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AS a cherubic, jolly, fat old man. Prior to Coke's campaign, Santa had been seen in the famous red and white suit, just not looking like he'd spent all summer at the Golden Corral buffet

This whole thing reminds me of the rumor/urban legend that was current around the time Super Glue hit the market the pranksters had rearranged some famous person's house (or their school principal's office, etc.) by gluing all the furniture to the ceiling, so the whole room was completely upside-down. My own teen-aged experiments with Super Glue, however, convinced me that it's not really quite that strong or quite that fast-bonding.

Coca-Cola certainly did use pictures of Santa Claus in its ads (and probably still does), but the drink company did not invent either the Santa Claus legend or the image of him as a fat man with a white beard and a red suit. Both had been around for about 100 years before the cola ads appeared.
Thomas Nast, the 19th century New York cartoonist who established the elephant and the donkey (guess which party he belonged to?) as symbols of the Republican and Democratic parties, is usually also credited with greatly popularizing the image of Santa as a jolly, round, bearded man with a white beard and a fur suit.

Christmas trees are usually described as having begun in Germany in the early-modern period. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation, is frequently credited with starting this custom. Venerating certain trees was part of the practice of ancient Celts and other pre-Chrisitan societies in Europe, but I'm not aware of any evidence that those "pagans" used to decorate those trees in the manner of Christmas trees, or even that they cut trees to set them up inside their homes as anything at all similar to Christmas trees.

I think the Up-Side Down Christmas tree is the coolest thing I've seen. I guess from looking at the prices we will have to hope it flops so we can afford one

During the 7th century, a monk from Devonshire spent time there preaching the word of God. Like any good instructor, he used props. The story goes that he used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that makes up the Holy Trinity. By the 12th century, the Fir tree was being hung upside down from ceilings in Central Europe as a symbol of christianity at Christmas time.
Christmas Trees are neither significant pagan nor biblical symbols. But various Christian traditions have evolved that use the evergreen and its decorations to symbolize and teach the wonderful truths of Advent - God sending His Son to bring eternal life to a fallen world. Though abused by popular culture, Christmas Trees may still point to that true Light of the World.

The link goes to Target's error page and a search from that page led only to an out-of-stock children's book.

Some actual information for all of you

The Legend of the Origin of the Christmas Tree

Legend says that England's St. Boniface, who travelled to Germany to teach in the 7th Century A.D., was furious when he saw pagans revering an oak tree. He hacked it down, but when a fir tree sprang up on the spot, he decided to use the tree's triangular shape to describe the Trinity.

By the 12th Century, Central Europeans were hanging fir trees - upside down - from ceilings at Christmas.

Credit for the tradition of the decorated tree - right side up - generally goes to 16th century German theologian Martin Luther (1483-1546), who was inspired one Christmas Eve when he saw snow-dusted evergreen branches shimmering in the moonlight. Luther went home and set up a small fir tree for his children and adorned it with candles.

Wow, I have never seen a group of people make themselves look less intelligent in such a short time. If you would bother to even Google it, you would know that the upside-down Christmas tree originated in Germany and lasted for over two centuries. It was started as a symbol of Christianity as it more closely resembled a cross. You people are why I oppose organized religion.

congrats Intelegence (sic) I have never seen one person expose their own ignorance in such a short time

...Yep, just another device of someone tryin' to get more money from consumers, and detract even more from the true spirit of Christmas; revival of an "old" pagan tradition. .....Ecclesiastes 1: 9,10.....there is nothing new under the sun.....
...from that picture above, it looks more like a tornado than a tree. Don't we already have enough of those? Are people just so bored that they sit around and think of ways to turn things upside-down? If they'd read the Bible, they wouldn't get bored! (and wherever "Christmas trees" originally came from, it's clear that God has used them for His own purposes!) He can take anything and do with it whatever He wants to! The ones who try to turn everything "upside-down" surely must know they're only feebly attempting to defy the One who makes everything RIGHT, in the end!

ah, ok... so my choice of words wasn't strictly accurate, but before coke got in on the deal there was no red suited, overweight whiskery gentleman. There were permutations, but coke put it all together.

Brenda Durham said:

"The ones who try to turn everything "upside-down" surely must know they're only feebly attempting to defy the One who makes everything RIGHT, in the end!"

Are you wearing any mixed-fiber clothing or do you own any such clothing? If so, get rid of it immediately. The Bible says you shouldn't wear mixed-fiber clothing.

You don't want to do anything that contradicts the Bible, right? Please report back when you have complied with this Scripture.

Cranky Media Guy, why stop with mixed-fiber clothing?
The same "purity codes" in the Bible that ban blended fibers (and homosexuality, by the way) also prohibit:
Cutting your hair or shaving.
Wearing any red garment.
Sowing two kinds of seeds in the same field.
Eating the hind quarters of an animal (e.g. ham, round, etc.)
Taking your hat off.
Eating any food that's been touched by a menstruating woman.
Touching a menstruating woman.
Etc.
However, selling your daughter into slavery is specifically permitted, and so is having several wives and a bunch of concubines.
The stuff those sections tell us we MUST do is even more interesting. As Brenda Durham says, if you read the Bible, you won't get bored.

Well, I've got to go sacrifice a red heifer now.

You're right, Big Gary, there are a LOT of ridiculous things in the Bible. I like to bring up the "mixed fabric" thing because while some of the other silliness doesn't apply to the average person, just about everyone has at least one mixed fabric garment in their closet.

If the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then you HAVE to throw out your mixed fiber clothing right away if you want to call yourself a fundamentalist. All those cool 50/50 T-shirts you like to wear in the Summer? Buh-bye! You don't want to sin via your wardrobe, after all.

I think we can all agree on the "hating homos" part, though. Just kidding.

Have fun slaughtering the red heifer, Gary.

Just a couple things I'm curious about. Didn't Santa Claus originate from the Christian St. Nicholas... who I'm quite certain was not drinking a happy little cocaine bubbly, and about those ornaments showing better....well, I would really like to know who's spending so much money on ornaments because of "Christ's birthday" that you have to turn the damned tree upside down to see them and fit presents under the tree. I hope your God sends you the voices of all the children you could have fed (or maybe fed to Sally Struthers, I've never figured that out) in a Christmas miracle like Scrooges. I'll tell you what, if i were god, and y'all spent that much money decorating for my 2 hour birthday bash, I'd be some pissed.

hmmm....all the comments I've read are extremely interesting! Yes, as someone else agreed, the Bible is not boring at all.
Of course I have Biblical answers to every post;(any fervent Christian does). Cranky, yours was quite interesting, but it's way too tempting to respond in like manner, so I'm leavin' it be. Might start a whole chain reaction that I don't have time for right now. (my dial-up is too slow; I'd be on this site all day if I kept talking!....I might visit the new forum that's being set up sometime if it's easier/faster...
Have fun and be blessed, all of y'all!!

http://www.iarelative.com/xmas/upside.htm

At the Milwaukee Public Museum they have an outstanding exhibit called the "European Village" which features a variety of European homes from the 1700-1800s'. During the holiday season several times in the Polish home the Christmas tree is hung upside down from the ceiling. My grandmother who is of Polish decent has told me that this was a tradition in many Polish homes that was brought to America by many immigrants as late as the beginning of the 20th century. As the immigrants adapted to their new country, different traditions were adopted in the Christmas celebration, and this tradition, as best I can tell, has been long abandon, but indeed, it was a tradition that appears to have originated in the 12th century, according to the link above.

Back in the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, traveled to Germany to spread the Word of God. Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to the German people. The German people started to revere the Fir Tree as "God's Tree". In the next 5 centuries, the tree became a symbol of Christianity, and was being hung upside-down from the ceiling as a sign of Christianity.

The Bible does mention the Christmas tree and it being decorated. It doesn't mention it as something to do, but not to do.

"The customs of the people are worthless, they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel, they adore it with silver and gold, they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter" (Jeremiah 10-3,4).

Christmas, as with other pagan holidays and rituals, were integrated into Christianity by early Romans/Catholics to spread the religion and make it easier for the people. It was a way to spread their power/influence by making the pagan's ways the "new" Christian ways.

There isn't very much about Christianity today that hasn't been touched by these methods and most believe it is how it has always been. Very few people actually do the research about their beliefs.

Amen, Bill Fellner! (at least, Amen, I agree with part of your post)! Good to see someone else who finally referred to the Good Book on this subject (yes, I'm still on the upside-down Christmas trees).
You're right about the Jeremiah scripture, in part. But it's best to remember that those trees couldn't have been actual "Christmas" trees since Christ had not yet been born! (Jeremiah is Old-testament). Setting up the trees was just a pagan way of setting up a "god" to worship; those people perhaps knew of God Himself, but did not personally know Him. He was perhaps still, to them, the UNKNOWN GOD mentioned in another Bible scripture. Jesus Christ's birth, death, and resurrection made God/Jesus Himself reachable, knowable, to all of us who want to know Him. Jeremiah 10:5 tells how their worship was vain because the tree could not move; it had to be carried, it could not speak; it was just a "thing" with no power of its own for either good nor evil. A true follower of Jesus Christ can take and use anything in creation for a Christian purpose, or can simply use it as a thing of simple pleasure, like a pretty Christmas tree. It is when non-believers try to use those things that their use/purposes are twisted and un-Godly!
Jeremiah 10:12 is telling everyone not to WORSHIP any tree; for trees, etc., are creations of God, they are not the Creator! All things aside, we are to seek the face of the God in Jeremiah 10: 10, 12, and 13.