Abstract
ABSTRACT American Christmas traditions developed throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as an amalgamation of various communities’ customs, media representations of the holiday, and civic celebrations within the public sphere. One cultural touchstone throughout this period was within department stores where store Santas helped to streamline the identity of the national secular holiday. Miracle on 34 th Street, in portraying an updated version of the Santa Claus figure within Macy’s department store on film, rebranded the Christmas figure and his connections to commercialism through manipulation of his mythology. By emphasising the secular faith placed in Santa, Miracle on 34th Street contributed to a lasting connection between the American Christmas and an emerging commercialist religion.
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