Let’s take the jolly old elf himself. Santa Claus, as we know him, is a white-bearded man from northern European lineage wearing a red fur suit. It is interesting to note that the Christian Saint Nicholas was Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. The guy with children on his lap in the mall does not look Turkish. How did an olive-skinned bishop living along the Mediterranean coast in the 4^th century end up looking like an over-stuffed Scandinavian? The legend of St. Nicholas and his kindness to children traveled northward throughout Europe. He became known as Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and der Weinachtsmann. The Dutch who settled in New York had named him Sinter Klaas. It was Clement Clarke Moore who, in 1823, wrote the famed "A Visit from Saint Nicholas” more commonly known today as "The Night Before Christmas.” Moore melded several legendary Santas  into his classic poem and added a little more. It was Moore who gave us eight flying reindeer, the fact that Santa was rather rotund, and that he laughed a lot. Picking up on the popularity of Moore’s poem, Harpers Weekly hired Thomas Nast to illustrate Santa for its magazine in the 1860s. Moore depicted Santa in a fur suit with a long white beard. This was later changed to a red suit by Coca-Cola in ads depicting Saint Nick downing a Classic Coke as he took a break from delivering toys. Red was obviously chosen because of the color of the Coke logo.

Many other commercial outlets began to look for ways to capture the attention of Christmas shoppers. Montgomery Ward stores had handed out free coloring books during the Christmas season for several years as a promotional gimmick. In 1939, Robert May, working in the Ward’s advertising office, was given the task of coming up with a children’s story that could be published into a book. The thought was that doing this internally would save money instead of purchasing coloring books. He invented a character with an unusual problem: he had a red nose. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was a smashing marketing success.  Ten years later, May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, penned the song that was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949. It is the second most popular Christmas song of all time (only White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby has sold more records). The Rankin Bass animated TV classic followed in 1964. This was produced for GE and has played ever since. Rudolph’s popularity and marketing appeal was followed by Frosty the Snowman – also a Gene Autry hit in 1950, and a Rankin Bass produced animated classic in 1969, this time promoting the American Gas Association.

So maybe Lucy has a point when she says that Christmas is "a big commercial racket.” It is the most marketed event of the year. It has become the tipping point for retailers either making a profit or not year after year. If dressing Santa in red sells Coke or a children’s story about a red-nosed misfit can help GE sell light bulbs, so what?

I really do love all the stuff that has become legendary around Christmas, commercial or not. I really like giving gifts and looking at the lights on houses. However, I also like to take time each year to remind myself of the true story behind the marketing glitz. It is the reason I sit down and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, to listen while Linus recites the lines from the gospel of Luke, proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ. "…For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger… That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” By early January, we in the marketing business will be looking forward to Super Bowl commercials. The red clad Coca-cola Santas will be packed in storage until next year. I would encourage you to take some time this Christmas to contemplate the real stuff versus the marketing fluff.

www.poemofquotes.com/quotes/movies/a-charlie-brown-christmas.php

Thomas Nast: The Man Who Drew Santa Claus, by Bill Casselman http://www.billcasselman.com/wintergram_archive/nast_santa.htm

The History of Santa Claus www.the-north-pole.com/history

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/rudolph_the_red_nosed_reindeer.htm

Original illustration © Dennis Cox