Life, 1921-12-01 · page 42 of 58
Life — December 1, 1921 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s satirical poem by Richard De Gallienne, illustrated by Lester Ralph, mourns the loss of traditional Christmas indulgences due to **Prohibition** (alcohol ban, 1920-1933). The cartoon depicts a gathering of disappointed revelers in a library, holding empty glasses. The satire targets how Christmas celebrations have been "denatured"—stripped of their festive character—by legal restrictions on alcohol. Traditional Christmas drinks (sherry with mince pie, flaming pudding, Tom and Jerry, cider, punch) are now forbidden. The poem mockingly suggests alternatives like "Martini" (grape-juice) and warns against calling such a joyless holiday "merry." The repeated refrain ironically proposes spending Christmas with Dickens instead—a literary substitute for actual celebration. The joke: Prohibition has made Christmas itself a fraud, replacing genuine merrymaking with prohibition-compliant tedium. The "denatured" Christmas reflects Americans' bitter resistance to what many viewed as government overreach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Drawn by Lester Ralph Ballade of a Denatured Christmas Richard De Gallienne HEN mince-pie goes without its sherry, Yes! my sad heart in him J'll bury, Martini—don't forget the cherry! And Christmas pudding hath no flame, The good old times ere life fell lame, A alice of lemon, pretty Dame! Don't dare to call such Christmas “merry,” And hearts mere warmed with Tom and Jerry, Even honest cider, and the very Don't say ‘tis Christmas all the same! And men got “glorious” mithout shame, Mention of punch—ah ! crommed acclaim! Far merrcy's sake, don't try that gamet In Father Christmas’ sacred name; Are penal in a world gromm tame; You cowards, with the hearts of chickens, Ere grape-juice—that no dead pulse quickens, Each year the glaom around us thickens, ‘Tis folk like you that are to blame— And such-like sticky horrors came; As fools some new amendments frame— FU spend my Christmas Day with Dickens. Fl spend my Christmas Day mith Dickens. FU spend my Christmas Day mith Dickens. Envi Christmas, chap-fallen is your fame, To-day the mere thought of you sickens; A fast, no more a feast, proclaim— / FU spend my Christmas Day mith Dickens. NH 4 " SSSA 4: rx STAR 7 comicbooks.com