Happy Christmas, little consumers! Since retailers first figured out the link between the power of advertising and subsequent sales, they’ve used ads to guide our Christmas gift shopping choices – like this 1939 ad for a Colt Officer Model Match handgun. Here are a few other ad examples we’re not likely to see this season . . . .
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Yes, long before Ronnie became the president of the United States of America, he was a popular shill with ad agencies.
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Widely regarded as the prototype for the jolly red-clad Santa that children have come to associate with Christmas, the Coca-Cola Santa made its official debut in 1931 in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly until 1964 in Coke ads in that magazine, as well as Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others.
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And more festive cigarettes . . .
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Apparently, women love receiving vacuum cleaners on Christmas morning.
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What?! I thought Santa smoked a pipe!?
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Was this the beginning of Jello-O salads at Christmas dinner?
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Not another vacuum cleaner under the tree!
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What?! I thought Santa smoked Pall Malls!?
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No, Santa. Mrs. Claus does NOT want this one . . .
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No comment.
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See also:
The Ethical Nag 
What is that young woman doing with two men in their underwear in the days when underwear sold for 69 cents!?! Perhaps it was a time of great innocence (though I tend to doubt that). Great ads, Carolyn!
Good question! Perhaps that’s Mrs. Claus helping Santa delivering new BVD underwear to good little boys . . . 😉
Thanks for the memories.
You’re welcome, Mary!
Fascinating to see how we were. Merry Christmas Carolyn.
And Merry Christmas to you, too, Dr. Joe.
Happy holiday season and a happy and healthy 2014 to you Carolyn. Thank you so much for doing this work – really enjoy both blogs.
Ruth
Many thanks – and Happy Holidays to you as well!
Such fun. Looking back at childhood Christmas mornings, I now suspect my mother’s feigned delight at unwrapping her brand new Hoover covered up her dismay at not receiving a more thoughtful gift from my Dad – the unfortunate target of such ads in the 60s.