Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare for your patience and interest to be severely tested. We're going to take an exhaustive look at the Christmas Advertising Cuts of 1951.

Why not? Where else?

When you grew up in the era of newspapers - just caught myself implying past tense, sigh - a good paper helped set the seasonal mood. Aside from the "X Shopping Days 'Til Christmas" at the bottom of the page, there would be dozens of ads taken out by local merchants to foster goodwill and get a little publicity. The paper would supply the clip art.

There had to be thousands of pieces of clip art for Christmas.

Well, thank you! I'll head over and pick up some chicks!

Note that they can be used for year to year with minor modification.

The Victorian Carolers:

Wishes were always extended.

"You want two pieces of art or one?"

"Two. The bulbs are nice but they don't say Merry Christmas so people might not know."

I guess we're supposed to know what they do. Or sell.

Sometimes it got specific. I wonder if these were supplied by the - well, by the suppliers.

Have to have the over-the-river bit, because of those great old days of freezing your extremities and losing your toes:

As a kid I did not know what this was, until I did. You'd set aside some scratch every week to make the December bills easier.

"Sir, we never said you had exclusive use of the images in the paper."

Popular Fifties typeface making an early appearance:

Is that Ches & Brood, or the Stock Family?

"I understand, Mr. Bettinger, but as I was just telling Mr. Addington . . . "

Inky modern reindeer with candles stuck in his antlers Sure!

A larger series of ads:

Northwoods-smelling grippable bottles:

I'm not sure how I'd feel about getting a canary, especially if it was wrapped:

Hope to serve you soon!

Trains and Christmas, a natural fit! I guess it's because of toy trains, but the concept drifted.

Canaries, puppies - anything small and incontinent, really.

Both closed.

You'll notice no one's had a cross or a church, or anything religious.

You know, I think you're starting to get the idea.

So let's change it up and look at the small ads. If need be, they'd take up half the space.

		Okay, that's religious. Or it's implied to be.
		Various conveyances would be used to break up the monotony of so very many sleighs
		Bad people can go feed themselves into a jet engine

You've just seen about half of the ads I clipped from the paper. From one year. I've two more years.

Tomorrow? The Pre-Christmas Bleat. What that means, I don't know, but we'll find out. See you around.