My absolutely creative postcard Santa did not send a postcard. S/he sent four postcards, but with a pair of unifying themes: Reddit and Cologne.

Little did Santa know that his/her town is the home of one of my favorite beer styles - Kölsch, a lager the color of autumn straw that slides down and makes me want to sing in German. And I don't speak German!

Santa made a Reddit puzzle that took all four cards to really see. Luckily for me, all four came on the same day!

The fronts of the cards are three different views of Cologne (Köln in German): two modern views of the beautiful city on the Rhein, and one view from 1945, showing much of the city in ruins, but its beautiful cathedral still standing. The last card says, I think maybe, "stuff that people who drink Kölsch say." Okay, probably not. But despite a wondrous trip to Germany a year ago, I'm completely lost when it comes to written German.

Thank you, Santa, for the great cards from your lovely city. Next time I'm in Germany, Cologne is on my to-see list!