11 vintage Christmas car ads guaranteed to make your day merry
During the holidays, some of our fondest experiences with friends and family involve the cars of our past and present. Maybe that includes belting out your favorite carols over the radio, drifting through snow in empty school parking lots, hauling home the too-tall family Christmas tree, or surviving a death-defying trek to the in-laws’ house. All of the above elicit a myriad of reasons as to why cars and the holiday season go hand in hand. Automakers have known this for ages and take advantage of the chance to celebrate—especially if that means convincing people to splurge on a new ride.
Perhaps nothing in the automotive advertising sphere captures the spirit of the season as evocatively as these print ads of years past. This year, enjoy a walk down memory lane with these eleven festive selections.
A Cadillac couple
It’s a very Merry Christmas for this Mrs. indeed. Love is in the air. All dolled up, she’s looking every bit ready to get behind the wheel of her new red 1956 Cadillac coupe. The happy pair exudes an opulence fit for Cadillac ownership in the era of the post-World War II boom. It’s chrome and fins galore, and we’d gladly unwrap one of these over a pair of socks any year, please.
Chevrolet on Dad’s list
Dads know the drill. Every year they accept gifts with a smile while burying the disappointment of another year and another necktie. Chevrolet sought to solve this issue years ago, in 1936, when Christmas shopping probably seemed a lot simpler than staring into the gaping maw of the internet. Genuine Chevrolet accessories seen here came pre-wrapped and ready to go from the dealer, including a helpful greeting card. I hear the Super De Luxe Hot Water Heater was a mighty fine option this time of year!
A new Chrysler cat
Meeting Santa on the street is always better when you can roll up in style in a 1960 Chrysler coupe. Maybe it was the Golden Lion under the hood that caught his attention, or all the flashy emblems with enough shine to them to make Rudolph jealous. Either way, this Chrysler is letting Santa know that the whole family has been very good this year. Once he sees that new AstraDome cluster and those Swivel Seats, the sleigh will be soon headed to the shop for some, uh, modifications..
A Ford’s out front
In 1947, Ford’s rendition of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore is sweet music to a motorhead family’s ears. A cool blue night sets the scene of a small, hushed town, with an empty spot in the drive for that new Ford that the family all wants. Reflections on the ornaments place you into scenes of Ford’s state-of-the-art interiors. A nice additional touch is a key nestled on holly and waiting in the window.
So, proud as a Princess and rich as a Lord,
We glowed with our glory in having a Ford,
And thought, “When the kids start their Christmas-day hunt
For presents, they’ll find that a Ford is out Front.”
Santa hops into Hertz
Santa has his priorities in order. In this illustration by renowned illustrator John Philip Falter, the big man with the beard appears to be leaping from his sleigh in favor of a Hertz rental. It’s not just any old beater below, either, but a ’63 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, aptly finished in white with a red interior (of course). Santa’s descent looks to be a lot more graceful than the century-old rental company’s recent fall from grace into bankruptcy. You might consider the company’s comeback this October, however, to be a kind of early Christmas miracle.
Mom’s new Oldsmobile Six
In the December 1926 issue of The Ladies Home Journal, dad gave mother a gift of the most magical kind on Christmas morning. Their children rush out to the street where a new Oldsmobile Six sits parked and waiting for the family. Themes of taste and utility for the age’s archetypal American nuclear family are being sold in this one. Our favorite part is the quality of detail in the penmanship on the gift tag, a script you’ll rarely find on the tags of any gifts you’ll open nowadays.
Plymouth kids coming home
Jim’s coming home for the holidays in style this year in his own good luck charm, that red Plymouth outside the window. This illustration (circa 1947) transports you into the alluring sights, sounds, and smells of mom’s home cooking. Their holiday decor adds even more warmth to the kitchen, and oh, what a drool-inducing feast they have in store. Jim can finally relax and let someone else snag the wishbone this time—his dearest wish has already come true.
Plymouth school speeches
Here we have another gem from the minds at Plymouth, by illustrator Amos Sewell, in 1948. This little fella is having a rough go of it as he stands in front of the class and crowd, struggling to remember his lines. (We’ve all been there, sport.) It looks like it’s the end of the term at the schoolhouse when the holiday festivities are well underway. Too bad for him though, his parents brought home that new Plymouth and that’s all he can think about. Mother’s not amused, but don’t sweat it, kid. Sooner or later, you’ll find out that formal education isn’t the only road to success.
Volkswagen’s bow-topped beauty
If you’re going to receive a big empty box for Christmas, a Volkswagen bus has got to be the way to go. Taking the point further, VW claims in this ad from 1964 that one could stick a 40-foot tree through the foldable roof, or pack it in with 170 cubic feet of snow. Not that it needs any extra cooling at all, the air-cooled engine over the rear axle aids in traction, making this big rig not only stylish but sensible to take on winter trips with a human capacity of up to 9 adults. You’ll need all of them huddled in there for warmth, too, since all the hot air will escape through the roof and all of that glass.
The Christmas Beetle by Volkswagen
Beetles made the world go round. Volkswagen wasn’t kidding in this ad from 1964, when it said, “For Christmas ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67, ’68, ’69, ’70, etc.” The German giant sold millions of Bugs, which were as adorable as they were adequate and affordable for so many people—even if a Christmas wreath wasn’t included in the sale. Don’t forget, this is the little car that the snowplow man drives to the job.
Willys-Overland holiday indulgence
Featured in the December 1925 issue of The Ladies Home Journal, Willys-Overland implored readers to “Pool the Family Funds!” The ad reminds its customers that there’s no time like the present. Christmas superficialities, who needs them this year? Get an Overland Six! Willys-Overland pumps the brakes on the Roaring Twenties to focus on the family and say that consolidation is cool, especially in the form of an Overland Six delivered on Christmas morning.
if only i could have a brand new 1960 chrysler
Amen to that. That was the prettiest car out of Detroit that year.
Meh … I think the 1960 Cadillac is better looking.
The 1960 Cadillac wasn’t too shabby!!
Ya gotta love the Chevrolet accessories ad where the dad is joyfully exclaming, “Just what I wanted, the rest of the damn car”.
Always wondered why you need a heater for hot water!
Amen to that. That was the prettiest car out of Detroit that year.
Am I right? Chrysler only makes a Pacifica now? Its kind of sad how some of these famed manufacturers have faded.
They still, to the best of my knowledge, make the Chrysler 300 but I believe it must be ordered only and not from the sales floor.
This is the last year of the 300
I would like one, too! Chrysler was selling style, performance, and driving pleasure back then. I’d re-plumb the heater hoses around the motor than over it, though. The look of motion when sitting still.
Imagine Santa’s face when he gets into the Corvette and sees that it’s a 4-speed rather than a PowerGlide!
VW ads were always neat and amusing. Letting the uniqueness and simplicity of the car sell itself.
Happy Holidays, Y’all!
Even though it first aired 60 years ago, I still remember it well, Burgess Meredith saying “Have you ever wondered how the man who drives the snow plow, drives to the snow plow?”. That 64 VW ad is easily one of the best TV commercials for a car ever done.
You had to see it. You couldn’t see the snow covered road; only the row of utility poles.
The government has made sure we can’t have performance cars any more.
Not sure what country you live in, but it obviously is not the USA, where the Corvette and Mustang are still made, and the Camaro and Challenger and Charger are still available for a while at the dealers. Not to mention many imported cars available, such as the Z, 911, F-type, etc.
Yea, me too!
Me Too….
The Caddy and Chrysler ads are “Mad Men” at it’s zenith!
YES !!!
Ah…. Got to be the 36 Chevrolet parts and accessories!!
Merry Christmas!
Caddy’s were so classy back then!
When ads were ART!
When cars were art!
Exactly!
Does the wrapping paper in the Chevrolet ad actually have leaping Impala’s on it? Sure looks like it…….a bit of foreshadowing going on here………? Merry Christmas to all!
Hah! good catch! But probably reindeer.
Now that you mention it, they darn sure look like Impalas to me, not reindeer (or Impala’s).
Great catch, looks like Impala’s to me! Everyone have a Wonderful Christmas and pray for a more peaceful New Year!
You didn’t get it. The plural of Impala should not have an apostrophe.
Except for the VW ads and and ’36 Chevy accessory ad, the rest play to a Norman Rockwell vision of America. The “Plymouth Kids Coming Home” ad is brilliant – marketing at its best or most pernicious. Mad men indeed.
That’s not accidental. With the popularity of Rockwell at the time, it was logical to capture that and duplicate it. Rockwell was good at extracting emotions at the height of their expression. You can see where the admen worked to employ the same characteristics.
Looks like Impalas to me too!!
These all predate my birth, but they were fun to visit.
Definitely the Corvette!
Can you imagine going up a hill in a VW bus with nine people in it?
Eight of them can get out and push!
Or trying to stop it coming down the hill once the 8 pushers climbed back in!
Earliest car memory was Dad (WW II bomber pilot, btw) driving us six kids and Mom in our VW. As the little ones got bigger, the Vista Cruiser became the obvious successor.
Probably in low gear, at 5 MPH.
Leave the import garbage out. Especially a German vehicle. I don’t think my dad would appreciate German garbage after the battle of the bulge.
In the immortal words from the movie “Stripes”: “Lighten up, Francis”! (My Dad fought in the ETO, too, as a tanker in the 8th Armored Division, and he managed to put the war in the past and eventually even owned a VW (when stationed in Germany in the ’60s) and an Audi (in the ’70s)). To each his own, but I’m glad to see the VW ads, myself.
My Dad was also with the 8th “Thundering Herd” 1942-1945 gone 33 years now and still miss him. He’s the reason I became a car nut. Salute to all Veterans, Merry Christmas, and I’ll take a ’63 Vette please.
I’m with you! Plus what the Visigoth’s did at the Battle of Adrianople in 378! Not cool!
Steven, please tell me you’re not so ignorant that you think modern German cars are built by Nazis. 🙄
Well, the way some of the Mercedes things work on their cars you’d think a Nazi designed it
What is this, 1949? Things have changed, new alliances have formed, the world has turned. My dad served in the Navy in WWII on U-Boat patrol, and he never objected to my owning a Beetle; he even enjoyed driving it occasionally.
And it is correctly called “The Battle of the Bulge”, if you want to honour it properly.
I can tell you the worst one. That GMC commercial. “I love it”. hate that commercial
Did anyone catch the Cadillac ad where they say it is a coupe, looks like a 4 door hardtop to me
LOL! At first I thought you misread “A Cadillac Couple” as “A Cadillac Coupe” but then I re-read what Bryan Gerould wrote under the add and see what you really meant. Just a mistake by Bryan and not a mistake in the ad itself.
56 Cadillac looks like a sedan to me, not a coupe, but either way, it was a Cadillac when the name really meant something special!
Definitely a 4-door hardtop. What puzzles me is it’s Christmas, there’s snow on the ground, yet all the windows are down.
Geesh, when I was a kid, comparing something, anything to a Caddy, was like saying it was the cats pajamas