A classical map shows the journey of Santa Claus across the globe

A jovial and corpulent Santa Claus with a flowing white beard who travels on a reindeer sledge in frosty, blistering cold, distributing gifts to the children and radiating optimism, love and happiness all along his path, is the most vivid, memorable and ubiquitous Christmas iconography. It instantly delights us and brings a smile on our face.

A map titled “A World of Good Wishes at Christmas time”, which was made in 1955 by General Drafting Company, a now-defunct mapmaker, shows Santa Claus traveling across continents and spreading mirth.

Adventures of Santa in Africa

Santa can be seen having a good time and unending fun in the map. He’s riding an elephant in India and walking across the Equator in the middle of the Atlantic.

Santa riding a hand-pulled Rickshaw in Asia

Santa is doing a handstand on top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, preparing to jump off one of the pyramids in Egypt, trying to see through the erstwhile Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, and harpooning a whale off the coast of Iceland. Santa knows how to refresh himself and be high in the festive spirits, both literally and metaphorically, as he is seen with a mug of beer near the deserts of North Africa.

Santa playing musical instruments in Europe

The map was made in the ‘roaring 50s’ – an era when American power and prestige was on a rapid rise post World War 2, the middle class was burgeoning and the country was the quintessential shining city on the hill in many regards, especially prosperity and abundance of resources.

An image on the left of the map shows an enthusiastic Santa in an American convertible sedan, highlighting American self-confidence and swagger.

You can follow the flight of ‘Big Red One’ on several special websites especially set up for the occasion. Just login and watch Santa’s amazing journey on either the Air Services Australia, NORAD or Google Maps websites this Christmas Eve.

Source: Geospatialworld

Filipinos look forward to celebrating Christmas amid challenges

Filipinos remain optimistic and look forward to having a merry Christmas celebration this 2023, on the back of expected bonuses and in observance of long-held family traditions.

Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company, said that based on historical data, it expects households to continue increasing spend on food and beverage items during the holidays compared to non-Christmas months.

“While the Christmas spirit is felt as early as September, Christmas spending in the fast-moving consumer goods [FMCG] segment typically starts in December when Filipinos receive additional disposable income through 13th month bonuses and other incentives,” said Nino Nierva, account director for Worldpanel Division at Kantar Philippines.

“What we’ve observed, based on our analyses of the spending habits of over 5,000 households year-on-year, is that Filipinos spend most on food and beverage items from December to January versus the rest of the year,” Nierva said.

Kantar noted a a spending uplift of 7 percent in the total FMCG segment during the height of the Christmas season last year (from December 2022 to January 2023) compared to the non-Christmas months covering February to November 2022.

This translated to about P6 billion more spent every month within the holiday period. Specifically, Filipinos spent 11 percent more on food and 9 percent more on beverage categories during the holidays. This trend also extended to dairy products (+6 percent), which included all-purpose cream and condensed milk that are key ingredients of fruit salad, a staple Christmas dessert in the country.

Health and beauty category took a back seat in the same period based on a 4-percent decline in growth last year, according to Kantar.

Data from Kantar showed that handaan must-haves would continue to take-over the shopping baskets of Filipinos in the remaining months of the year. These items, which registered significant growth in December 2022, are expected to remain a priority for households.

These are spreads (+34%), canned fruits (+25%), alcoholic beverages (+24%), noodles and pasta sauces (+21%), lechon sauce (+17%), condensed milk (+9%), mayonnaise (+8%), and all-purpose cream (+6%).

Kantar said inflation continues to impact FMCG in terms of pack size and brand choices. In particular, households strapped for cash may downsize or buy less quantity of holiday meal staples like pasta sauces or cheese, and may choose to purchase more affordable brands of canned fruits, all-purpose cream and noodles.

While Filipinos continue to patronize sari-sari stores, they will still visit hypermarkets, supermarkets and groceries to check their options during the holiday season. According to Kantar, Filipinos still buy from sari-sari stores and they spend an average of P1,309 a month during the holidays.

This is followed by hyper and supermarkets where 7 out of 10 homes visit the channel with an average monthly spend of P1,559.

Aside from their own purchases, households will likewise make extra room in their pantry for FMCG products that they receive as gifts. These Christmas baskets or boxes usually include pasta, pasta sauce, canned meats, biscuits and other snacks, instant coffee, cheese, canned fruits, sweets and even personal care items like soap.

“Christmas is part of our culture as Filipinos, and food, gifting and spending time together are at the heart of the celebrations. Despite economic challenges, families will continue with their Noche Buena and Media Noche traditions but with compromises in their brand choices. They will continue to be more value-conscious and will review their brand choices from time to time in order to cope with rising prices and while still be able to enjoy a meaningful Christmas season,” said Nierva.

Nierva said retailers can offer value through holiday promotions or bundle packs that will help consumers save during the holidays.

Source: Manila Standard