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I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by The New Zealand Herald. The mistletoes hung, the bells are a ringing, and all through the moles, Mariah Carey is singing. It's the same old story told year after year of Santa and reindeer and widespread good cheer. But look a bit closer and you might see a crack in the stronghold Saint Nick has had since way back.
Where once stood a hero red coat and beard white, a sack on his sleigh promising Christmas delight, now stands a figure towering six foot too tall, with a coat of green fur, a heart two sizes too small. The Grinch who stole Christmas is making a play for the title of hero. Come this Yule tied day, Old Saint Nick, This might not end well. And to give us the low down, Doctor Lorna Piati farnl So, Lorna, have you noticed more Grinch presents this year?
I definitely have, But I have noticed a lot more Grinch themed merchandise around in this Christmas season.
This has ranged from all sorts you know, like.
Of products, from T shirts to matching family pajamas, plushes, Christmas tree decorations, you know, very cute Grinch themed ornaments, and even a lot of food tins of chocolates, tins of cookies with the Grinch on them, and of course food lines for children at a very well known first food restaurant I know. Here in Auckland, for instance, I'm at a particularly quite exciting Christmas New Christmas experience this year.
Families can choose to have their picture taken there with Santa or the Grench.
So it's not just.
There, but it's been elevated to the same level of you know, Christmas iconicity. At Santa, you can actually have it taken with both, you know, like if anyone is so inclined. So there's definitely been a spike in the ways in which the Grench has been used for marketing and merchandise in purposes this Christmas season for sure.
Well, it's funny that you mentioned that because this is where I started my journey, because I got an email from a Christmas photo outfit. I believe they're called Enchanted Christmas in New Market.
I was thinking about it.
Yeah, And so they give you the option of going with the center of the Grench or both. I emailed them and they said, this is the first year they're giving the option. They actually got the idea from the UK. It's really popular over there apparently, and bookings sat at about thirty percent of Santa So the Grinch of thirty percent of Santa when I asked, And groups of adults are actually preferring to book a picture with the Grinch.
I mean, in terms of this situation, I've been scratching my head because I too have seen a lot more Grinch presence. I've done a survey amongst all of my friends with kids. They say, yes, we're not going insane, And I was trying to think, well, why why the Grinch all of a sudden, have you any idea?
Well, I think.
There's a certain appeal to the Grinch for quite a few reasons. I think on the one hand, it represents a bit of a cheeky and perhaps counterculture view of Christmas. You know, of all those Christmas traditions that we're you know, we come to know and love. He's quite the opposite of Chia in a number of ways. You know what we expect of the Christmas season. You know, it's quite funny he puts up a bit of a protest against the over the top atmosphere of Christmas and the Christmas
spirit overall. So there is definitely something quite appealing about is grinchiness, you know, because some of us may feel a bit bahmburg about Christmas and how it's so you know, like hyped every year. So there's definitely that appeal as well. But I also think as a figure, you know, like when we get down to it, the Grench is very relatable,
you know, character, you know, it's it's quite lonely. Struggles with isolation, it struggles with loneliness, it struggles we're having meaningful connections at a time when the season tells us that we must have those meaningful connections, that this is the meaning of the season.
You know.
We live in a very hyper technological twenty first century where a lot of our lives are in the digital world, so the loss of connection is something that I think
speaks quite loudly to people. So even though the Grench of course is not about being online and being on the internet, it still has that core idea, you know that we can get a little bit lonely at Christmas and we can struggle, you know, to make those connections, and I think in the end is transformation, you know, into an individual school quite lonely, but get Cup comes
to get you know, like understand the meaning of Christmas. Again, it's quite relatable, and I think his story is popular precisely because he tuckles themes like loneliness, but also the hyper commercialization of Christmas, which is something that you know, I think some of us have become quite aware of these holidays and is this pushed to buy you know,
I can produce presents and do something fantastic. Of course, having said that, there is probably something quite ironic about the fact that the Grinch figure has become so heavily commercialized.
Yeah. I was going to say, you know, didn't he say something like what if Christmas? He thought, doesn't come from a store?
Yet You've got you know, the Jammas And.
It's intrinsic to the Grinch story, right, So we see the errony here of the figure I have become so commercialized. But of course, also in terms of why he's appealing, we must not forget that the the Grne comes from a very beloved Dtor Sue's book, which has been you a licence nineteen fifty six, So there's definitely and all the film and animated adaptations that have come after, of course,
and there have been a few. It's humorous, and undoubtedly there is a lot of for some of us, at least turned up on myself in that group, a lot of deep rooted nostalgia that heightens the appeal of the Grinch figure with the public.
Undoubted, every who down in Hoover liked Christmas Salt.
Bravo Jesus.
O my Gridge.
I must thank color.
Course you could change my entire look on life.
Warry no.
Jim carry even if we're horribly mandels faces on.
Doctor Seu says how the Green Store Christmas? Even if I wanted to go my shall, I wouldn't allow it.
One o'clock while I went self checkstading dinner with me.
I can't can't kill that again.
I was surprised to see that it's actually the twenty fifth anniversary of the Jim Carrey adaptation that film, So I was thinking, well, could that have something to do with why we're seeing him especially so much this year, or is it just all millennials growing up and having kids and you know, exposing their children this new generation to the Grinch.
Why is the end of the twenty fifth anniversary, isn't it? That's come around far too quickly for my liking. But undoubtedly, you know, the Jim Carrey movie definitely had a very generational impact, you know, like for millennials, you or like, it was a big Grench narrative of the time. The renewed interest in the Grinch came with that movie. But I don't think the Jim Carrey movie is the only reason why we're witnessing a growth or resurfacing of pop
popularity of the grenching you know, Christmas merchandise. Certainly the items that I've seen of the Grench particularly recalled the Doctor Seuss illustrations or even more so the nineteen sixty six adaptation, you know, cartoon adaptation, which has become quite iconic over the years.
So I think all these different Grench.
Narratives and older nostalgia that they brought up at a time where the world is not in the most fantastic place.
Perhaps so some of us.
May turn to nostalgia, you know, like to make us feel a bit better, to share with our family, you know, like if we you know, people have children and are of that generation where the Grench you know, like got a little bit of a boost in the nineties and early two thousands. Certainly this is the right time for the Grench as a figure to capture the imagination at Christmas.
It does seem quite strange how a figure, a Christmas specific figure has come along and is able to at least compete with Father Christmas at the top of the leader board when it comes to fictional or non fictional, you know, off the top. I mean, should the Easter Bunny be worried? I know in Australia we had there was a resurgence of the Easter Bilby at one point because you know, farmers don't like rabbits on their farms and everything. But the Easter Bilby really didn't you know,
take off, so to speak. Only Australia. Some Australians of a certain generation probably know who the Easter Bilby is.
Do you reckon that there's any other.
Figures or fictional characters out there that could, you know, give other others a run for their money.
So we're wondering if the Grinch as indeed stolen Christmas in more.
Ways than one, well two parts of this in spite of the Grench's popularity that we're seeing this year, this incredible resurgence is everywhere. Yeah, all the nostalgia, all the merchandise, Santa is very much still there, you know, still very much in all the merchandise, is in the shop displays, is in the picture opportunities you.
Know that we can have, you know, like is in the adverts. It's Christmas adverts.
So I don't quite think Santa at least is at a risk of losing is thrown as the King of Christmas. As for other figures, well that remains to be seen. You know, like I'm not sure the Ister Bunny has enough competition you know, in popular culture quite yet, of course, you know, like there are the Christian traditions, you know, like around something, you know, a celebration like Easter, that don't necessarily involve the Ister Bunny. So again we've got
quite a few offshoots. But as far as Christmas is concerned, it's quite nice to see a little bit of an alternative, different ways, diverse ways of celebrating Christmas and different Christmas psychonomic piography is coming into the full ground that are not necessarily the traditional you know, narrative that we've been known to. This is a sign that you know, people are embracing different ways of seeing the world and I think that is quite pleasing.
Yeah, how do you think Christmas marketing has evolved over the years and what's like kind of stayed the same and what's really different?
Well, I think Christmas marketing, some aspects of it have really changed, you know, has really changed over the years. I think we have moved a little bit away from the traditional perhaps product you know, material focused campaigns that traditionally historically use the print and broadcast media you know, like as the primary venue you know, like to.
Get out there. Two more contemporary and perhaps emotionally and values driven marketing that uses a lot more of social media and storytelling to create a connection, you.
Know, like with people, you know with In the end, we're still talking about buying, you know, like we're still talking about purchasing items, but I think that storytelling aspects and that emotional aspects, it has become a lot more to marketing that perhaps it has been historically. Now key factors that might have influenced this, of course include the rise of online shopping. A lot more people do their shopping online, so we needed to change, you know, like
how we create that connection. The use of digital platforms for targeted advertising, including platforms such as Instagram that are very picture you know, like emotional focused, you know, like that emotional response, and of course an evolution in you know, campaigns that tend to reflect social values a lot more.
I think traditionally Christmas marketing as tend to put forward a very family, still Christian inspired, family centric narrative, while we see our Christmas marketing has become, you know, in the digital world, a lot more diverse and a lot more inclusive of different experience and experiences and different situations.
And of course, within that, I think there is the understanding, you know, like in the shift that for the majority of people, not all, but for a good portion of the population, Christmas is a secular experience rather than perhaps a Christian one, but still places an emphasis on community, on family, on the importance of coming together, and the
importance of celebrating. So I think Christmas marketing has taken all those shifts, social and cultural shifts into account to present us with something that is a lot more focused on experience rather than the product itself that they're selling.
Like what is this going to.
Do for me?
On do this to create memories?
You know, the idea of creative memories is very very central, I think to Christmas marketing, and we see it even with the types of products that have become very central, you know, to a lot of our Christmas experiences, like taking Christmas photos with the family. You know, that's become one of the big sellers like Christmas, you know, rather than just gifting something is gifting experience and gifted memory. So we definitely see that shift. And the emotional storytelling
and the message focused marketing has become very central. But of course we're not forgetting the material side, you know, the experience.
The big windows, displays, et cetera, et cetera.
The lights, the decorations even in the streets are still there. So we see I think a bit more of a balanced experience with Christmas marketing that takes into account the product, of course we're still selling, but also puts in the foreground the experience of Christmas and why it's meaningful for people.
Gond it be so it came with out ribbons, it came without tags, it came with our packages, boxes or bags.
He puzzled and puzzed to his puzzle of a saw. The gridch thought of something you haven't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.
When you said that, the emotional switch on the ads immediately made me think of the John Lewis ads ink. Yes, so every year they come out with one, and it's like they're coming out with them every year to see
how many more people they can get to cry. Really, the one that comes to my mind is the Elton John one, but they're really famous for bringing that you know, that loving and caring and it really is that kind of marketing switch from bye bye bye to you know, what can you do for your family and your friends and everything for Christmas. On one hand, though, I actually have seen a more sustainable approach to Christmas. I actually found myself watching a whole bunch of TikTok videos on
how to wrap presents and silk scarves. But on the other hand, I also have seen those videos of influences with a massive tree with you know, presents piled up to the ceiling. So there are those two extremes for sure. What do you make of that?
I think absolutely I've also seen, you know, like the pictures with Christmas, you know, like the bigger, the better, right, you know, like huge Christmas trees going all the way to the ceiling, and so many presents that you gotta wonder, you know, what's in all those boxes, et cetera, et cetera.
And also a push I think for influencers to put forward Christmas products, things like advent calendars, you know, like that again put the emphasis on that materialistic side, which eventually is a little bit of a throwaway experience when it comes to it, with all the packaging.
But I've also I agree with you that I've.
Also seen a rise in a desire for a more sustainable Christmas with many people, and even we see this on social media, you know, like so many videos and so many tips for adopting a more environmentally conscious you know, way to reduce and wte to reduce waste, or you know, choosing eco friendly gifts made with eco friendly materials. I think there's a lot more conscious consciousness and you know,
desire to engage in that. And of course, even with the Christmas lunches and Christmas meals, opting for more local.
And seasonal foods you know, like for the Christmas.
Season, there's definitely been a rise in that and I've seen it in a lot of different contexts. So this also includes embracing experiences, like we said over material goods. That is also part of that sustainability, you know, like that goes hand in hand with the desire to feel connected to people and look after the planet.
You know, I think that is all part of the same narrative.
Reusing, you know, using reusable gift wrapping, perhaps the scar for perhaps just beautiful fabric that can be used, you know, like a year in and year out. I've also seen several lines of reusable Christmas crackers, you know, Christmas farm.
Bars yes so high actually, yes.
That you can make yourself every year and also choose much more meaningful little gifts that you can give, you know, to your friends and family and be sustainable in the process as well. So there's definitely a conscious effort, and these are just examples of sustainability, you know, becoming part of how many people think about their daily lives, their interest in the planet, their interest in being environmentally conscious, and also how it goes hand in hand with building memories.
Building experiences is now a normal part of our Christmas celebrations.
So lastly, Laurna, do you in fact think the Grinch will steal Christmas?
Oh, I've certainly been trying for quite a few years now. I think the Grinch may have come to accept that some parts of Christmas might be his.
And you know, it never turns down an.
Opportunity for bar and humbug, which I think some of us might want to join in a little bit.
But I think, like with everything, a little bit of.
Balance that makes for a much happier experience at Christmas. And in the end, everyone should do what brings their joy and brings them joy and you know, like do with their hearts desire to have the best experience they can at Christmas.
Thanks so much for joining us, Lorna.
Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.
That's it for this episode of The Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at NZHERLD dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Jane Ye and Richard Martin, who's also our editor. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to the Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.