this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2025
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The fuck does Santa have to do with capitalism?
Maybe it's because Coca Cola invented basically everything about modern Santa and he has become a symbol of consumerism?
And you lettim them do that like that? :o
Nah but honestly, giving each other gifts does not mean go to the local shop and pay a lot. You can instead spend effor and create something for someone. But the easy way is the commercial one. Like, you know, pre-commercial Santa, the actual Santa Claus
Though I'd lie if I said I don't connect cola and christmas :/
Yes, of course you can (and you definitely should in your personal life) disregard all the cultural context and baggage that has largely been attached to Christmas and Santa and just celebrate a time of vacation, family, love and giving... but imho the chart assumes to represent a cultural understanding of figures from story and myth that have significant symbolical value in modern, americanized, western culture and to represent the cultural context of those symbols.
So to disregard the cultural context in a chart that tries to show cultural context is... bold.
I swear this isn't an attack, however it sounds. Cross my heart, etc.
But the Santa/Coke thing DEFINITELY has to be an America thing, because I never make that connection. It doesn't even occur to me.
Even the big, red, jolly, fat Santa doesn't make me think of coke (the fizzy drink or the illicit substance).
I guess the connection never made it over the Atlantic?
It may not make you think of it, but Coca-Cola ads from back in the day were what popularized the depiction nevertheless.
Before that, Santa often looked skinnier and wore a larger variety of colors, among other differences.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/how-santa-brought-coca-cola-cold
Coca-Cola wasn't the first manufacturer to try and use Santa as a lead-in for their product. Ivory Soap is shown at the beginning of the article. So once the idea of commercializing Christmas took off, everyone jumped on. The reason for Coca-Cola to try a connection was simply to keep sales numbers up during the winter, as they were seen as a summer drink.
Oh I never imagined they were.
I was just commenting on the Coke/Santa thing.
It's not something I'd ever thought of.
Actually now I think about it I don't associate Santa with anything in particular. Aside from - you know - Christmas.
Must be an American thing then, to commercialize everything. Santa is used to sell just about anything.
Yeah.........
We get lots of Christmas adverts over here, but they seem to be mostly about families and shops.
If Santa does appear he seems to be in the periphery of things. He's not the driving force (I'M SANTA AND I CAN SELL YOU THIS STUFF) more of a "Come down to for Christmas and we'll make your family happy. You can also see Santa!"
He's kind of a bonus thing on top of the other things. Not the main reason for doing it, if that makes sense.
Heh, I'm from EU tho. Ads were runnin year to year and I, as a kiddo, made connection.
The lore of Santa would suggest he's a socialist, but the reality of the tradition is that parents have to buy more shit for their kids because of him. So you could frame it either way.