As my first Christmas at mark-making* draws near, I decided to have a look into a few other Noël firsts. Here (obviously) are 12 of my favourites…

1. Earliest recorded pantomime: 1702

2. First recorded mention of a ‘Christmas’ pudding: 1858

The first recorded use of the phrase ‘Christmas pudding’ occurs in a novel by Anthony Trollope in 1858. Long before it was given its festive name, the humble ‘plum pudding’ (though the word ‘plum’ in fact could refer to raisins and sultanas also, which were sometimes substituted for plums) was enjoyed by English folk. It was even banned by the puritans for a time, for being ‘sinfully rich’.

3. First official Boxing Day Bank Holiday: 1871

In 1871, the Bank Holidays Act was passed that designated various Bank Holidays in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Christmas Day and Good Friday were considered to be traditional days of rest (like Sundays) in England, Wales, and Ireland, but Boxing Day/St Stephen’s Day was formalised in this year.

4. World’s first department store Santa’s Grotto: 1879

The first Christmas Grotto, now a familiar sight in retail outlets around the world, first appeared at Lewis’s Bon Marche department store in Liverpool, 1879. It was called ‘Christmas Fairyland’, and grew in size year on year, now covering over 10,000 square feet.

5. The first Christmas film is made: 1898

6. Saint Nick starts a long endorsement relationship with Coca-Cola: 1931

The jolly, rotund, rosy-cheeked Father Christmas we know of today was strongly influenced by the 1930s illustrations of Haddon Sundblom. He was commissioned by Coca-Cola to create Santa Claus artwork for their Christmas advertising. They used the campaign as a way of reminding people that the drink was available all year around, and altering perceptions of Coca-Cola as a summer beverage.

7. George V delivers first Royal Christmas Broadcast: 1932

This image is from 1934, but the first ever Royal Christmas broadcast happened on Christmas Day 1932. It was proposed as a way of promoting the World Service (then known as the Empire Service).

8. First Boxing Day test match: 1950

The Boxing Day Test involves the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team which is touring Australia that summer. The first one was played against England in 1950, who were beaten by 28 runs, witnessed by a crowd on Boxing Day of over 60,000. (For those interested, the first time England won the Boxing Day Test match was in 1982)

9. Royal Mail launches its first Christmas stamp: 1966

The UK came fairly late to the party in the matter of Christmas stamps, but the first were launched in 1966, designed by children who entered a competition. See the winning designs here.

10. Christmas in space! 1968

This is the ISS crew celebrating Christmas back in 2009, but the first Christmas in space was in 1968! Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to orbit the Moon on Christmas Eve 1968, and the next day, the first humans to spend Christmas in space.

11. mark-making* celebrates its first Christmas: 1995

By all accounts, a quiet affair. How things have changed!

12. First John Lewis Christmas TV ad: 2007

Neither so long ago or far away as you might think, John Lewis made their first Christmas ad. It hasn’t got Monty, but it’s still pretty cool…

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So there you have them, a few Noël firsts to celebrate my first agency Noël. Thank you for reading! If you’ve got the first ever Christmas stamp in your stockbook, or you’ve always wanted to spend Christmas in space, why not leave me a comment as an early Christmas present?

Written by Chloe Marshall