Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
Why Robins Deliver Christmas Cards: A Victorian Postal Joke
Every December, millions of Christmas cards feature cheerful robins delivering holiday greetings. But this beloved tradition started as an inside joke about the postal service over 150 years ago.
From the 18th century until 1861, British postmen wore distinctive bright red jackets and waistcoats as part of their official uniform. These scarlet tunics became such a familiar sight that people began calling postal workers "Robins"—a playful reference to the bird's famous red breast.
The nickname was so widespread that celebrated Victorian author Anthony Trollope, who worked for the Post Office himself, had characters in his 1860 novel Framley Parsonage refer to the local postman as a "Robin Postman."
A Visual Pun Takes Flight
In the 1880s, Christmas card illustrators seized on this postal connection with delightful creativity. Since postmen were called "Robins" and were eagerly awaited during the holiday season to deliver cards from loved ones, artists began depicting actual robins carrying Christmas greetings in their beaks.
The visual pun was perfect: the robin on the card represented the "robin" who would deliver it to your door. These charming images showed robins perched on pillar boxes, dressed as tiny postal workers, or simply carrying messages through snowy landscapes.
Why Red Uniforms?
The choice of red for postal uniforms wasn't arbitrary. In Victorian Britain, red was considered a regal color associated with royalty and the British flag, making it fitting for Royal Mail employees to wear such distinctive attire. The bright color also made postmen easily recognizable as they made their rounds.
Although dark blue coats were introduced in 1861, the red wasn't entirely abandoned—it remained in the collars, cuffs, piping, and trouser stripes of the uniform, keeping the "Robin" association alive.
A Tradition That Stuck
While modern postal workers are no longer called "Robins," the Victorian joke lives on every Christmas. Robins remain one of the most popular images on holiday cards, even though most people today have no idea they're looking at a 150-year-old postal pun.
The next time you see a robin on a Christmas card, you'll know the secret: you're seeing a charming reminder of when your mail was delivered by a "Robin" in a red coat, bringing joy and connection during the holiday season.
