Down through the years Christmas art has done a lot to not only enhance the season but also to shape it in many ways. The visions that some have seen as the perfect Christmas day have wound up in songs like Jingle Bells and I’ll Be Home For Christmas and now people all over the world try and make their Christmas day as perfect as the day described in those songs. Christmas art, regardless of its function, has even shaped the way we see some of the icon symbols of Christmas over the years. It was Christmas art for an advertising campaign for Coca Cola in the 1950’s that helped to shape the way we envision Santa Claus today. It is the endless Christmas art the depicts the perfect Christmas tree that causes people to strive to get their tree to look that way. It is the Christmas art of the movies that brings sentimental joy to millions of people every year and continues to do so with new classics coming out each generation. Christmas art is just as responsible for Christmas today as the history of Christmas or the religious true meaning of Christmas is and there is not a thing wrong with that.

One of the masters at Christmas art that is able to capture a truly Victorian Christmas scene in every detail and make it not only Christmas art but a work of art in and of itself is Thomas Kinkade. Thomas Kinkade is an American artist who has made a career out of capturing rustic old time settings that bring people a feeling of nostalgia that very few movies or photographs can bring. Kinkade’s paintings are so popular that home developers are starting to build new developments based on his ideal settings and the homes are selling like hotcakes. He is an extremely popular artist who has made his reputation partially on his magnificent Christmas art and you can see much of his work at Christmas time on decorations, paintings, business cards, and calendars. Kinkade’s success has helped to rekindle an interest in the old world Christmas settings and many people are starting to follow Kinkade in claiming a part of that financial empire.

Christmas art is not limited to the art that you can see, it also includes the art you can hear and Christmas seems to be the perfect time for hit comedy songs. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer was a song written in 1978 by a gentleman named Randy Brooks and made famous by a husband and wife duo named Elmo and Patsy Shropshire. The song has been rerecorded by various artists several times since it was originally released in 1979 and the copies sold of the song number well over 500,000. Another Christmas favorite that has been rerecorded by various artists through the years is the comedy hit I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. It was originally released in 1952 by Jimmy Boyd and it reached #1 on the Billboard charts that year. Since then the song has gone on to be rerecorded by such artists as John Mellencamp, Jessica Simpson, and even the heavy metal band Twisted Sister.

Christmas art endures because it is tied to one of the most beloved seasons of the year. As long as there is a Christmas to celebrate there will always be Christmas art and as long as there are people that can appreciate a good laugh there will always be funny Christmas songs as well.