In an earlier post I wrote about the phrase “Christmas bummers” which could mean (in Australia) a pair of underwear with Santas printed on them; (in contemporary America) a sad Christmas song; or (over a century ago) children who went from church to church to reap the goodies handed out during Christmas pageants.
Here is a cartoon of the early twentieth century showing a row of Christmas bummers, one of whom has brought along a bag for his loot, pretending to be regular members of the congregation.