Judge, 1927-11-26 · page 12 of 36
Judge — November 26, 1927 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes the overwrought sentimentality of Christmas card writing. Richard Halliday, identified as a "Christmas Card Author," delivers an endless barrage of clichéd holiday greetings to his family at breakfast—"jingle bells," "beacon of love," "oodles of good wishes"—until they're so disturbed they commit him to an asylum (the "large gray house on the hill"). The joke mocks both the excessive saccharine language of commercial Christmas cards and the occupational hazard of someone who writes them professionally: he's become so saturated with greeting-card platitudes that he can no longer function normally in real life. His family's concern and his eventual institutionalization are played for dark humor. The satire targets the artificial cheerfulness and formulaic sentiment that mass-produced holiday cards represent.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Greetings of the Season The candles were burning brightly on the huge Christmas tree as Richard Halliday came down to breakfast. His wife and children gazed apprehen- sively at him, but their anxious eyes did not deter him. “May the spirit of this joyous Yuletide son bring you cheer, contentment and peace,” he sta “May the jingle of the mas bells ringing wildly bring you happiness. A hearty good Christmas to you all. Here’s hoping that Santa will give you everything that your hearts desire. Jingle bells, jingle bells, ringing loud and gay, oh, what fun as on we run for Christmas is today. Here’s a cargo of Christmas gree to you from me. May Heroic Biti-Poster— He had two horses shot from under him. candle on your Christmas tree be a beacon of love and happi- ness. Just a good old- fashioned. . . .” “Dick,” whispered his wife, resting her hand on his arm, “Dick, don’t you think you'd like a little coffee?” But he shook her aside and continued: “Oodles of good wishes to you. Here’s hoping that your Christmas stocking will bulge. , cheery Christmas to you. A joyous, jolly Christmas to you. A delightful and... .” They took him away a little later, poor fellow. They took him to that large gray house on the hill where he was entered as: Case No. 316. Richard Halliday, Age 32. Occupation: Author of Christ- mas Cards, —Artuur L. Lirpmann comicbooks.com