The first Christmas card, created by Sir Henry Cole, is part of a collection at SMU.

DALLAS - It appears most Americans love Christmas cards. Hallmarks estimates about 2.2 billion of them are sent each year.

But who sent the very first Christmas card? Look no further than Southern Methodist University, which has it in their collection.

Today, choices are seemingly endless for sending a season's greeting. However, in the Bridwell Library Special Collections, which is part of SMU, there is a reminder that once there were no choices at all.

"This is known as the first Christmas card," said Eric White, a curator for the collection.

Sir Henry Cole, a British narrative painter, printed the first Christmas card in 1843. Before that, people simply wrote letters.

More than 170 years later, Cole's innovation is still saving people time.

"Engraved at the very top is to and then a very long line," White said of the fill-in-the-blank set up of the card. "And in this case, it's to, "my good friend John Thompson, esq." At the bottom, a line that says from and a blank. And in this case, its from the inventor of the card itself, Henry Cole."

At the center of the card is a family enjoying a merry feast; and on the sides is the charitable feeding and clothing of the poor. It is a card so relevant, it could be sent today.

"It's definately an innovation in that the whole greeting card industry begins here," White said. "Not just Christmas, there weren't any other kinds of cards either."

Guess Hallmark should send a thank you to Sir Henry Cole.