“Xmas 1912 – Very best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.”

What doesn’t jive with this postcard? This is an Undivided Back card, the era for which ran officially from December 24, 1901 to March 1, 1907, as created in changes in U.S. postal law. So the photo of the pretty lady wearing eyeglasses (come to think of it, the glasses are not that common in old photos) would have been taken prior to March 1, 1907, perhaps from 1902 through 1906, if not a little earlier than ’02, allowing for the fact that the photo might have been one that she’d had taken a couple of years prior…..The back postcard header shows a beautifully delicate design from an unknown publisher.

After just posting this one, I got to wondering when and how the term “Xmas” came to be. Having, like many, always associated it with commercialism, I was surprised to find out that “Xmas” has been around since the mid-1500s:  “X” (the Greek letter “chi”) is the first letter in the Greek word Χριστός, which translates to English as “Christ.” And “mas” is the Old English word for mass. (Cool!)

Undivided Back postcard, used with writing. Photo circa 1900 – 1906. Card dated Christmas, 1912.

Price:  $2.00

Source:  “What Is the X in Xmas?” Dictionary.com, December 22, 2014. Web accessed December 19, 2015.