Life, 1926-12-02 · page 47 of 81
Life — December 2, 1926 — page 47: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents satirical humor typical of 1920s Life magazine. The main piece, "Just Between Us Girls," is a monologue by Lloyd Mayer satirizing young women's attitudes toward Christmas gift-giving. Through exaggerated capitalization and breathless rambling, it mocks girls who claim to value Christmas's "spiritual" meaning while obsessing over receiving expensive presents—jewelry, not cheap gifts. The satire exposes the contradiction between professed idealism and mercenary behavior. The surrounding content includes Dorothy Parker's witty verse about being a "good girl," a numbered list of Christmas card recipients (poking fun at social obligation), and brief jokes about Santa Claus and gift-giving. The cartoons show domestic scenes: a grandmother scolding a child for disbelief in Santa, and a mother forbidding her daughter from seeing a boy whose jokes are old-fashioned. The humor targets female materialism, generational gaps, and Christmas commercialization—evergreen satirical targets.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SUST BETWEEN US GIRLE e Words of Comfort To Be Scratched on a Mirror. ELEN of Troy had a wandering glance; Sappho’s restriction was only the sky; Ninon was ever the chatter of France; But oh, what a good girl am I! Dorothy Parker. Their Christmas Cards ASETES of husband's business friends...... 100 Families of husband's business prospects... .. Families of wife's club and society friend Persons disliked but influential. .. Persons who sent cards unexpecte: st y Persons who may send cards “unexpectedly -. 50 -- 50 Thumbs Down M OTHER: I couldn't help overhearing some of the jokes Horace told you to-night, and I must forbid him ever to call on you again. Davouter: I'm right with you, Mother—did you ever hear such old ones in your life? OES Willie believe in Santa Claus?” anta Claus! That kid doesn’t even believe in the White House Spokesman! Grandpa: WELL, WAS SANTA CLAUS Goop To You? The Child: aranvpa, you’RE BECOM- ING POSITIVELY CHILDISH. “yy ny “THE spirit of CHRISTMAS is ACtually a beautiful iDEA and everything, my dear, and I mean I think it is SIMply disGUSTing the way SOME people kind of look at Christmas in just a MERCENARY way be- cause I mean CHRISTMAS is REALLY supposed to be a SPIRITual occasion or something but I mean I think simply HEAPS of girls just look at it in a kind of SORdid, sort of MATERIAL way, don’t YOU, my dear? Of COURSE, I mean I HONestly think a girl can be PRACtical and everything about CHRISTMAS and I mean I think you have HONestly GOT to be sort of PRACtical because I mean it is so FRIGHT fully easy to make the most GHASTly misTAKES at CHRISTMAS, my dear, and give really atTRACtive PRESENTS to simply POISONOUS people who do not give a girl a THING, I mean, unless it is something CHEAP because I mean I think it is actually VILE the way SOME people you give really exPENsive PRESENTS simply send you just ODIOUS Christmas card effects that cost them about ten CENTS instead of something that is ACtually exPENsive and kind of in KEEPing with the SPIRITual iDEA of CHRISTMAS, I mean, because it is BEAUTIFUL and everything, and I mean I think it is ACtually ab- SURD the way a girl is kind of ex- PECted to disCOURAGE men from giving you really INt'resting kind of things for CHRISTMAS like JEWelry because I mean JEWelry is so PRACtical and everything— don’t you a HONestly think so? But v y dear, I think that S is ACtually a kind of a flat TIRE because I mean unless you are really a MERCENARY kind of a girl you GET so little for what you GIVE!” Lloyd Mayer. Post Graduate N ORTH: Where did you get your education? West: I sent two boys to college. comicbooks.com