German Christmas Greeting Card: Children & Christmas Tree

Three children in matching red outfits—performing innocence to one another and to whoever might be watching—peer through a doorway at a Christmas tree perched on a draped table, their dead-eyed, big-headed proportions radiating the specific energy of children who have absolutely done something wrong. The oldest girl holds something tiny aloft like she's about to make an announcement nobody asked for, while the boy grips the doorframe with the haunted look of someone who knows the rocking donkey—yes, a *donkey*, not a horse—will be watching him sleep tonight. On the floor, a doll in a red dress and bonnet stands suspiciously close to a small white lamb and a rubber ball, forming what can only be described as the world's most passive-aggressive nativity scene. "Herzlichen Weihnachtsgruß!" says the card, which is German for "Heartfelt Christmas Greetings," though "We Have Always Lived in the Dollhouse" would also work.