Picture this—the year was 1843, and a gentleman by the name of Sir Henry Cole was so extremely busy during the holiday season that he didn't know when he was going to have time to bake cookies, put up decorations, wrap gifts and continue to work. With so many tasks to complete—and not enough hours in the day—Cole needed a speedy solution. He decided to commission friend and well-known artist, John Calcott Horsley, to design a card that he could send to everyone so he wouldn't have to write individual holiday letters.

Horsley, being a good friend, got to work on a design. The center of his drawing featured a family enjoying Christmas dinner and on the sides of the card were depictions of acts of service. At the bottom of the card it read, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” Once Cole had the design, he rushed to the printer and had 1,000 copies made. The card saved an incredible amount of time for Cole because he only had to address who the card was being mailed to. And that is how the first commercial Christmas card was born.

Cole's idea quickly became famous and is still a popular holiday tradition today. Sending holiday cards is a great way to keep in contact and pass along well wishes to friends and families—both near and far. According to Hallmark and the Greeting Card Association, 1.3 billion Christmas cards are sent out annually in the United States.

Choosing a card design can be half the fun—or half the headache— with all the endless options and possibilities. Hallmark alone provides customers with more than 2,000 holiday card designs. For Sioux Falls-based company First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard, choosing a holiday card design has always been a challenge—but for a different reason than you might think.

For more than 25 years, PREMIER has collaborated with SFCH for an annual Christmas card art contest. Students at Loving School are encouraged to draw a holiday card using crayons, colored pencils or markers.

Excitement was in the air when students discovered the contest would be happening again this year. Students shared with SFCH Art Teacher Rylee Lehmkuhl that they were eager to design a card and look forward to the contest every year. This was Rylee’s first year with the project and she had her students start working on the cards in July. To help the kids get into the Christmas spirit, she provided examples of holiday cards and instructions on how to draw different Christmas and winter objects like snowmen, stockings, Santa and the Grinch.

“I loved seeing their creativity and excitement for the contest,” said Rylee. “I wanted them to produce a unique design, so I gave them as much artistic freedom as possible.”

Rylee explained that art projects—like the Christmas card contest—are great ways for kids to express themselves.

“This project and art in general provide students a safe space to express their emotions,” said Rylee. “When they see their ideas take shape, they gain confidence in their abilities, which can affect their self-esteem and motivate them to try new things—in art and other areas of life.”

First PREMIER Bank’s Senior Marketing Associate Lauren Van Driel shared that PREMIER’s marketing team reviews the artwork each year and chooses a winner and two runners-up. Then, the week before Christmas, three lucky artists and a few CHS staff are invited to PREMIER’s December all-staff meeting.

“During the meeting, we invite a representative from CHS to talk about the mission of the organization,” explained Lauren. “We then have a member from PREMIER explain the partnership with CHS and the purpose of the art contest. The children are then invited on stage and presented with gifts.”

The winner of the contest also receives one extra special gift—their original artwork with a copy of the holiday card in a matted frame as a keepsake.

“I am so proud of all the kids that participated this year,” said Rylee. “They all showed hard work and dedication. As their teacher, it’s special to witness their confidence grow in their abilities and see how proud they are of themselves.”

“I loved seeing their creativity and excitement for the contest,” said SFCH Art Teacher Rylee Lehmkuhl.

The runners-up in the Christmas Card Contest were created by Gia and Shane.

The winning artwork chosen for the First PREMIER Bank’s Christmas Card Contest was crafted by Loving School day student Rodger.

The three students were invited to attend PREMIER’s December all-staff meeting and were presented with gifts for winning the contest.

CPO Jon Mammenga was invited to the staff meeting to share the mission of CHS.

Rodger received an extra gift for winning the contest. PREMIER framed his original artwork and a copy of the card as a keepsake.

PREMIER festively wrapped the gifts to look like Santa’s reindeer.