Christmas has been visible in popular culture for about as long as popular culture has traditionally been accepted as a concept. Indeed, it can be argued that Christmas traditions in America got their start through popular culture media. Christmas trees, Christmas carols, and Santa Claus were all spread through the popular culture. Christmas has certainly made its way into popular culture, but as a religious holiday, what happens when popular culture infiltrates Christmas? This paper looks at the Hallmark Keepsake Christmas ornaments and their impact on the holiday. Hallmark Keepsake ornaments take figures of popular culture, such as Barbie and Disney movie characters, and turn them into ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree. By looking at ideas of modern spirituality this paper shows how pop culture ornaments can break down the barrier between the sacred and the secular, while allowing people to hold onto their beliefs. At the same time, while making their religious themed ornaments out of higher quality materials Hallmark themselves attempt to keep it clear that the sacred is somehow above the secular. The interplay between popular culture and religion in Christmas has always been complicated. The goal of this paper is to at least begin to sort out the role of each, and Hallmark Keepsake ornaments seem like the perfect place to start.
About the presenterMeghan Adamo
Meghan Adamo is a graduate student at Parsons, The New School for Design. She is currently studying to take her exams in twentieth-century American Popular Culture, as well a minor concentration on craft. She is particularly interested in where the two topics intersect.