19THCentury Christmas Engravings

Bringing in the Yule log





Christmas shopping





Chopping down the Christmas tree







1870's decorating the Christmas tree

MORE ANGEL GREETING CARDS

CHRISTMAS ANGELS

Angels are, of course, commonly associated with Christmas and they have been the subject of countless greeting cards, these are just a few examples.

CHRISTMAS TRADITION; HOLLY

Holly is a common shrub in Europe. It stays green in the dead of winter and became a symbol of rebirth to people before Christianity. It was collected to decorate homes during winter celebrations. This continued under Christianity.

The berries are poisonous, but attractive and are one of the attractions of this Christmas decoration, which is red and green, the colors of Christmas.

More Vintage Poinsettia Images

Poinsettia Plants: A Christmas Classic

Dr. John Roberts Poinsett was an American ambassador to Mexico in the early part of the 19th century and he was very interested in native plants. In Mexico there was a plant called "The Flower of the Holy Night" that was considered a homage to the nativity.

When Pointsett returned to his native South Carolina he brought some of the plants with him. He grew several plants and they became a popular Christmas decoration. Because he was the person that introduced the plant and made it popular, Poinsettias were named after him.

In warm climates the plant can grow in the soil and in cooler areas it is grown in greenhouses, in time for the Christmas season. The red petals of the plant are not flowers, the yellow centers are the actual flower. The red and green parts are just the leaves of the plants.

The plant has been a popular subject for greeting cards for years and these are some examples.

vintage images of Saint Nicholas

These images are from cards manufactured around the turn of the century and feature a Santa dressed more like Saint Nicholas than Santa Claus

Christmas cards cute angelic kids

Most of these cards are from the 1950's and feature cute kids dressed up as angels.