Adams County Christmas postcard from 1916

Now that it's December, I can begin to unveil my tiny hoard of Christmas-themed ephemera.¹ On the Mondays and Fridays leading up to Christmas, I will feature a variety of festive items I've been holding back until now.

First up is an ornate postcard featuring a bell and the caption "A Joyous Christmas." The postcard was never mailed, but a name, address and date have been written on the back.

Mentioned are a pair of boroughs in Adams County, Pennsylvania -- Gettysburg and New Oxford (which are less than 10 miles apart).

Here's the back of the card:²

And so it's addressed to: Mr. Nevin E. Pitzer, Gettysburg, Pa., R.R. 9.

Here's some basic information about Pitzer from the "Find A Grave" website:

• Birth: March 8, 1896³
• Death: August 31, 1977 (age 81)
• Was the husband of Mrs. Bertha M. Flickinger Pitzer, who died in 1981.
• He was the son of the David L. Pitzer (1867-1942) and Margaret Catherine Amelia Mickley Pitzer (1864-1934).
• He was a retired farmer and a member of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Whitehall (Littlestown).

Footnotes
1. My Christmas-themed ephemera hoard is tiny -- one barely bulging manila envelope -- compared to our household's collection of Christmas decorations that gets hauled out every December. Here's a photo of me from this past January, finally storing away the final box of decorations in our basement.
2. I also love the graphic design of the word "POSTCARD" on the back. It deserves its own close-up:

3. Also born on March 8, 1896, was Alan Thomas "Lefty" Clarke, who played one game for the Cincinnati Reds in 1921. In five innings of work, he surrendered seven runs (three earned) and struck out one. Before and after his appearance with the Reds, he played minor-league baseball in both Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, in the Blue Ridge League.