Victorian Christmas card with subject possibly taken from Italian folklore story of La Befana, who is a friendly witch who delivers gifts to children on 5th January. Or maybe its just two stereotypical witches depictions of women on pointy hats riding broomsticks in the air

Bats and their winged cherub type jockeys to wish a bright new year.

Day 12 of #12DaysOfChristmas #ArchiveChristmasCard with a #GothicYuletide spin.
Hope everyone had a #MerryChristmas and are now safely travelling home, although maybe not flying on a broomstick or a bat!
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas

A terrifying Christmas pudding upsetting your sleep. This image was not actually a postcard at first, but from a magazine illustration.

Victorian card warning fair girls not to eat unhealthy foods or to excess over the festive season

Day 11 of #12DaysOfChristmas #ArchiveChristmasCard with a #GothicYuletide spin.
Today is #ChristmasPudding so enjoy these warnings about overeating. Victorians knew how to spoil all the fun with some well chosen criticism & body shaming..
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#Christmas2025
#ChristmasEve

An unhappy looking decapitated snowman head on a platter complete with the method of his destruction

I wanted to post this too, although it is an image circulating that pretends to be an original Victorian #ArchiveChristmasCard but is edited. The original shows the children carrying a treat, but in this version, it has been replaced with a decapitated #snowman
#12DaysOfChristmas
#GothicYuletide

A group of scared looking children with a melting snowman, published by Raphael Tuck & Sons

A Robin looking upon a sinister depiction of a snowman holding sprigs of seasonal holly and mistletoe

This weird vintage Christmas postcard features a woman appearing from inside a large snowman as a black bird looks on. No idea what the symbolism is behind this imagery other than to slightly unsettle the viewer..

A sad melting snowman is holding an umbrella in this Victorian christmas postcard

Day 10 of #12DaysOfChristmas posts showing #ArchiveChristmasCard s with a #GothicYuletide twist.
Today's theme is #snowman so enjoy this #CreepyChristmas offering!
#DarkChristmas
#Christmas2025

Clowning around on the ice isn't safe.. Warning of danger at Christmas showing a clown ice skating while another has fallen through the ice

Christmas postacrd showing a clown eating a seasonal dish which looks very much like an advertisement for a drink reused as a greetings card

Day 9 of #12DaysOfChristmas posts with a #GothicYuletide twist.
Today's theme is #clown although not a usual seasonal symbol here, they are in Spain, to bring joy to the darkness of winter. Which might take a bit of getting used to for me!
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard

St Nicholas would send the Devil and his demons to watch children to see if they were naughty or nice... could today's elf on the shelf be the present-day incarnation of a 19th c demon? Remember that when they are up to mischief in your house at night!

If a child was naughty, he would be kidnapped and punished by St Nicholas and his minions: the devil and demons. What was really in those sacks on the back of his sleigh?..

Day 7 and 8 of my #12DaysOfChristmas posts with a #GothicYuletide twist since I started a day late and can't count!
Did you know #Santa / St Nicholas wasn't always a benevolent friend to children? Read more in 'alt'..
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

Louis Wain series of Christmas postcards showing nursery rhyme little Jack Horner as a fully dressed cat with a plum pie

Louis Wain designed Christmas card depicting a feline giant and Jack mouse from the Jack and the beanstalk story

Revenge is sweet and cat flavoured. A Christmas feast for a group of dapper mice

There was a tradition of surveillance and threat of violence in Christmas cards to warn children of the consequences of being naughty. Design by Louis Wain.

Since its the last #Caturday before Christmas, here are some terrifying examples of bizarre Victorian feline themed Christmas cards for day 6 of #12DaysOfChristmas with a #GothicYuletide twist.
More info via 'alt'. Enjoy!
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

Four anthropomorphic vegetable Christmas or trade cards, some created by London publisher Herman Rothe in the 1870s - 90s with seasonal good wishes

Anthropomorphic vegetable Christmas or trade card likely created by London publisher Herman Rothe in the 1870s - 90s

Some rather surreal and disturbing looking anthropomorphic vegetable Victorian Christmas cards for day 5 of #12DaysOfChristmas with a #GothicYuletide twist.
Peckish anyone..?
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

The "headless humpty" vintage Victorian Christmas postcard featuring limbs hatching from an egg, and holding an envelope. The message reads "With many merry Christmas Greetings".

Day 4 of #12DaysOfChristmas with a #GothicYuletide twist. Another strange #Victorian Christmas card, or should it be Easter? Headless egg with arms and legs, but missing a sock.. so many questions.
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

Victorian Christmas card featuring a stag beetle dancing with a frog, with a fly holding a tambourine and dragonflies in the background with the message "may Christmas be merry" Because why not..

Day 3 of my #12DaysOfChristmas posts with a #GothicYuletide twist. This bonkers #Archive #Victorian Christmas card shows a stag beetle dancing with a frog, because surely nothing says Christmas more than that!
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

Bizarre Victorian Christmas card showing a highwayman bird 'robin' the mail on his trusty steed... Badum tish

Day 2 of my #12DaysOfChristmas posts with a #GothicYuletide twist. This Victorian Christmas card shows a bird 'robin' the mail. See what they did there..? 😆
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard
#ArchiveAdventCalendar

A Victorian design Christmas Card featuring a smiling, anthropomorphised plum pudding wearing a 'hat' made of a plate and glass, and standing on two wine bottles for legs, with cutlery for arms. With slightly eerie lettering saying "A Merry" which looks like branches and a more cheerful type of "Christmas" with branches of holly.

Starting the first of my
#12DaysOfChristmas posts today with a slight twist. A lot of Victorian Christmas cards were just amazingly bizarre and quirky, so every day until the 25th, I'll post one for you to enjoy!
#CreepyChristmas
#DarkChristmas
#ArchiveChristmasCard