Vintage Christmas Cards from the 1920s

I was with my 80 year old mother, and she was going through some boxes of things saved by her own mother, who was born in 1908 and lived in Iowa. There were a number of Christmas cards in the box, and seeing the graphic design and style of these cards - most of which were from the early 1920s - I thought they were worth sharing here. It's an interesting historical look at what Christmas cards looked like almost 100 years ago.

This vintage Christmas card from 1922 (below left) shows Santa Claus with a happy grin on his face as he carries his bag of gifts through the snow. The vintage Christmas card (below right), also from the early 1920s, shows Santa Claus in an unusual dark bluish-green outfit and some holiday flowers and mistletoe.

This "Xmas Greetings" card from 1922 (below left) shows Santa Claus peeking inside of a house holding his bag filled with toys for kids. The 2nd vintage holiday greeting card (on the right) from 1922 wishes the recipient "A Happy New Year" and shows a boy snowshoeing.

Here's another pair of vintage Christmas cards from the 1920s. Below left we have Santa Claus trying to stuff himself and his bag of gifts down a chimney, and below right we have Santa Claus seated on a chair while some kids bring him some goodies, including a candy cane, some eggs, and ... what is that last thing? It's not a turkey ... is it a meat loaf? A dreaded Christmas fruit cake? Santa seems pretty pleased, no matter what it is. Note the wood crate under Santa's arm, which is addressed to someone named "U.R. Happy."

Below left we have an undated card - most likely from the same 1920s era - with the message "A Merry Christmas," showing two kids, one playing a fiddle and the other a harp. Below right is a card that is postmarked 1917 with the message "Christmas Greetings." This one also features two young girls, one feeding birds and the other carrying flowers.

Here's the last pair of vintage Christmas cards that I found from a collection of items belonging to my grandmother. At left, we've got a trio of kids who are sledding with a "Merry Christmas" message on the card. Below right is a greeting of "Hearty Christmas Greetings," with a young boy and girl bringing their Christmas tree back to their home on a sled. This 2nd vintage card is postmarked 1916!

Looking over these vintage Christmas cards from almost 100 years ago (and a few that are even older than 100!), I find it interesting that some of them don't even list the publisher or company that produced the cards on the back. Several of them are just labeled "Post Card" at the top with "for correspondence" on the left side, and "for address only" on the right side.