Merry Christmas and Father Christmas Fashion Show

I would love to take this opportunity to wish all my readers and Blogland friends a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,  Joyful Solstice, or whatever you celebrate.  Our family celebrates Christmas and some celebrate Hanukkah. We are a United Nations of beliefs; Catholic, Mormon, Jews, Atheists, and everything in between, including a distant uncle who thinks he’s a Klingon.

This is Christmas Eve, and before Bruce and I relax in front of the fireplace and tree to open a few little gifties, I wanted to share some vintage Christmas images with you.  Feel free to copy and save them to your collections - they are copyright free.

I have always preferred the Father Christmas image to that of Santa Claus.  Somehow, I think the noble Father Christmas embodies selfless giving.  IMHO, he is the Missing Link between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. Please, no angry emails, I am just trying to explain how I think the idea of religion and giving during this season morphed into commercialism.

But, back to Father Christmas.  This guy was a natty dresser. He knew that it took more than a bright red suit to be remembered.  I offer these pictures as proof.

This blue cloak and hat are trimmed with the finest white fur.  

As a change of pace, Father Christmas sometimes sports a yellow ensemble. 

Pay no attention to the fact that he is giving a tree that looks remarkably like the lonely one in the first picture.

Here we see Father C modeling his royal purple gown. Not pictured: the tree holder sewn onto back shoulder area, leaving hands free for a walking stick.

 Sometimes Father Christmas even wore lavender.  Yes, lavender.  But no fur on the hat (why overdo it?)

This khaki-colored ensemble sports dark fur. This outfit is lighter weight, reserved for years that were not as cold.

 Even Father C sported a red cloak now and then, mostly for photo ops with kids.

Nothing says “Outdoor Man” like this green cloak trimmed in leather cuffs and fur collar.

Father Christmas loved green, as you can see with this mint green number.

“Does this make me look fat?”  

Then there was the year that Mrs. Father Christmas (Mother Christmas?) sent all his caps to the cleaners.  He was forced to wear this wide-brimmed cap, a precursor to today’s ten gallon hat.

And possibly my favorite…..

The Natural Man, Father Christmas.  Doesn’t he look, um, God-like?  Or at least Moses-like!  All that walking and giving paid off; he has the physique of a man forty years younger.

No, I have not had any egg nog.  Yet.

Hugs,