It was still November of 1908 when Mr. G. V. Musser received a Christmas postcard from his friend, Vera McFarland.

Vera, like Mr. Musser, lived in Oakland, California.

The postcard, published by the Newman Postcard Company of Los Angeles, featured the drawing of a large poinsettia on the face.

The design is deeply embossed; the postcard was printed in Germany.

The poinsettia is native to California and was embraced eagerly on the west coast as an alternative to Christmas designs that featured snowy scenes more common to the eastern and mid-western US.

Above the large, colorful, poinsettia, a legend declares, “The Poinsettia”, “California’s Christmas Flower”.

On the reverse, Vera acknowledges receipt of “postals” from Mr. Musser and explains that she could not respond promptly because she had misplaced his address.

It seems that Mr. Musser appreciated the Christmas Greeting has it has been preserved in good condition for more than a century.

One hopes that Vera and Mr. Musser enjoyed a wonderful holiday and remained friends for many years.