Rumor has it that the red Santa Claus as we know him today was brought to life by nobody else than Coca-Cola back in the 1930s. But did you know that Santa also used to be green?

For around 100 years ago, Coca-Cola solidified the image of the official Santa Claus as a cozy chubby older man with a white beard and red clothes. Santa Claus drank cola on TV, drove around in a huge truck with lights, and has become Christmas’ symbol of over-consumerism, where every Dane spends over DKK 3,000 on Christmas presents every year.

But it has not always been that way. In the past, Santa Claus was also green. By several cartoonists, he was presented as a green figure dressed in a green hooded cloak with a wreath on his head. In Victorian England, Christmas was personified with the figure of Father Christmas, which was associated with festivities and joy. Here, Father Christmas was often associated with the heralding of the arrival of spring in the months after the holidays and was dressed in green clothes until he merged together with the red American Santa Claus, who today is the Santa Claus most people know.

With Coca-Cola’s advertisement stunt and the materialistic Christmas mind, it can be hard to remember the things that are really worth focusing on at Christmas. Instead of using the credit card and by things we don’t need like never before, let’s instead focus on how we can celebrate Christmas without contributing to more overconsumption.

Let’s make Christmas green again, keep in mind the sustainable advice that reduces our overconsumption, and choose Christmas gifts that do not overload our planet with more pollution. And let’s make Santa green again as he once was.

Therefore, this year GreenMobility’s Christmas wish is: #MakeSantaGreenAgain. And make Christmas green again.

Join our movement and #MakeSantaGreenAgain

Maybe you wrap the Christmas presents in recycled wrapping paper this year or replant your Christmas tree so it can be used again next year? Share your tips for a greener Christmas on Instagram with the hashtag #MakeSantaGreenAgain and help us make Christmas and Santa green again.

GreenMobility’s tips for a greener Christmas:

Buy a sustainable Christmas tree
Choose an organic Christmas tree or a Christmas tree that can be replanted. They are available both at the Christmas tree markets around the city or online.
Use reusable bags for shopping
Say no to plastic bags and use reusable bags instead. They can be washed and used over and over again and are better for the climate and our common planet.
Use recycled wrapping paper
Sustainable gift wrapping paper is a more environmentally friendly choice and is available in several supermarkets and online.
Drive green when driving home for Christmas
Are you going on Christmas holiday with the family? Choose the green solution and help reduce pollution and noise in the city.

#MakeSantaGreenAgain – GreenMobility’s green Christmas wish