradition begin?

As it turns out, the idea of sending holiday cards has been around for quite some time. In fact, the first Christmas card was sent in the mail in 1843 in London. That's right, even in the 1800s people recognized the importance of these holiday greetings. The person who mailed the card was Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant. He and his friend (and painter) John Callcott Horsley got together to design a card complete with a brief holiday greeting and an image. Cole wanted a way to get in touch with his family, business colleagues and friends without having to sit down and write individual long letters to everyone. And thus, the Christmas card was born.

Thankfully holiday cards have evolved since then. I'm sure if Cole had the option to personalize his cards with his company's logo and a photo of everyone at the office, he would have done so. Today there are so many options for holiday cards that you are sure to find the perfect design and sentiment to convey your holiday greetings. There are even profession-based Christmas cards designed specifically for certain businesses, plus religious greetings, modern cards and more.