It’s Christmas Eve, and in the spirit of the day, I thought I’d share with you a Christmas-themed selection from my postcard card collection.

In 1951 a chapter of the V.F.W. (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Massachusetts participated in their city’s Christmas Wonderland Exposition. The V.F.W.’s contribution was a six-room model “gift home,” completely furnished and valued at $30,000. That’s a $300,000 house in today’s money!

To help promote tours of the house and to entice people to enter the drawing, members of the V.F.W. printed and mailed postcards. The front of the card features an artist’s rendering of the house (pictured above). Here’s the back of the postcard, which, in 1951, cost only a one penny stamp to mail:

This “model gift home” looks like such a charming house, I’d like to live in it myself! And the good news is that it’s still standing today.

I searched old newspapers to see if I could discover the name of the person who won the property, but I didn’t’ have any luck. I hope the family that moved in had many happy years there.

I guess it’s true that some of the best gifts we can receive (or give) don’t always fit under the Christmas tree!