圣诞贺卡的历史文化故事 Christmas cards：圣诞节英语故事

　　The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

　　圣诞贺卡可追溯到1840年统一便士邮政(uniform penny post)的出现，此项改革实现了英国境内邮件递送费用的标准化。(新铁路运输系统为公共邮政服务系统创造了条件，成就了19世纪的通信革命，与电子邮件对现代人的影响无异)。随着印刷术的改进，从1860年起，每年会生产大量的圣诞贺卡。当邮寄非密封的卡片只要半便士(普通信件邮费的一半)时，邮寄贺卡变得异常流行。

　　Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

　　从传统上来讲，圣诞贺卡都印有一些基督教方面的图片，比如圣母玛丽，约瑟和小耶稣，或者其它包含有圣诞故事意义的图片。今天的圣诞贺卡通常是笑话、冬季景致，圣诞老人以及一些反应生活中浪漫场面的图片。