Life, 1927-12-01 · page 28 of 80
Life — December 1, 1927 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the saccharine sentimentality of Christmas greeting cards. Two composers—Jack and Jim—meet and exchange exaggerated, clichéd Christmas wishes filled with generic holiday imagery: "white Christmas," "red holly," "Santa Claus," "Yule log," and promises of cheer despite distance. The joke is that these professional card writers are so steeped in hackneyed Christmas sentiment that their actual conversation mimics the overwrought language they compose for mass-market greeting cards. They're parodying both the greeting card industry's relentless sentimentalism and the disconnect between genuine emotion and commercial holiday messaging. The bottom panel shows Lon Chaney (a famous silent-film actor) playing Santa Claus for Hollywood children—adding a layer about manufactured Christmas experiences for entertainment industry families.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
= tee wre rep rey Sista wo SY LER OTRSS ev ce ait Two Christmas Card Composers Meet “WVELL, if it isn't my old have a nice Christmas, by golly.” “Well, so long, old man. I friend Jack! Merry Yule!" “When Santa Claus comes wish you all good luck and cheer “Happy Noél, Jim! You Christmas and the glad New friend most tried and true brir ad here are my best wishes to you.” jim “So long, Jim. Though we “It looks like a white Christ- “Well, I guess I'll have to be may be miles and miles apart, I'll ws our chimney, I hope he ou lots of good things, by dow mas, eh, Jack?” going now. I’ve got to get a Yule wish you Yuletide joy with all my “Yes, sir. White is the snow log whose cheerful blaze makes heart.” and red the holly; I hope you — this the happiest of days.” Norman R. Jaffray. ee nee TES comicbooks.com