This is my oldest snow globe. I’ve had it over forty-five years, since I was a child. It was bought as a Christmas present for me by one of my uncles or aunts, I’m not sure which one though, I had a lot of them. When I opened it that Christmas morning all those years ago, tearing off the paper without reading the gummed label to find out who it was from, I felt on seeing my present both disappointed and confused.
I have lots of Santa snow Globes, all dressed in red, but this one was different. It’s made entirely from plastic, as most things were back in the sixties, but Santa is dressed in a very sickly shade of light blue instead of vibrant red. I have no idea why he isn’t dressed in red. I know of no tradition for light blue Santa’s. Pre Coca-Cola Santa was usually dressed in Green, before that he wore furs, and of course he started his career in Bishop’s robes. Yes, the light blue robes are a puzzle and I often wonder about them. As Santa’s go he strikes me as odd generally, with that Christmas tree slung over his shoulder rather that the sack of toys we all know so well, and those toys which seem to be hung from his belt like a poacher’s plunder are peculiar too - a clown, a ball, a doll, a trumpet, and a spoon… a spoon? What does it all mean?
Maybe it’s an attempt by some sixties marketing man to change our view of Santa, or it could be linked to some sort of merchandising, or perhaps the designer was high on LSD? Perhaps it’s a secret. Anyway, I guess I’ll never know.
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