1863
AD
At the request of President Lincoln, Thomas
Nast, the political cartoonist, made a picture depicting Santa
Claus with the Union troops appearing on the January 3, 1863 Harpers
Weekly Cover. This and other drawings by Nast
had a crushing effect on the South. Souther parents had to tell
their children there would be no gifts at Chrismas because even
Santa could not get through the North blockaded Southern ports.
This Nast Cover was the first of over 150 Santa illustrations Nast
would make and it marked the beginning of the modern standard version
of Santa Claus.
This makes a point that Santa Claus was a Social, Economic and Political
tool.
Click the images below to see larger.
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1870
AD
Santa Claus appears in US and Canadian department stores. |
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1892
AD
The Nutcracker Ballet is performed in the Miriinsky Theatre, in
Russia.
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1897
AD
The New York Sun prints an Editorial "Yes, Virginia, There
is a Santa Claus" in response to a letter by the little girl
who noted that her "little friends" told her there was
no Santa Claus. Like dah!
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1902-03
AD
Frank Baum, author of "The Wizard of Oz" publishes "The
Life of Santa Claus". |
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1931
AD
Coca-Cola hires Haddon Sundblom to create the modern Santa we know
today and Coca-Cola introduces the NEW Santa at the 1931 Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sundblom
Santa's would appear in advertisements for Coca-Cola and the
back covers of the Saturday Evening Post and National Geographic
until 1964.
One may surmise that the accepted "traditional" Santa
Claus and Christmas celebration is a completely contrived invention
of several prominent individuals of New York City.
In
short: New York City invented Santa Claus and Christmas.
Christmas
merchandising show signs of a snow flurry.
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1934
AD
The Christmas Madness begins and Eddie Cantor records "Santa
Claus is Coming"
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1935
AD
"Santa Claus Express" another Eddie Cantor record.
"What Would Santa Say" a record by Louis Prima begins
the idea of pushing what present to buy.
"Scrooge"
the movie, based on Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", is released.
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1939
AD
Christmas Merchandising begins to snowball.
"Rudolph
the Red Nosed Reindeer" was invented by Robert L. May an advertising
writer for Montgomery Ward.
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1941
ish AD
Fred Waring's "Night Before Christmas" is a gold record
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1942
AD
The movie "Holiday Inn" is released
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1946
AD
The
movie "It's a Wonderful Life" is released. Not a big hit
at the time but eventually becomes an American Classic due to repeated
TV and cable broadcasts.
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1947
ish AD
The
movie "Miracle on 34th Street" is a big hit. The "real"
Kris Kringle is hired to play Santa Claus in the Macy's Thanksgiving
Parade and goes to great lengths to prove himself to the cynics.
Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" from the movie Holiyday
Inn grows in popularity employing the contrived idea of nostalgia
to Christmas music.
Nat King Cole records "Chestnuts Roasting..." the first
version did not sell. Record pulled out of the stores. Within two
weeks strings are added and re-released and it becomes a huge hit.
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1949
AD
"Rudolph
the Red Nosed Reindeer" record by Gene Autry, sells 2 million
copies.
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1950
AD
"Santa
Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" record by Ella Fitzgerald. Santa
begins to show signs of sexuality.
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