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Is there any Christmas character more iconic than Santa Claus? The belly o’ jelly, the tress-dressed face and the bright red suit with snowy fur all wrap up to create the jolliest man we know.
While you can buy Coke anytime and almost anywhere, my favorite holiday brand is Santa himself. We can thank Coca-Cola for Mr. Claus as we know and love him today. In 1931, artist Haddon Sundblom introduced us, via The Saturday Evening Post, to who has become our quintessential image of St. Nick.
Coke’s website explains, “For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (commonly called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”). Moore’s description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa — an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people of all ages, all over the world.”
So this year, instead of leaving milk out with your cookies this Friday night, you might leave a bottle of Coca-Cola. Santa is sure to appreciate the caffeine kick; he’s got a lot of houses to hit, you know.
You can read all about Santa’s image and other Coke lore on Coca-Cola’s website.
Merry Christmas, y’all!
