You are invited to the W. T. Bland Public Library Christmas Tea: Christmas Cards Through the Ages on Saturday, December 12 at 1:30pm.  Tickets are five ($5) dollars and are non –refundable. Tickets can be purchased at the Circulation Desk of the W. T. Bland Public Library (Mount Dora).  You will be served a special blend of Christmas tea courtesy of The Tea and Spice Exchange and delicious holiday treats.  Be prepared to share one of your family’s holiday traditions.

The world’s first known Christmas card appeared in London in 1843, when Sir Henry Cole hired painter and illustrator John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card to send to his friends and acquaintances.  In America, lithographer Louis Prang is generally considered the father of the American Christmas Card.  Prang published his first Christmas card for his American customers in 1875.  In 1915 John C. Hall and two of his brothers created Hallmark Cards, who are still one of the biggest card makers today.

The Library Christmas Tea: Christmas Card through the Ages will be held at the W. T. Bland Public Library located at 1995 N. Donnelly Street in Mount Dora.   For additional information, please email garryl@cityofmountdora.com or call (352) 735-7180 option 5.