All Things Christmas

When I was only five my grandfather, who was a Christian pastor, took my sister and I for a ride to an old church.  In the midst of throwing away trash he stopped suddenly and watched us playing together.  He was a serous man without patience for little girls who could be wild when tested by extreme boredom.  

We both gulped in anticipation of his next move.  We stood completely still while watching his face intently for his next move.  Just as suddenly as he had stopped, he reach for two of the medium sized boxes and placed them near us.  

"Here," he said with a deadpan look.  "You can have these."  Then he went back to throwing out more stuff from the tiny backroom of that old church.  

This time we both gasped!  I'm sure our eyes showed our excitement as we dropped to the floor and greedily dug our small fingers through the box filled with the most wondrous and beautiful postcards.  

We pulled out one after another in amazement at the beautiful detail of cherubian faces and Victorian children dressed in winter clothes.  I never forgot that day, even though somewhere through our childhoods my sister and I lost every beautiful card.

Thankfully, I have found a digital collection of similar Victorian postcards that resemble the ones from that special day.  While it's true they lack the texture, gold leafing and lace borders, they still bring back the artistry and memory of the Victorian era.  

Use my Victorian postcards download below to obtain some of the most beautiful.  You can print them on card-stock paper and then decorate them for fun.  This is a creative and inexpensive way to prepare for Christmas with your children or friends.