Christmas gift idea for only the most fabulous of my readers.

In days long gone by, people used to carry calling cards. These were small cards not unlike a business card used for social networking, printed with the owner's name and possibly their contact information. Ladies would give them to gentlemen looking for their name and address (in order to come calling--hence the name), or to friends they met at social occasions, etc. In the Little House on the Prairie series, Laura Ingalls exchanges cards with Almanzo Wilder when he gives her a carriage ride. (If I remember right.) They were also used to announce someone's presence: say someone stopped by an acquaintance's house and the acquaintance wasn't there. They would leave their calling card (or "visiting card") behind, maybe with a little "sorry I missed you note" on the back. This is a picture of Kaiser Wilhelm's calling card:



Today, they aren't used too much. Some might consider them unnecessary since it's so easy to just punch someone's cell phone number in, but those people have no style. One of these will "evoke a sense of uncommon style and social grace" (Crane's). They ooze class. OOZE IT.

Today, they are used frequently by mommies to exchange information with the other mommies at the park or preschool, or to record play dates, like those nifty little appointment cards the doctor gives you.





$16 for 22 and matching tin case, Etsy



$12 for 30, A Touch of Whimsy Shoppe

What if you're not a yummy mummy? What if you're just plain awesome? Or, like me, so retro you can't resist? Well, you can go the very traditional route:


These are $78 for 50, from Crane's.

Or something more modern and trendy, from Etsy:


$28 for 100, Etsy


These are a great gift for the impeccably cool person, the social butterfly, or the mom on the go. The ones featured on top are also from Etsy.