The magic of Santa Claus

The magic of Santa Claus

I collect all kinds of ephemera, but one of my most treasured collections is my vintage Santa postcards, which I've been collecting for almost 10 years now. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, and to me, nothing captures its magic quite like Santa Claus!

Over a century ago, artists and publishers like Ellen Clapsaddle, Samuel L. Schmucker, Raphael Tuck & Sons, and John Winsch brought these postcards to life, and they're some of the most beautiful Christmas illustrations ever created. They're not only stunning, but the cards themselves were often embossed, printed with gold and silver metallic inks, decorated with glitter, and some even featured a soft layer of velvet fibers.

Three-panel close-up showing a person holding and displaying vintage Christmas postcards inside a clear binder with four slots per page. The postcards feature holiday illustrations including Santa Claus, children, and festive scenes.

In today's world, as it becomes harder to tell what's AI-generated and what's real, I find myself appreciating real antiques more than ever. The original postcards will always stay safely in my collection, but artwork this beautiful deserves to be seen, appreciated, and enjoyed.

Two vintage Christmas postcards featuring Santa Claus on a white horse are held by hands over a clear binder filled with more postcards, set against a white faux fur background.
Comparing the original (left) to the reproduction (right).
Being a collector myself—and having seen many poor-quality reproductions over the years—it was incredibly important to me to do these beautiful works of art the justice they deserve. Over the past year, I've spent many evenings restoring these 30 high-resolution scans by hand, repairing damaged and stained areas, bringing faded colors back to life, and carefully extending the original artwork beyond its original edges to fit my slightly wider postcard format. I also kept most of the original greetings and finished them with beautiful gold foil for a little extra Christmas sparkle!

I'm so excited to finally be able to share this set with everyone. Whether you use them for mailing, junk journaling, home decor, or simply collect them yourself, I hope they bring some extra Christmas magic to your holiday season!

Find them right here.