Murderous frogs, children boiled in teapots and a mouse riding a lobster are generally not images seen today on Christmas cards but in Victorian times it was all par for the course.

There are (feel free to grab a breath here): angel frogs, frogs in jars, frogs on bumper stickers, frog greeting cards, too many frog necklaces to count, stained glass frogs, a frog dehumidifier ...

The tradition of sending Christmas cards came together in the Victorian era, although — as cultural historian Ainsley Hawthorn writes — many of those early cards were strange and sometimes ...