Xmas Greetings: Santa Claus with a child at a door

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Santa Claus stands at a half-open door, bending toward a small child who peers up at him, a pairing that makes the scene feel like a private visit rather than a public parade. The Christmas card tradition took hold in the United States and Britain in the later 19th century, when printers began producing inexpensive greetings that mixed sentiment with festive imagery. Images like this one often leaned on Santa as a warm, homely figure who rewarded good children, and they helped fix the bearded, red-suited version of him that became familiar across the 20th century.

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