Next
Alan Mays

Alan Mays club

Posted: 15 Dec 2017

Taken: 14 Dec 2017

1 favorite     0 comments    801 visits

See also...

Vintage Postcards Vintage Postcards

See more...

Keywords

green •
greeting cards •
greetings •
unusual •
beards •
cards •
fonts •
postcards •
printed •
distress •
ephemera •
Xmas •
Christmas •
Santa •
Santa Claus •
typefaces •
Christmas cards •
panic •
bizarre •
red •
blue •
snow •
paper •
children •
hats •
antique •
vintage •
trees •
old •
men •
type •
holidays •
typography •
strange •
bags •
December 25 •

Authorizations, license

Visible by: Everyone
All rights reserved
801 visits

A Happy Christmas?

A Happy Christmas?
John Grossman included this puzzling postcard in his book Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2008), p. 110. He suggests that the actions of this mean Santa Claus derive from earlier European traditions like the Krampus, a devilish figure who punished misbehaving children and sometimes carried them away in a bag or basket (see Grossman's book for illustrations).

By the early twentieth century when this German postcard was published, however, most American Santas were depicted as benevolent fellows who rewarded--not punished--children.

My copy of the card is unused with no address, message, or postmark on the back.

Smiley Derleth has particularly liked this photo

Comments

Sign-in to write a comment.