The Vault is Slate’s history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. A recent post on the photo blog ...

She made a list but wasn’t checking it twice. A Michigan mom accidentally ordered Christmas cards emblazoned with the wrong family name, but decided to send them out anyway after seeing the “funny ...

One of the more curious recurring images on 19th-century Christmas cards is the dead bird, which may symbolize mortality or something more ritualistic. “May yours be a Joyful Christmas” (via Tea Tree ...

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the sun moving back to the Northern Hemisphere indicating happier times and arrival of the spring season. Christmas is largely a festive time, ...