Sending Holiday Cards on Tandem

Do you usually give a greeting card to friends or family during December? Sending cards at Christmas or New Year is a tradition that stretches back for nearly two hundred years!

With millions of members, Tandem is one of the largest language learning communities out there! With our Tandem app, you can connect with native speakers all over the world and practice languages via text, audio message, and video call. Download Tandem today - it’s free!

When was the first Christmas Card sent?

The first ever cards were sent in England by a busy civil servant who didn’t have time to see all his friends and family in the run up to Christmas. Instead, he had some festive cards made and sent them to his friends by post with a special greeting inside. His friends loved them - and sent cards themselves the following year. By the middle of the 20th century, the tradition of sending Christmas cards had spread to many countries - a quick, but thoughtful, way to send greetings to your loved ones.

Do people still send Christmas Cards today?

Today’s technology might make the traditional handwritten cards of the past seem old-fashioned. But sharing love and appreciation with your friends and family at the end of the year has never gone out of fashion - even for those who do not celebrate Christmas. With these things in mind, we have a special gift for you this holiday season!

Introducing… Tandem Holiday Cards

We’ve designed a unique set of special Holiday Cards in ten languages. Members of the Tandem community can share these with their language exchange partners through instant messaging on the app, so it’s a modern twist on the classic Christmas card. Here’s a sneak peek of what the Cards look like:

Like traditional Christmas cards, our Tandem Holiday Cards feature the words “Merry Christmas” - but you can choose from nine different languages, and send them around the world in seconds. The cards can teach basic vocabulary, but also spark discussions around the festive season in different countries and cultures. Here’s how to add one to your profile! Once you’ve updated your app, open up a conversation with the partner you want to send a card to. You’ll see a special icon in the lower left hand corner - tap this to view the different cards.

You’ll be able to swipe through a selection of different cards featuring “Merry Christmas” in ten languages - English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Once you’ve selected the card you want to send, make sure you add a personal note to your friend in the text bar at the bottom of the screen.

Once you’ve written your message, you’re ready to send! It’s as simple as that. You’re continuing the long tradition of Christmas cards and teaching some new vocabulary in the process!