Judge — December 24, 1881 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic strip contrasts wealthy and poor preparations for Christmas. The top panel shows a well-dressed man lecturing about poor people's drinking habits, implying poverty results from moral failings rather than systemic issues. The remaining panels depict struggling working-class families—a man buying cheap holiday goods, children receiving minimal gifts, families shopping at discount stores marked "Holiday Goods"—alongside the implicit comfort of the wealthy (who enjoy Christmas). The satire critiques the hypocrisy of the affluent judging the poor's choices while ignoring structural inequality. The title "Those Who Enjoy It and Those Who Don't" underscores how Christmas celebration divided sharply along class lines in early 20th-century America, with the wealthy moralizing about poverty's causes.