Life — December 23, 1926 — page 24: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a six-panel instructional comic showing the progressive stages of decorating a Christmas tree, presented as humorous social satire. The sequence depicts: 1. Adults planning the decoration 2. Carefully placing ornaments 3. Using ladders to reach higher branches 4. Adults working cooperatively 5. A couple admiring the finished tree with presents 6. Children having ransacked it completely The joke satirizes the contrast between adults' careful, orderly Christmas preparations and children's chaotic destruction of the result. It's not political commentary but rather gentle domestic humor about family life—a common theme in *Life* magazine's satirical content. The humor relies on the visual progression from pristine to demolished, reflecting universal family experiences rather than specific historical references.