Lately I’ve been more legal-conscious about sourcing—so I look for public domain material first. Anything published before 1925 is generally safe in the U.S., and many postcard slogans and verses were short lines printed widely, so they often fall into that category. My workflow: identify candidate quotes via Google Books, the British Newspaper Archive, or digitized greeting-card anthologies; confirm publication dates; then track down the earliest printed instance to establish provenance.
If the quote is later or the rights are murky, I send a polite email to the seller, archive, or institution asking about copyright and reproduction rights. For obscure finds, librarians and archivists are surprisingly helpful; one librarian once dug up a publisher’s name for me from a 1910 trade catalog. This approach keeps things fun and respectful—plus it saves headaches if you want to print or monetize the quote.
If I want a vintage quote about holiday postcards, I usually split my search between online archives and on-the-ground spots. Online, I run phrase searches on Google Books and the Internet Archive, and I filter by publication date ranges—searching 19th-century to mid-20th-century material often turns up the classics. Newspaper archives like Chronicling America and Trove (Australia) are amazing for ads or travel columns that quote holiday greetings.
Offline, I check antique shops, postcard fair dealers, and local historical society exhibits. When I spot a promising postcard, I photograph both sides and jot down any postmarks, dates, or publisher marks. Provenance matters: if you plan to publish the quote or use it commercially, make sure it’s in the public domain or get permission from the rights holder. If you’re unsure about a find, community forums, postcard collector groups, and specialized societies can often help verify authenticity and context.
I tend to approach this like a mini research project: start broad, then get specific. First, search digitized books and periodicals for phrases like 'postcard' plus seasonal words—'holiday', 'Yule', 'Christmas', 'New Year'—and narrow by year. The Internet Archive and Google Books let me peek inside 19th- and early 20th-century publications quickly. If that fails, I reach out to postcard collectors on niche forums or the Postcard Collectors Club for leads. They often know publishers and common mottos used on cards. Finally, antique dealers and local archive staff can point me toward physical collections that aren’t online, which is where the real gems hide.
I’ve found the friendliest route is crowdsourcing: post a clear photo of the postcard (both sides) in specialist Facebook groups, Reddit communities, or the Postcrossing forums and ask if anyone recognizes the verse. People love puzzles like that, and collectors often spot publishers’ logos, printers’ tiny stamps, or dated postmarks faster than I can.
While you wait for replies, search auction sites—Etsy, eBay, Ruby Lane—for similar cards using keywords and filters. Some sellers include the full caption in descriptions, which is handy. If you need academic-level verification, a quick question to your local historical society or library’s reference desk usually turns up whether the line is a popular printed slogan or a unique handwritten note. Then you can track down the earliest printed source or decide it’s a charming anonymous line worth keeping.
I love the thrill of finding words on paper that smell faintly of decades gone by—so my first instinct is always to head to places where things hang onto history. Start at local flea markets, antique malls, and estate sales; I once found a postcard tucked inside a stack of old cookbooks and the tiny cursive quote on the back felt like a little time capsule.
If you want more systematic hunting, libraries and historical societies are goldmines. Special collections, local archives, and university libraries often have postcard collections, regional ephemera, and digitized scrapbooks. Use WorldCat to spot where a relevant collection lives, or ask a reference librarian to pull box inventories for you.
For digital searching, try digitized newspapers and magazines (set narrow date ranges and use phrase searches), the Internet Archive, Google Books, and HathiTrust. And don’t forget postcard-focused dealers, Etsy, and eBay—their listings sometimes include photographed backs with handwritten lines. When you find a quote, note the date and provenance; that little extra context makes it sing when you use it later.
2025-09-02 17:44:26
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A Holiday Of Pain And Pleasure
Christabelradiance
10
2.8K
"I know what you did. It's time to atone for your sins."
It all started with a little fun-study balance in my life. Then, I ended up committing a hideous crime.
He said he was going to make me pay for what I did, and he was coming to take me away for three weeks.
Three weeks of pleasure, pain, and tough wishes. Now, I want more..
On Christmas Eve, my parents and my fiancé, Ivano Dominici, finally agree to accompany me to Iberion to see the aurora. But when I arrive there, they never show up no matter how long I wait.
I send messages to ask. They reply helplessly that something urgent has come up at the last minute and tell me to go to the observation point and wait. I stand alone on the icy field, turning back every few minutes to look at the road behind me.
When my hands grow numb from the cold, I scroll my social media feed and see a recent post from my younger sister, Giada Soave.
Holding gifts in her arms, she sits beneath a luxurious crystal Christmas tree with my parents embracing her from both sides.
Ivano stands behind her with his hand resting lightly at her waist and his eyes full of tenderness.
The caption reads, "Merry Christmas, I'm grateful to spend the holiday with those who love me most!"
The comments section buzzes with blessings, praise, and envious messages.
I stare at the screen for a long time without moving. This is not the first time they break their promise to me because of Giada.
But this time, I do not argue or make a scene.
I simply type and send one line calmly in the comments, "I wish your family of four a Merry Christmas."
I finally let go of my obsession and stop waiting for people who will never come to me.
But when I quietly step away, the ones who cannot let go turn out to be them.
"Follow the five Holiday siblings as they find romance one by one. Between holiday magic and scorching passion, each of them find and fight for the loves of their lives.Yuletide Enchantment:Noel Holiday doesn’t like Christmas. When he finds himself trapped in a magical Christmas village with sweet and steamy Shelby Carter, the season suddenly becomes spicy. While they figure out the magic, they also discover passion like they’ve never known.Holiday Hearts is created by Cindy Spencer Pape, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."
Can a Christmas angel fix a meet-cute gone wrong?
Memory Wilson is supposed to meet Dakota Brooks and fall in love. When a sudden gust of wind from a startled angel prevents that from happening, their paths never intersect. Can Memory's recently departed, beloved Grandma Helen come back to Christmas Falls, Indiana, in disguise and bring Memory and Dak together? Or will Memory's assumption that Dak is just a money-greedy real estate developer keep her from falling in love?
If you enjoy sweet Christmas romances with heavenly themes, then you'll love Christmas Memory!
My husband promised we would spend Thanksgiving with my parents this year.
Right before we left, he looked down at his phone and frowned. "Damn it. I forgot to change the delivery address again. Your parents' gift basket went to Cassia's place."
I stood in the entryway with my fingers frozen around my scarf.
For three years of marriage, Roman DeLuca had never removed Cassia Vail's address from his shopping apps.
Whenever I asked him why, he always said the same thing: "Cassia and I grew up together. She’s basically family."
The Italian espresso machine I wanted went to her apartment. He said her old machine had broken anyway.
The sapphire bracelet for our wedding anniversary was signed for by her. He said asking for it back after she opened it would look petty.
The sunflowers and baby's breath he promised me on Valentine's Day ended up in her hands. He said she had already put them in a vase, and he couldn't give me secondhand flowers.
This time, I had reminded him for two weeks. The Thanksgiving basket had a low-sugar pumpkin pie, nut-free cookies, and a custom low-sodium turkey roll for my father. I had chosen every item myself.
It still went to Cassia.
I kept my voice steady. "Drive over and get it back."
Roman's face darkened. "She already signed for it. What do you want me to do? We'll pick up wine and pastries on the way. Same thing."
"It isn't the same. Get it back."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Elena, can you stop turning every little thing into a family trial? No one makes things awkward like you do."
Every time something meant for me ended up with his childhood sweetheart, I asked him to get it back. Every time, I got some version of the same answer.
I stopped arguing and watched him slam the door behind him.
A few minutes later, I wiped my tears and texted my attorney.
[Happy Thanksgiving. Please draft a divorce agreement for me. Thank you.]
I’ll Be Home for Christmas: A Thorntons Christmas Novella
IRIS MORLAND
0
3.4K
"Fall in love with THE THORNTONS, a family filled with sexy alpha males, passionate women, and lots of heart, all set in a delightful small town in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s Christmas time, and the entire Thornton clan is spending the holidays in a cabin deep in the Washington woods.
What could go wrong with twelve adults, four kids, and a dog all staying together in one big cabin?
Only the most chaotic—and memorable—Christmas ever!
Expect kisses under the mistletoe, lots of (spiked) eggnog, and even a surprise wedding as the Thornton clan celebrates the most romantic holiday of all.
Author’s Note: I’ll Be Home for Christmas is set six months after the last book, Till There Was You, ends. It’s recommended that you read the other books first, as this book is an epilogue to the entire series. Merry Christmas and happy reading!
**
This book is a part of the LOVE EVERLASTING series, which is one large series following multiple families and friends. Each book can be read as a standalone (unless otherwise noted), or they can be read in order of publication as one long series. Each book is interconnected, with many of the same characters showing up in multiple books.
LOVE EVERLASTING
THE THORNTONS
The Nearness of You
The Very Thought of You
If I Can’t Have You
Dream a Little Dream of Me
Someone to Watch Over Me
Till There Was You
I’ll Be Home for Christmas (A Thorntons Christmas)
If you're chasing that gently yellowed, lace-and-tinsel vibe for holiday cards, I have a little map of places I personally raid every year.
Start with public-domain classics: dig through 'A Christmas Carol' for warm lines and 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' for that instantly recognizable rhythm — both are gold for vintage cards. I go to Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive to pull exact wording and verify editions. Local library archives and old newspapers (often digitized on Google Books) are sneaky treasure troves too; Victorian magazines and turn-of-the-century periodicals carried tons of short holiday verses perfect for greeting cards.
If you want ephemera with actual artwork, Etsy and eBay are wonderful—I’ve bought scans of antique postcards and Christmas cardstock that inspire layout and phrasing. For a handmade spin, I tweak lines slightly to make them feel personal and to avoid any modern copyright issues. I pair those phrases with typewriter or calligraphy fonts on cream paper, maybe a touch of gold ink, and it just sings. There's something about an old-fashioned phrase on thick paper that warms the hands and the heart.