Stately queen palms arch overhead along a sun-drenched Southern California boulevard in this hand-colored Edwardian postcard — their ringed golden trunks and feathery canopies frame a peaceful sidewalk path edged with brilliant red flowering hedges, a white-gabled house glimpsed in the dreamy distance, conjuring the exotic promise that lured thousands of winter visitors to San Diego in the early 20th century. Mailed on December 16, 1912, from San Diego, California, the card carries a cheerful holiday greeting from someone named C. — "We are hoping to spend your worthy Christmas and a happy New Year as we do" — addressed to a woman named Mrs. Thr. P. care of John N., at 167 Bridge St., Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a touching cross-country connection during the golden age of the picture postcard. Published by the Newman Post Card Co. of San Francisco under their "On the Road of a Thousand Wonders" promotional tagline, this card is a lovely specimen of early California boosterism.