At risk of being compared to one of those UK TV shows that produces only a handful of episodes throughout the year, yet comes back to life with a one-off festive special, History Geek wishes you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

As you may have guessed by my absence it has a been an extremely busy year for me.  I’ve worked on a very large number of television projects (my day job), far too many to list, but one of the most fun to work on was a second series of “L.A. Frock Stars“, which looks at vintage fashion through the eyes of Doris Raymond, owner of The Way We Wore which is frequented by Hollywood stars, stylists and costume designers.

When Doris visited our New Zealand office earlier this year she was kind enough to bring me some gifts that she had found during her travels; a bag of vintage buttonhooks and this beautiful 1919 Christmas Card from ‘The Regiment of Midshipmen’.

The ‘Regiment of Midshipmen’ was the name given to the students of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.  Some of the students in 1919 may have felt disappointed that they didn’t have the opportunity to see active service immediately – as some in the preceding years had – but many would rise through the ranks and play key roles during the Second World War.

Doris has an incredible talent for finding beautiful vintage treasures and connecting them with the right person, and this card is no exception – it is absolutely stunning and a great addition to my collection – so thank you again!  I was floored at how thoughtful this gift was.

A big thank you also to my followers, especially to those that have remained loyal despite the small number of posts this year, I do have some good news on that front – I’ve got several research projects in the works and have a full week set aside for them this summer, which is a real treat, but in the meantime let me share the sentiments of the 1919 ‘Regiment of Midshipmen’ by sending you all Christmas Greetings and Sincere Good Wishes for the Coming Year.