The Commercialization of the Holiday Season in Quebec, 1885-1915
The Commercialization of the Holiday Season in Quebec, 1885-1915

Author: Jean-Philippe Warren

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2021-08-25

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1527574105

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Most people believe that consumer Christmas is a recent creation. However, it was more than a century ago that the consumer spirit of Christmas blossomed. Few societies illustrate this spectacular development better than French Canada. Here, the new spirit of Christmas that came to prevail imposed itself through two battles. On the one hand, New Year’s Day, which had been the true focal point of the winter season in French Canadians’ culture, was supplanted by the Nativity. On the other hand, Baby Jesus was replaced by Santa Claus. In seeking to understand how Christian celebrations became at the turn of the twentieth century the commercial event par excellence for French Canadians, this book invites the reader to question the genesis of seemingly immemorial traditions.

A Mile of Make-Believe
A Mile of Make-Believe

Author: Steve Penfold

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2016-09-23

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1442630981

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A Mile of Make Believe examines the unique history of the Santa Claus parade in Canada. This volume focuses on the Eaton’s sponsored parades that occurred in Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg as well as the shorter-lived parades in Calgary and Edmonton. There is also a discussion of small town alternatives, organized by civic groups, service clubs, and chambers of commerce. By focusing on the pioneering effort of the Eaton’s department store Steve Penfold argues that the parade ultimately represented a paradoxical form of cultural power: it allowed Eaton’s to press its image onto public life while also reflecting the decline of the once powerful retailer. Penfold’s analysis reveals the "corporate fantastic" – a visual and narrative mix of meticulous organization and whimsical style– and its influence on parade traditions. Steve Penfold’s considerable analytical skills have produced a work that is simultaneously a cultural history, history of business and commentary on consumerism. Professional historians and the general public alike would be remiss if this wasn’t on their holiday wish list.