Christmas Cards Without Leaving the House

Introduction

Not everyone can make it to a London stationer before the Christmas run begins. Fortunately, several sources worth knowing have made it rather easy to order quality cards without leaving one's desk. These are not the digital print-on-demand services that clutter the internet, but rather established names and institutions whose cards feature commissioned artwork or considered designs, many supporting causes that matter.

The trick is knowing where to look. This guide covers six options where the cards are handsome, the quality is sound, and the whole business can be managed online with reasonable efficiency.

Smythson

Though their Bond Street flagship has closed, Smythson continues online with their signature Christmas card collection. The designs remain understated and elegant, printed on their trademark featherweight paper. Cards typically feature traditional motifs: robins, winter landscapes, festive wreaths rendered with restraint. The blue boxes are still unmistakable if you're ordering for gifts.

Smythson cards are sold individually or in sets, with personalisation available for an additional fee. Quality remains consistent, though the selection is smaller than it once was.

Best for: Understated elegance, gift-worthy presentation, personalisation.
Website: smythson.com

Countryside Alliance

The Countryside Alliance Christmas card collection features work by established countryside artists. Ben Hoskyns' winter landscapes, Robin Furness' hunting scenes, Michelle McCullagh's hound studies. Cards are sold in packs of ten with envelopes included.

All proceeds support the Alliance's campaigning work for rural life and country pursuits. Personalised printing is available for corporate orders with a minimum of 10 packs.

Best for: Traditional sporting and countryside scenes, hunting art.
Website: shop.countryside-alliance.org

Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

The GWCT offers Christmas cards designed by some of Britain's finest wildlife artists. Recent collections have featured work by Rodger McPhail, Owen Williams, and the cartoonist Loon, whose humorous takes on country life have developed a loyal following. Designs typically celebrate British gamebirds and countryside scenes with both accuracy and affection.

Each pack includes ten cards with envelopes. Corporate overprinting is available. All proceeds fund the Trust's scientific research programmes for game and wildlife conservation.

Best for: Wildlife and gamebird art, countryside humour.
Website: gwctshop.org.uk

British Sporting Art Trust

For those who prefer their Christmas cards to double as small works of art, the British Sporting Art Trust offers designs drawn from their collection at Palace House. Cards feature hunting scenes and sporting subjects by celebrated artists, with past collections including works commissioned specifically for the Trust.

Cards are sold in packs of ten. All proceeds support the Trust's work promoting and preserving British sporting art through exhibitions, research, and their permanent collection.

Best for: Serious sporting art, collectors, hunting scenes.
Website: bsat.co.uk

Injured Jockeys Fund

Now in their 59th year of producing Christmas cards, the IJF commissions exclusive designs from established artists. Recent collections have featured work by Katie O'Sullivan, Jessica Hills, and Jane Braithwaite. The cards often depict racing scenes, winter gallops, and equestrian life with both elegance and authenticity.

Personalised printing is available for corporate orders, with orders needing to be placed by 9th December to arrive before Christmas. All proceeds support the Fund's essential work providing assistance to jockeys, past and present, who are injured, unable to ride, or in need.

Best for: Racing and equestrian themes, commissioned artwork.
Website: shop.ijf.org.uk

National Trust

The National Trust's Christmas range includes both traditional and wildlife designs, many featuring photography from their archives or commissioned illustrations of properties in their care. The selection runs from heritage houses to countryside wildlife, all printed on FSC certified stock and arriving plastic-free.

Cards are available in packs of ten or in illustrated value packs. The range is extensive enough to suit most tastes whilst remaining traditional.

Best for: Heritage properties, wildlife, accessible pricing, sustainable packaging.
Website: shop.nationaltrust.org.uk

A Few Practical Notes

Order early. Most organisations recommend placing orders by mid-December to guarantee delivery before the last Christmas post, though stock often runs low earlier for popular designs.

These cards cost more than supermarket multipacks, but that's rather the point. You're supporting quality artwork, funding worthwhile work, and sending something that won't be mistaken for an afterthought. The recipients will notice.

For those who need bespoke printing with company details or family names, most organisations offer this service for corporate or bulk orders. Ring directly for arrangements.

Looking Ahead

These sources may appear again in future guides to countryside causes and British institutions worth supporting. For now, they solve the immediate problem: quality Christmas cards, ordered sensibly, supporting sensible causes, without requiring a trip to town.