Victorian Christmas Greetings Card with Holly & Winter Scene

Based on what unfolds in the foreground, this is the origin story of a child learning that 'Peace on Earth' is conditional. A larger figure in a festive red hat clutches an armful of snowballs while looming over a smaller child whose eyes are closed and whose expression reads less 'holiday joy' and more 'I have accepted my fate.' The snowball fight raging in the background suggests everyone else got the memo that this was supposed to be fun, yet here we have what appears to be a very one-sided tactical arms negotiation. The holly-framed composition and cursive 'Christmas Greetings' script do heroic work trying to class up what is essentially a vintage document of premeditated child targeting.