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Danny Mok

Amber Lam has been writing and making her own Christmas cards since childhood and enjoys handing them personally to friends each festive season.
The 25-year-old clerk, who sends about 20 cards a year, started the tradition when she was in primary school.
She says handwritten messages help build personal bonds with loved ones.
“I’ve always loved giving handwritten cards, but normally there aren’t many chances to just sit down and write letters to people. Christmas feels like the perfect opportunity,” Lam said.
Despite the ease of sending mass messages online or via social media, diehard fans still insist on delivering their festive greetings the traditional way, through paper cards, before Christmas each year.
“I don’t like e‑cards and WhatsApp just doesn’t have any warmth,” Lam explained.
For her, the cards serve as both a year-end reflection and gesture of love – a way to share her updates while also supporting friends with whatever they are facing.
Commercial printer Fingerprint has seen stable demand for physical cards despite the digital shift, according to director William Ho Leong-tung, who said that some individuals and institutions still prefer ordering personalised cards.
Corporate customers accounted for about 80 per cent of orders, with individuals making up the rest.
Some companies order up to 2,000 cards each year, he said.
But business from institutions has fallen. “The corporate side dropped this year by about 20 per cent,” he said, attributing the decline to the growing dominance of electronic greetings.
“People who are still sending Christmas cards these days have something they want to hold on to. The personal touch from a printed card is still important.”
He contrasted this intimacy with the ease of text messages: “A WhatsApp message can be broadcast to a thousand friends, and then you may reply with a simple ‘Merry Christmas.’ That doesn’t carry much of a personal touch.”
Ho said fans of printed cards span all age groups, depending on whether the designs appeal to their tastes.
He prints several thousand paper cards each year, and the numbers have remained stable. However, production has been more costly, with paper prices rising about 10 per cent compared with last year.

Krystal Tolani, 852prints’ founder, said the markets for paper cards and e-cards rarely overlap.
Some 25 to 35 per cent of the shop’s annual revenue came from Christmas card sales.
Tolani said customers did not want generic cards or artificial intelligence-generated art but something niche and Hong Kong-specific.
“Paper cards demonstrate an effort made – from browsing shelves, handwriting a message, to delivering it in person or via post. It can’t be replicated digitally,” she said.
“My e-cards received are somewhere in my inbox, likely to never be opened again.”
Graphics designer Kate Wong said the greeting card market was currently dominated by e-cards, mainly due to rising environmental awareness and the widespread use of social media and messaging apps, which offer convenience and instant delivery.
Those who still choose physical cards often value emotional warmth, so they tend to select cards with texture and quality such as cotton paper, she said.
For those receiving or sending e-cards, Patrizia Yeung, founder and chief consultant at YiLi International Etiquette, recommends replying to greetings within 48 hours and personalising messages beyond just a name.
And among the don’ts, she has this simple rule: never forward an e-card. “⁠It breaches the sender’s privacy and devalues the original gesture.”


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Hong Kong society

The write way: Hong Kong’s Christmas card loyalists keep the digital wave at bay

Amber Lam says handwritten messages on Christmas cards help build personal bonds with loved ones. Photo: Getty Images

Commercial printer Fingerprint has seen stable demand for physical cards despite the digital shift. Photo: Getty Images

Craving art, music and theatre this Christmas? Here’s what to see in Hong Kong

“Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker” show highlights the artist’s signature fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Photo: Sam Tsang

A total of 250 historical artefacts are showcased in Hong Kong as part of the “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” exhibition. Photo: Sun Yeung

The artefacts include mummies, jewellery and a striking statue of Tutankhamun. Photo: Sun Yeung

Where can Hongkongers and tourists find Christmas spirit in a subdued holiday season?

Christmas Town at Statue Square is running from November 14 to January 4. Photo: Eugene Lee

Christmas Town at Statue Square features a 20-metre tree, twinkling lights and toy-themed decorations. Photo: Eugene Lee

AIA Carnival at Central Harbourfront is featuring new eight rides this year. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Lee Tung Street is decked out with large Christmas bells and ornaments. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Society

Despite ease of sending mass messages via social media, young and old traditionalists deliver festive greetings through handwritten paper cards


Despite ease of sending mass messages via social media, young and old traditionalists deliver festive greetings through handwritten paper cards.


The write way: Hong Kong’s Christmas card loyalists keep the digital wave at bay

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Despite ease of sending mass messages via social media, young and old traditionalists deliver festive greetings through handwritten paper cards

Despite ease of sending mass messages via social media, young and old traditionalists deliver festive greetings through handwritten paper cards