My antique New Year’s postcards

The survival of each postcard image printed up to 100 years ago depended on the quantity printed and whether the were collected by people who preserved them. Then if they were passed down through several generations of family members before being sold to an antique dealer, they may have survived. The number sold of each image depended on the popularity of the scene or attraction.

Chinese New Year by the Chinese Calendar
The Year of the Ox

In the Chinese zodiac, twelve animals are used to denote the year of a person’s birth: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This is called a person’s shengxiao (sheng means the year of birth, xiao means resemblance) or shuxiang. This year, 2009, is designated the Year of the Ox (1) or year 4706 in the Chinese lunar calendar. The upcoming Chinese lunar New Year will fall on January 26, 2009. The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character.
Beneath the placid and unpretentious exterior of the “Earth Ox” lies a heart of gold and a willingness to bear heavy burdens that might overwhelm others.

(1) 己丑 Ji Chou: Ji is the sixth of the Ten Celestial Stems and Chou is the second of the Twelve Terrestrial Branches

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My antique Christmas postcards

The Postcards are captivating and can be collected in many different ways. Each example is a moment of the past. The message, picture, address, postmark and stamp are part of the life of two people in the past. I’m not a collector, actually, though I have an interesting accumulation.

Antique Santa Claus Postcards

Christmas Snow Scenes

Other Christmas postcards

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My old Christmas ornaments

These antique ornaments were used for my Christmas tree: five wonderful miniatures glass with beautiful detailed molding, twenty-five electric light bulbs in milk glass hand painted (1), many glass balls, one cardboard bell with mica, and the little red horse in hard plastic.

(1) In the 1920s and 1930s Japan began offering these figural milk glass bulbs after switching from the clear glass bulbs in an effort to control the problems with paint peeling on the clear glass.

Japanese milk glass Christmas light bulbs

The bulbs made in Japan were milk glass, which showed less flaws than the earlier clear glass. Japanese bulb production ended in the 1940s and resumed again briefly in the 1950s. Most of the bulbs of this era are clearly marked, although not generally dated.

Glass Christmas Ornaments

Glass Miniatures

Mistletoe & Wine

by Cliff Richard

The child is a King, the Carollers sing,
The old has passed, there’s a new beginning.
Dreams of Santa, dreams of snow,
Fingers numb, faces aglow.

Christmas time, Mistletoe and Wine
Children singing Christian rhyme
With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree
A time to rejoice in the good that we see

A time for living, a time for believing
A time for trusting, not deceiving,
Love and laughter and joy ever after,
Ours for the taking, just follow the master.

Christmas time, Mistletoe and Wine
Children singing Christian rhyme
With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree
A time to rejoice in the good that we see

Silent night, holy night

It’s a time for giving, a time for getting,
A time for forgiving and for forgetting.
Christmas is love, Christmas is peace,
A time for hating and fighting to cease.

Christmas time, Mistletoe and Wine
Children singing Christian rhyme
With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree
A time to rejoice in the good that we see.

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