The former NS assistant editor Mervyn Jones tried hard to find out when Father Christmas first appeared in department stores as an attraction for children. “As long as I’ve been here,” was always the answer. In this festive 1950 piece, Jones spoke to the men underneath the red coats and white beards and found they were hairdressers, cleaners and former policemen. One ended up being more of an attraction for the mothers than for their children – “One woman’s come back five times” – and some were made to follow strict scripts, while others strolled around toy departments approaching children more informally. For all, the timeless moral lesson remained: a child must be “good, obedient and kind” for Father Christmas to come down the chimney with presents come 25 December.
***
Content from our partners
