Life, 1912-12-05 · page 54 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 54: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a satirical first-person monologue by the "Christmas Spirit" lamenting its declining influence in modern society. The spirit complains that despite good intentions, it struggles to reach people genuinely. Business executives claim sympathy but lack time; housewives cite high living costs; office workers are too exhausted; wealthy socialites hide behind secretaries and social obligations. The accompanying illustration shows a silhouetted figure at a doorway with a puppy—captioned "The Puppy He Gave Her Last Christmas"—suggesting hollow, impersonal gift-giving replacing authentic generosity. The satire targets early 20th-century American materialism, busyness, and class stratification. The spirit suggests Christmas should occur monthly so people remember its values year-round, rather than treating it as an annual ceremonial obligation. The piece critiques how commercialization and social climbing have corrupted the holiday's original meaning of kindness and charity. Author Ellis O. Jones uses the Christmas Spirit as a persona to mock contemporary indifference to genuine benevolence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2366 A Little Confession I AM the Christmas Spirit. I am a thoroughly well-mean- ing Christmas Spirit and, in many ways, I feel as vigorous as I ever | did. I try to ingratiate my way into the hearts of all humankind and bring them good cheer. I try to recall to them the great iH benefits of kindliness and generosity. I do not aim to be a hard task- | master. I ask the people for a single day in each year to pause in their head- long race for power, preferment and pelf. I ask each one to fill his heart with love, his hands with gifts and scatter his benefactions broadcast upon the poor, the needy and the friendless, I do my best, but I find it pretty rough sledding these days. I am told by business men that they are entirely in sympathy with my movement, but they haven’t time to participate. Occasionally they give me a little money, but it is cold, oh, so cold! I am told by many tidy little housewives that they should dearly love to help me along, but that the cost of living is so high there is lit- tle left for extras. I find it hard to get in touch with the great army of clerks, for they are extraordinarily busy. But when I finally do steal a moment of their time I am told they are too tired when Christmas comes to yield to the Christmas Spirit. I try to interest Mrs. Climber and Mrs. Oldtree. If I succeed in i} forcing my way through the body- guard of maids, modistes and millin- i ers, I find both of these ladies alike. t They tell me that their social duties consume all their time and that I | must see their secretaries. The i Christmas Spirit cannot do business | through secretaries. T often become discouraged. pads 2% 25 THE PUPPY HE GAVE HER LAST CHRISTMAS I often fear that I ama relic of a blessed uncivilization. I am getting so that I actually dread the annual ceremonial in my honor. I often wonder whether once a year is not too infrequent for a mat- ter of such importance to the race. I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to have Christmas once a month and then we would get used to it. We would get the habit. We would keep in practise and know what to do with it. We would not make fools of ourselves and a mockery of the day. I do not know, but at all events I am not wholly satisfied with the trend of things. T do not know. I am the Christmas Spirit. Ellis O. Jones. comicbookseeral