Vintage Santa Claus Christmas Greeting Card Early 1900s

The decision to have Santa abandon the reindeer and sleigh entirely in favor of calling children directly on a wall-mounted candlestick telephone is where this card takes a turn, because if you wanted to convey 'jolly holiday spirit,' apparently a large bearded man in red whispering into your ear that he has your name on his list and will be visiting 'in the wee small hours of Christmas morning, long before you are up' is the move. The handwritten note—signed 'Yours lovingly, Santa Claus'—pairs the charm of a personal letter with the energy of a ransom note, and Santa's intense, focused expression as he grips that telephone receiver suggests this is not a casual social call. The holly sprig jauntily decorating his hat does absolutely nothing to offset the fact that this card is essentially early-20th-century documentation of Santa pioneering surveillance capitalism.