{"id":19074,"date":"2019-12-26T06:15:48","date_gmt":"2019-12-26T06:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=19074"},"modified":"2019-12-27T06:49:34","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T06:49:34","slug":"how-advertising-through-the-ages-has-shaped-christmas-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/how-advertising-through-the-ages-has-shaped-christmas-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How advertising through the ages has shaped Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carl W. Jones<\/a>, University of Westminster<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

December 25, as we all know, is Jesus Christ\u2019s birthday, a Christian celebration in which the myth of three kings who travelled far and wide to give gifts to the \u201cnew born king\u201d inspires the modern Christian tradition of gift giving. Early gifts used to be fruits or nuts, but as this act took on more importance, gifts became larger and less modest, and were placed under a tree.<\/p>\n

Midwinter has been a period of festivities for millenia, but Christmas as we know it today has its origins in Victorian Britain<\/a>. It was in Victorian times that the idea of Christmas as a family holiday, with gift giving, a tree, and an intimate dinner became central to this celebration. Britons traditionally celebrate Christ\u2019s birth with a religious mass. Hence the words \u201cChrist\u201d and \u201cmass\u201d coming together to form the word Christmas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
From A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843.<\/span>
\nWikimedia Commons<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Charles Dickens defined the British Christmas with his story, A Christmas Carol, which linked Christian values with the idea of sharing and a \u201cfestive generosity of spirit\u201d. His book helped popularise what was already occurring in Britain, and is credited with spreading the traditions of the festival. His book sold out in its first printing in 1843 and set the tone for the mid-Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday by reflecting and reinforcing the Dickensian vision of Christmas.<\/p>\n

An early English folkloric tradition associated with this holiday celebration is \u201cOld Father Christmas\u201d, who can first be found in the mid-17th century as a symbol of good cheer. In the early part of the 19th century, he was depicted as a skinny man who promoted drinking and partying during the holiday season. But by 1874, Father Christmas had evolved into a round jolly man wearing red and green fur lined robes<\/a> and holly on his head.<\/p>\n

This early version of Father Christmas was mostly associated with the adult celebration, but during the Victorian times with their new focus on the family, Father Christmas began to be linked to the idea of giving gifts<\/a>. Images of Christmas were reproduced in popular culture through mass mediums of newspapers; magazines and theatre. These images visually defined Christmas and how it should be celebrated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Father Christmas in 1879, with holly crown and wassail bowl used for the delivery of children\u2019s presents.<\/span>
\n‘Fun’ (London, England), Issue 763, p 256.<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the 20th century, mass advertising became commonplace. Consumer messages were now broadcast to the public through billboards, magazines, radio, and later the moving image of television. Mass advertising was what allowed the slowly developing idea of Christmas as a time to give gifts to go mainstream, and eventually, to define Christmas itself.<\/p>\n

Businesses realised that Christmas could be a brilliant money spinner. Seasonal advertisements began to emphasise the act of \u201cgiving gifts\u201d as a major part of Christmas time by having Father Christmas physically display branded products to a growing consumer market. The link between this Christmas icon and consumer goods was made very obvious in advertising, as illustrated in this ad<\/a> from Newball & Mason to sell an assortment of alcoholic spirits. Advertising took the fable of Father Christmas and linked him with physical brands, turning myth into a reality, something that could be touched, smelled, and experienced.<\/p>\n

In 1937 Coca Cola introduced the world to a simplified and more accessible version of Father Christmas<\/a> dressed in Coca-Cola red, this time without the traditional cape. In their ads he was named Santa Claus, in accordance with American tradition. Santa Claus became a personification of the brand and gave the brown liquid a personality and a face, associating the drink with one of the happiest yearly western celebrations. Coke repeated the same message every December, and the name \u201cSanta\u201d slowly replaced \u201cFather Christmas\u201d in popular parlance in the UK too. This led to the red suited man becoming the icon most associated with Christmas.<\/p>\n