今天是圣诞节，说起圣诞老人小编就想起了那个穿着红白色大衣，头戴大红帽的白胡子老爷爷。

但是你知道吗，最初的圣诞老人居然是这样的?!

不要怀疑你是不是红绿色盲了，最初的圣诞老人就是的绿 哒!

红绿之争要从圣诞老人的起源 说起。

The modern Santa Claus is actually much older, a patchwork character woven together from different sources.

These include Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century Greek bishop - who famously wore red robes while giving gifts to the poor, especially children - and the English folk figure "Father Christmas", whose original green robes turned red over time.

现代圣诞老人有很古老的起源，是用不同历史人物的故事拼凑而成。其中就包括一名四世纪的希腊主教圣尼古拉斯(Saint Nicholas)。根据记录这个红衣老爷爷喜欢给穷人派礼物，尤其是孩子。另一个起源是英国的神话人物“圣诞神父”，他原本穿着的就是绿色的衣服。

▲ BBC

一度，绿衣圣诞老人 压倒了红衣圣诞老人 。因为歪果仁觉得，绿衣的形象更能给寒冷的冬天带来一丝 春意 。

It's likely he represented the coming of spring and wore a long green hooded cloak and a wreath of holly, ivy or mistletoe and had the ability to make people happier during the long winter months.

圣诞老人穿着绿色连帽长袍，带着冬青和常春藤、槲寄生编制的花环，寓意着生机勃勃的春天，在冬天里给人们带来了生机。

▲BBC

但是到了19世纪，绿衣圣诞老人，逐渐消失了。

It was in the 1820s, too, that advertisements for Christmas presents became common in the United States. By the 1840s, Santa himself was a frequent commercial icon in advertisements. Retailers, after all, had to find some way to clear their end-of-year stock.

在1820年代的美国，圣诞老人的形象被用在广告上，推销冬季滞销的礼物。到了1840年代，圣诞老人可以说是一个年终大促的KOL了 。

▲BBC

于是，为了提高销量，各大商家在设计圣诞老人的时候，可以说是动足了脑筋。在这场营销大战中，可口可乐 获得了成功。

The definitive image of the red-robed one was, however, the product of hard-nosed commercialism. Coca-Cola wanted to boost its winter sales and hit on the idea of Santa being a coke drinker in a campaign tagged “Thirst Knows No Season”.

红衣圣诞老人是商业化的产物。为了在冬季推销自己的可乐，可口可乐公司在当年的广告中把圣诞老人和自己的LOGO元素结合，形成了红色圣诞老人。

▲The Guardian

随着可口可乐铺天盖地的广告，那个绿衣圣诞老人也就一去不复返了。

关键词： 圣诞帽