Issued December 5, 1912

Angus MacDonall came from the Midwest but eventually migrated east to become part of the Westport, Connecticut art colony. A prolific illustrator of American life often with a humorous, home-spun themes MacDonall worked notably for LIFE magazines well as Harper’s, Scribner’s American Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, and covers for Saturday Evening Post. He was also a frequent contributor to ad campaigns notably for Jell-O.

LIFE’s Christmas Number cover shows Santa unsuccessfully trying to climb a Native American teepee.