Life, 1897-12-23 · page 14 of 20
Life — December 23, 1897 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous poem by Tom Masson accompanying an illustration showing a jolly, rotund Santa Claus-like figure with working-class characters in what appears to be a modest home setting. The satire targets middle-class anxieties about Christmas debt and financial strain. The poem's speaker boasts of his contentment—he's completed Christmas dinner, carries no worry, and celebrates "joyous time." However, the punchline reveals the joke: he's happy because **he has finally paid off last year's Christmas presents**. The underlying point mocks the Victorian/Edwardian practice of going into debt for holiday gift-giving. While others "quake with burdens," this man finds peace not in the season's spiritual joy but in debt repayment. The illustration's humble setting reinforces that even working-class families faced financial pressure to purchase Christmas gifts beyond their means.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHY DO YOU START OUT ON SUCH A WET NIGHT, CU: “Ol, 1 DON'T MIND. YoU KNOW I'M ACCUSTOMED TO THE re Christmas Unalloyed. ITH satisfaction quite complete my Christmas dinner I ason I am deep in. y 11 done prepares me for the round of fun; Within my heart there is no room for carking care to peep in. A sense of du There may be others now who quake with burdens that they cannot shake, And shapes of such proportions even Yule-tide cannot hide them. ‘There may be those who do not glow at thought of snow and ul And other joys of Christmas, and who cannot quite abide them, But as for me, with smile sere nd rapture that’s alive and keen, L hail the present joyous time which so long I have prayed for. For though at times I have been slow, with joy I'd like tu have you know The Christmas presents that I bought last year have all been paid for. Tom Masson,