Welcome to my blog, where I take pleasure in words and pictures, be they my own or those of others. I'm a creative individual, and the crafty side I explore on my 'other blog', Picking Up The Threads, which I hope you'll visit too. I'm sure you understand that I have sole copyright of my original work and any of my contributions, so please ask if you want to use them. A polite request is rarely refused. So, as they used to say on the BBC's 'Listen With Mother' radio programme, many years ago: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin."

Thursday 21 December 2017

Season’s Greetings





























Some of the oldest family Christmas cards in my collection. The one above, depicting a jolly Victorian coach scene, was sent by my mother to my father during WW2. The couple are also shown inside the card, where they have joined others in skating on a frozen lake. Scenes like these were typical at this time and also into the fifties; I remember that similar ones would also appear on chocolate box lids.

The one below was sent by Dad to Mum and and my brother, from the same era. Dad was in the RAF, stationed at Swinderby, and I’m guessing it was hard for him to get away to buy a more appropriate card.





The front of the card was very simple, with a small RAF symbol in the middle of a cream background. Inside, the greeting was very straightforward, but Dad managed to personalise it in his beautiful copperplate handwriting. He still thought of Mum as his sweetheart as they’d only been married two years, but in fact she remained so for the next seventy. It was one of his many terms of endearment.








My brother sent his own card with a line-drawn snowman. The card stated that it was hand coloured, but not by my brother who was far too young. The greeting on the back is in Mum’s handwriting, but my brother has been instructed to add some kisses to Daddy and there are a handful of spidery pencilled crosses.

When he was older I’m sure my brother would have made his own Christmas cards, just as my own children did in the 1980s. Most parents, and grandparents, will tell you that these are the real treasures; the cards are often made at school and frequently covered in shiny paper and glitter.

For years, both my children made their own cards; many were inventive and creative, but here are a couple of their early attempts.

My son’s Three Kings, one of whom appears to be happily distracted, and the message inside my daughter’s card, in which she has thoughtfully shown herself and her brother.





This is my contribution to the Christmas and New Year edition of Sepia Saturday, where our prompt image, below, is from the Flickr Commons collection of the Cloyne District Historical Society, the Muriel and John Van Ness album.


It only remain for me to say to all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. see you all in 2018.




10 comments:

  1. I started to do a post on vintage cards but got lazy. I really like yours, but the hand-drawn 3 kings is the winner. Merry Christmas!

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  2. And a very fine contribution your post is!!! Lovely cards from parent to parent to begin with, and then the cards you kids made for them. We, also, in my family made our own greeting cards when we were younger. I'm not sure when we began putting our own 'stamp' on the backs of our cards - usually a circle claiming "Gail's Card Company" or "Steve's Card Company", "Mere's Card Company", "Cindy's Card Company". Years later I found out Mom had saved every last one of them to her and Dad. :) What a splendid feeling!

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  3. Wonderful cards, and what Wendy said...that distracted king is so personal! Have a great Christmas and all the joy of the new year.

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  4. May this holiday season bring a lot of happiness to you.

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  5. I love the elegance and the charm of the children's art.

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  6. Your vintage Victorian cards are beautiful, but there is nothing to beat the charm of the early cards, drawn by our children.

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  7. Years ago the classic Dickensian artwork like that of your first card gave me the mistaken notion that British winter weather was usually snow covered. Living there through a few real winters corrected that impression. Your children's art is the best. Have a warm holiday and happy 2018!

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  8. Wonderful cards and memories. Seasons greetings to you and your family.

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  9. What A Mighty Fine Hand Drawn Snowman!
    By Finest Wishes To You Nell for 2018.

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