The long-awaited winter holidays are ahead, which means that today it is worth considering what original cards you will send to friends, family, relatives and colleagues, wishing you a Merry Christmas in 2024. We have collected the best ideas for congratulations on Orthodox and Catholic Christmas and offer free download of beautiful thematic pictures, as well as cards with touching wishes.
Christmas pictures
Christians of different denominations celebrate Christmas on different dates:
- Catholic Christmas comes on December 25;
- Orthodox Christmas comes on January 7th.
At the same time, the essence of the holiday remains unchanged - the whole Christian world rejoices at the birth of the Savior. That is why the scene of the birth of Christ is the universal plot of Christmas pictures and postcards.
If you like to congratulate loved ones “in your own words” or beautifully compose author's rhymed wishes, we suggest supplementing your warm words with a traditional Christmas picture and an image of a little Christ in the rays of the light of the Bethlehem star, surrounded by angels, animals and Magi.
For posting on social networks and sending via instant messengers, vertical pictures are more suitable, which are more conveniently displayed on the screens of smartphones or tablets.
To download the image you like for free, click on the corresponding box in the gallery. The picture will open in full size, and you can download it to your device in the usual way.
Universal design
If the person you plan to send greetings to is not religious, choose images of a neutral design that depict winter landscapes, a decorated Christmas tree, candles or a lit lantern, stars as a symbol of the holiday.
Such pictures can be safely sent to a friend or colleagues, supplemented with an original Christmas wish in verse or prose. Also in 2024 you will find Merry Christmas cards in our selection, which already have beautiful rhyming rows.
Traditional (with Orthodox Temples)
If you are looking for Christmas greetings for a believing Orthodox Christian in 2024, then the option with the image of the most beautiful Orthodox Churches may be a great idea.
Christmas service in Orthodox Churches begins on Christmas Eve (January 6) around 16:00 and lasts with short breaks for 21 hours. It is recommended to send congratulations with the appearance of the first star in the sky, as a commemoration of the birth of Christ.
Traditional (with Angels)
The messengers of the birth of the Savior are Angels, lighting the first star in heaven as a symbol of hope.
Cute angels became one of the first subjects of Christmas cards. The plot is also relevant in 2024, although modern Merry Christmas cards differ significantly in design from the pictures that were given to each other on this day many years ago.
Retro postcards
The first postcards (and in those days they were simply called “open letters”) appeared on the territory in the second half of the 19th century, although this tradition originated much earlier in Catholic Europe. It is authentically known that back in 1794, the artist Dobson created the author's picture of a Christmas theme as a gift for a friend. The first printed postcard was made in London in 1840, after which the tradition began to spread rapidly to other countries, gaining popularity.
Retro Christmas cards most often depicted angels and children preparing for the holiday, as well as traditional biblical scenes.
Postcards with carolers
Christmas time is a special period starting on Christmas Eve (January 6) and ending with the Feast of Epiphany (January 19). The most favorite entertainment for the people at that time was always carols.
Children learned playful songs, dressed the participants in a bear, goat or horse, made a big Christmas star and went around the neighbors' houses, creating a festive mood for everyone. You can give your family the atmosphere of a traditional Christmas Eve today by sending a free but original gift - a postcard with merry carolers.
Animated
In recent years, the animated version of the holiday card has been especially popular. On the pages of our site you can find beautiful GIF.webp cards for New Year and Christmas, which can mysteriously flicker, shimmer in different colors, convey the effect of falling snowflakes or even contain moving characters.
Please note that gif.webp images are much larger than static jpeg.webp images. If the recipient owns an outdated gadget or uses limited mobile Internet, more "live" postcards can become a problem for him.
At the same time, such a Christmas gift will not leave anyone indifferent. If traffic and device space are not a problem, download beautiful GIF.webp cards for Christmas 2024.
We also offer to share beautiful congratulations and wishes for Christmas in the comments.
