Victorian Yuletide Couple Mistletoe Greeting Card, 1890s

The inexplicable decision to depict the woman actively fleeing the scene — her fur-trimmed cape dramatically billowing behind her as if she's one bad conversation away from full sprint — makes 'A Joyful Yuletide' an oddly tense message. She's glancing back over her shoulder with the energy of someone who absolutely knows she's being watched and has made peace with it, while he extends the holly bouquet with the confidence of a man who has never once been told 'no.' Meanwhile, a mysterious wooden crate lurks at the man's feet like a Victorian-era plot device, a snow-dusted farm and church sit picture-perfectly in the background, and the whole tableau is framed by decorative holly lettering — because nothing completes a scene of ambiguous romantic pursuit like festive typography.