Victorian Christmas Greeting Card with Santa and Children

Why is Santa apparently lurking behind a staircase banister while two children share an innocent kiss, his dark fur-trimmed hat and magnificent white beard framing what can only be described as 'enthusiastic observer energy'? The children — a girl in a pale blue dress and a boy in a sailor suit — are too busy with their little Victorian smooch to notice the large, rosy-cheeked face absolutely *hovering* over their shoulder like a jolly, holly-wreathed stalker. The abandoned doll on the floor is doing the most relatable thing in the scene by simply lying face-down and refusing to participate. 'A Joyful Christmas,' the card chirps, blissfully unaware that it has just documented history's most festively unsettling surveillance situation.