Alan Mays' photos

Santa Claus is now using an airplane for his annual Christmas toy distribution . See also Santa's Airplane Delivery Service . A Joyful Christmas When Christmastide comes round, And the snow is on the ground With joy old Santa visits the homes Where children like you are found.

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.

This rebus puzzle sheet is left over from the time when photocopiers and fax machines were the technologies used to share jokes. This specific version of the sheet dates to December 17, 1998. Although the days of photocopy humor and faxlore are long gone, Rick Archer has attempted to trace the origin of this piece. He first encountered a slightly different version of the Christmas rebus puzzle in 1996, and he has compiled his findings about its history on his Original Christmas Puzzle Web page (he also posted an answer sheet ). See below for the answers to the rebuses on this photocopy: Identify the Christmas Songs from the Pictures - Answers 1. Jingle Bells 2. Walking in a Winter Wonderland 3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 4. Joy to the World 5. Up on the House Top 6, O, Come All Ye Faithful 7. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas 8. What Child Is This? 9. We Three Kings of Orient Are 10. Deck the Halls 11. I Saw Three Ships 12. O Christmas Tree 13. O Holy Night 14. The First Noel 15. The Twelve Days of Christmas 16. Away in a Manger 17. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 18. All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth 19. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire 20. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear 21. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow 22. Silent Night 23. O Little Town of Bethlehem 24. Silver Bells

A snowman carries a small Christmas tree in this wintry night-time scene from an early twentieth-century postcard.

A child's ticket for a steamboat trip on the Schuylkill River between Reading, Pennsylvania, and the Klapperthal Pavilion, which was located outside of town and contained a dance floor, restaurant, and other amenities. The back of the ticket is stamped "Jul. 4, 1896." Captain John A. Hiester (1842-1922) built boats and ran steamboats on the Schuylkill for many years. See also Reading Steamboat Company Ticket, Reading, Pa., to High's Grove . Steamboats Iona, Golden Eagle, and Atlantic Reading to Klapperthal and return (down) (up). Capt. John A. Hiester. Children's ticket.

"Fairbank's Fairy Soap. Unequaled for toilet, bath, and fine laundry use. The Strobridge Lith. Co., Cin., O. Copyright 1898, the N. K. Fairbank Company, Chicago." According to Wikipedia's N. K. Fairbank article, "Nathaniel Kellogg 'N. K.' Fairbank (1829-1903) was a Chicago industrialist whose company, the N. K. Fairbank Co., manufactured soap as well as animal and baking products.... [The company's] Gold Dust Washing Powder ... was one of the most successful cleansing product lines in twentieth century North America. Another original Fairbank creation, Fairy Soap, was purchased by Procter & Gamble and remains one of the best-known European household brands." The ships on the trade card probably depict battleships used during the Spanish-American War, which began in 1898.

"Greetings from Our House to Your House. The Herr's." A family posing with holiday decorations for a photographic Christmas card.

In spite of *NRA, FCC, NPS, CCC, PWP, RFC, FDRS, FHA, NFU, ECW, SPCW, AAA, and even with poll tax, gas tax, road tax, map tax, income tax, sales tax, thumb tax, and wise cracks, nevertheless we wish you a merry Christmas, Willis Treaster, Milroy, Pa. *Explanatory key in our shop. -------- These are some of the 1930s New Deal agencies and programs referred to above: AAA - Agricultural Adjustment Administration CCC - Civilian Conservation Corps FCC - Federal Communications Commission FHA - Federal Housing Administration NRA - National Recovery Administration RFC - Reconstruction Finance Corporation

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of when I grow up (children dressed as adults or dressed for work, e.g. as policeman, nurse, train driver, etc.) . A real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Mrs. J. O. Hare, #313 Albany Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., and postmarked September 21, 1909, in Orange Lake, N.Y. Message: "Do you know the little man on the back? Mrs. J. Garrison." This "little man" dressed in overalls looks ready for grown-up work like winching up buckets of water from the well.

In this undated slide, two exuberant women commence Christmas cooking in the kitchen. Santa Claus decoration on the wall: "Merry Christmas. Happy New Year."

"E. H. Coolidge & Co., proprietors. Office, 21 Blackstone St., Boston, Mass. Wool Mattress Company, So. Framingham, Mass." A Victorian-era advertising trade card dating to the 1870s.

"Hello - Merry Christmas." An early twentieth-century postcard featuring cutting-edge candlestick telephone communications technology. See also Hello, Merry Christmas! Operator, Can You Help Me, Help Me If You Please .

A clocks photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. So, is this a spindle, star, sunburst, atomic, or some other kind of clock?

A soldiers photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Flag: "13 MG." Caption (see full version ): "Machine Gun Troop, 13 Cavalry, Fort Riley, Kans., January 13, 1928." Credit: "Photo by Anderson Studio, J.C.K.S." This photograph of the Machine Gun Troop of the United States Army's 13th Cavalry Regiment includes over 80 men along with a flag, five trophies, and eight machine guns (take a look at the full version of the photo to see all the men, guns, and other details). The regiment was stationed at Fort Riley , Kansas, and Anderson Studio of Junction City, Kansas, took the photo. According to the bookseller from whom I purchased this photo, the man seated to the left of the trophies is Colonel John C. Mullenix (1889-1986), who served in the U.S. Army through both world wars.

Caption "Machine Gun Troop, 13 Cavalry, Fort Riley, Kans., January 13, 1928." Credit: "Photo by Anderson Studio, J.C.K.S." Flag: "13 MG." For more information, see the cropped version of this photograph.

"Heaney the Magician. Good luck to you. Good luck. Heaney, World's Foremost Magician, and Company. Adults. Admit one. Heaney the Magician." This is the top portion of a 10-ticket sheet for stage magician Gerald Heaney (1899-1974), also known as "Heaney the Great." Those devilish creatures crouched on Hearney's shoulders are "whispering imps." Other magicians also used whispering imps in their advertising. See Howard and Jane Thurston Good Luck Throw-Out Card and The Great Raymond Is Here for examples.

"Heaney the Magician. Good luck to you. Good luck. Heaney, World's Foremost Magician, and Company. Adults. Admit one. Heaney the Magician." Gerald Heaney (1899-1974) was a stage magician who performed as "Heaney the Great." See also an enlargement of the top portion of this 10-ticket sheet.

One in a series of amusing "How We Pass the Time" postcards published in the early twentieth century. This noon-time example is postmarked 1911, and it illustrates how " Pittsburgh " has been spelled with and without a final "h" at different times. How We Pass the Time at Pittsburg A stroll at noon, a quiet spoon, The time it passes all too soon.