1. The picture of Santa Claus drinking Coca Cola sticks to the imagination – and indeed, many people credit the advertising agency for this company with “inventing” Santa Claus in 1931, the year this advertisement appeared. However, a Santa Claus of restricted stature had already appeared in a Christmas card sent in 1885. In 1927, the New York Times spoke about how “a standardised Santa Claus appears to New York children. Height, weight, stature are almost exactly standardised, as are the red garments, the hood and the white whiskers. The pack full of toys, ruddy cheeks and nose, bushy eyebrows and a jolly, paunchy effect are also inevitable parts of the requisite make-up.”
2. Black Friday, which is the Friday that comes after the feast of Thanksgiving, is the day when most Christmas shopping in made, in the minute states. People go to shops known as “big-box stores” (where the merchandise is not even unpacked and put on shelves, since it is sold so quickly) to take advantage of hefty discounts. However, the day when most shopping is done is the Saturday before Christmas – or if Christmas falls on a Saturday, on December 23.
3. It was a typo that originally led to Santa’s journey across the skies being tracked by CONAD (now NORAD; the North American Aerospace Defence Command) from the Operations Centre in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On December 24, 1955, a child called the number printed badly in a newspaper advertisement. The duty commander decided to humour the child and told him “the whereabouts of Santa Claus”, and the tradition continued. This year www.noradsanta.org will again be live, featuring new activities daily.
4. The Ugly Duckling was the inspiration behind the creation of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed reindeer. In 1939, the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department store manager wanted something original and attractive to bring customers to his store. One of the advertising agency’s artists invented Rudolph, the reindeer who was teased because he did not fit in, owing to his glowing red nose. Of course, Rudolph becomes the Hero by the end of the story, and Gene Autry recorded a song about him in 1949.
5. In Massachusetts, it was once illegal to celebrate Christmas publicly. Since the Puritans of New England used to adhere to a strict interpretation of the Bible, in which there is no mention of the exact date of the birth of Christ, they believed it would be wrong to celebrate a “birthday” for Christ. Apart from that, the secular environment coupled with Christmas was deemed, and so in 1659 a law was passed that made this a criminal offense. Breaking the law landed one with a five-shilling fine, a considerable amount at the time. The law was revoked in 1681; however, only in the mid-1800s was Christmas celebrated wholeheartedly again.