All New Holiday Traditions, Brought to You By Burma Shave

So lets talk about something that's...unusual today. Today, I would like to address an odd side effect of a huge part of American life, something that has occurred, and that a lot of us appreciate, without anyone really bothering to put it into words that often. Today, I sing the praises of a certain unsung group of heroes.

Advertisers.

Okay, now I know what you're thinking. Normally, the denizens of Madison Avenenue are spoken of in the same breath as lawyers, politicians and oompa loompas (%@$#ing oompa loompas), and for good reason. Their job is to take some thing that we probably don't need, and convince us that we do. It's manipulative. It's disturbing. Overall, not a great mission in life.

There are those, however, who take that mission and create something wonderful out of it. Then they transcend their positions from mere marketers to artists. Sometimes, they even create something so impressive that it becomes part of our culture. I'm not talking about that red haired freak who pushes burgers on the unsuspecting masses. No, I'm talking about something bigger, something that has become a tremendous part of many of our lives.

I'm talking about Santa Claus.

Now don't get me wrong. I understand that everyone's favorite demigod has origins that trace back to Saint Nicholas of Myra. (At least I'm assuming he's a demigod - he has super powers and all that.) I also know that the current, accepted version of the man came in large part from "A Visit From St. Nicholas" a.k.a. "The Night Before Christmas", dating back to 1823. It was the Coca-Cola company, however, that put the fat man in the red suit all over the map. Oh he was gaining popularity, but it was the soda pop people who pushed him into icon status.

For that matter, what about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? This was purely a concoction of advertising, originating in 1939 as part of a Montomery Ward coloring book to be given away at Christmas time. Now, there isn't a kid who is unaware of the crimson-schnozzed caribou round these parts. It's simply part of the culture.

So there you have it. While many of us may look down our nose at our advertising counterparts, let us not sell short their contribution to our culture as Americans. Who knows what today's marketing geniuses will produce that our children will accept as part of our culture at large.

Heh - imagine people warning their children of the dreaded Axe effect, and how it leads to venereal disease.