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By Rebecca Zerzan
Here’s how some beloved traditions came about, including diamond engagement rings and the ubiquitous green-bean casserole.
1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The origin of Rudolph has nothing to do with Jesus or Santa. He sprang from the mind of Robert May, a copywriter for Chicago’s Montgomery Ward department store. May wrote and illustrated the poem (that later became the song) for the store’s holiday coloring book in 1939. But Rudolph’s fate was threatened when store execs realized that the animal’s big, glowing honker might put off consumers, because red noses were often associated with alcoholics. Luckily for May, shoppers embraced the story wholeheartedly. A whopping 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer were given out at the store that Christmas.
2. Green-Bean Casserole
America’s favorite casserole dates back to 1955, when a chef named Dorcas Reilly created it for a cookbook designed to promote Campbell’s products. By 2003, more than 20 million families (about one in four households) reportedly served the dish at Thanksgiving.
3. Diamond Engagement Rings
Prior to the 20th century, engagement rings were strictly luxury items, and they rarely contained diamonds. But in 1939, the De Beers diamond company changed all of that when it hired ad agency N.W. Ayer & Son. The industry had taken a nosedive in the 1870s, after massive diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. But the ad agency came to the rescue by introducing the diamond engagement ring and quietly spreading the trend through fashion magazines. The rings didn’t become de rigueur for marriage proposals until 1948, when the company launched the crafty “A Diamond is Forever” 
campaign. By sentimentalizing the gems, De Beers ensured that people wouldn’t resell them, allowing the company to retain control of the market. In 1999, De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer confessed, “Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill.”
In addition to diamond engagement rings, De Beers also promoted surprise proposals. The company learned that when women were involved in the selection process, they picked cheaper rings. By encouraging surprise proposals, De Beers shifted the purchasing power to men, the less-cautious spenders.
4. Valentine’s Day Candy
Greeting-card companies didn’t invent valentines. Candy suppliers, on the other hand, were very much behind the idea of giving out Valentine’s Day candy. In fact, the tradition almost seems born out of jealousy. In 1892, Confectioners’ Journal advocated persuading customers that candy was better than “cheap, grotesque” valentines. The floodgates were opened, and by 2004, consumers were buying more than 35 million heart-shape boxes of candy each year.
5. Wedding Registries
In the 1900s, it was customary for only close family members to give wedding presents. But gradually, newlyweds came to expect gifts from friends, as well. Detecting a trend, department stores started to direct engaged customers to their home furnishings and kitchenware departments, encouraging them to think of their weddings as a time to acquire the tools for domestic life. In 1924, the Marshall Field & Company department store in Chicago created the first wedding registry, and the “tradition” took off. Today, up to 96 percent of American couples register their weddings.
Comments (19)
Comment
Okay, I wasn’t even going to comment, but the recaptcha is “romance law”…which seemed to be a great subtitle to this list (well, maybe not the fried onions or the red nose, but just about everything else!)
posted by Connie on 12-23-2008 at 8:42 pm
I like the diamond one. I have never even like diamonds and when I got engaged I asked my husband for a saphire ring (turns out the one I picked out only cost 300$) when my grandmother died I got her HUGE diamond. I like my little saphire much better! It suits me and my personality much better then the diamond that EVERYONE has……
posted by Katie on 12-23-2008 at 8:58 pm
I have a sapphire too, Katie! My husband and I went to a jeweler when we decided to get engaged, and sat through a long ‘how to pick a diamond’ talk. I finally interrupted and asked about a gorgeous sapphire in the case. I haven’t stopped looking at it since!
posted by Dawn on 12-23-2008 at 11:37 pm
The wedding registry story reminds me of a research project I did on asian weddings. According to the information I found, Korean families traditionally have the coolest wedding ritual…the bride’s family pays for the wedding, all the food and everything. The groom’s family buys a house for the new couple. Then things are supposedly rather even.
posted by Amauriel on 12-23-2008 at 11:59 pm
I wear nothing more than a simple silver band. I never bought into the whole diamond thing.
recaptch: 99.11 chowder
posted by Alice on 12-24-2008 at 12:38 am
I too shunned the diamond ring for an emerald. I get compliments on it all the time.
posted by Sparky on 12-24-2008 at 8:40 am
I love diamonds. My only request when hubby began shopping for an engagement ring was that it was not overly large because I have small fingers and anything too big would look gaudy.
My favorite entry here, however, is the green bean casserole. More than anything this year, that picture made me want to go back to the States for Christmas because my aunt has mastered it.
posted by MN on 12-24-2008 at 8:58 am
Green bean casserole? I have never heard of this. It…it doesn’t look too good. I’m sorry.
Is it just beans and mushroom soup or something? What are those orange things? I’m going to have to Google this…
posted by Jenny on 12-24-2008 at 10:44 am
@Jenny – green beans, cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions that you buy in a can. It is exceptionally yummy and easy to make. You can add 1 lb. of ground hamburger for a quick dinner casserole too!
reCaptcha – 26 purchasers!
posted by bzzyb on 12-24-2008 at 12:19 pm
@Jenny Green bean casserole is the only item our son requested for Christmas dinner, it’s a family favorite. It’s green beans, cream of mushroom soup, salt, pepper, a little milk, and then to top it off, the orange things are onion rings. I like to add sliced water chestnuts too, but the kids are purists about the gb casserole, so when they’re home we leave them out. Mmmm can’t wait for dinner tonight!
posted by Lyn on 12-24-2008 at 12:33 pm
few things delight me as much as green bean casserole… maybe diamonds, im a big fan of those too…
posted by tiffany on 12-24-2008 at 1:53 pm
Green bean casserole is the only thing I requested for Christmas dinner.
My Grandma didn’t make it for Thanksgiving, so I told my mom to make it for Christmas.
I WANT IT NNOOOWWWWWWWWW!
posted by Kristyn on 12-24-2008 at 1:57 pm
Am I the only one who thinks green bean casserole is disgusting? Blech! I’ll pass thanks.
posted by Lin on 12-24-2008 at 7:55 pm
i agree greenbean casserole is the worst. to me at least.
posted by alisa on 12-24-2008 at 10:14 pm
One that should have made your top 5 list is “One Nation, Under God” currently found in the pledge of allegiance.
Despite suggestions on Faux News and others, “Under God” was only added in 1954 as a response to the ‘Godless Communists’ found in Russia.
Moreover, the whole pledge didn’t even exist until 1892 – it’s original form didn’t even have “the United States” in it.
Some of suggested that the Pledge got its biggest boost in 1923 when “to the flag” was added and promoted by supporters of Flag day as a way to encourage the purchase of flags – I tend to think that was a small part of the gain in popularity though, not comparable to DeBeers and Diamonds.
Needless to say, the history of the real “Pledge of Allegiance” is far different than what most of us were led to believe in school.
posted by T.JeffersonLives on 12-26-2008 at 2:35 pm
Grandma and Mom made it every holiday (along with turnips and brussel sprouts–two other ways of ruining a wonderful holiday dinner) and I HATED it. I will happily make green beans, but they’re either fresh or frozen–and not in casserole form.
posted by Kathy on 6-5-2009 at 11:09 am
Yep, have to agree. Green bean casserole is nasty. But then I don’t really like a recipe that starts with a can of cream of anything soup. Blech. While I like diamonds, I don’t like the expense. Here is a secret… if you want a “real diamond” of size, but not the expense, check around for a “heat treated” diamond. We got a 1.1 carat solitaire for about $500!
posted by Hyacinth on 6-19-2009 at 8:37 am
read “the heartless stone.” It’s all about the diamond industry and how they came to be huge. Great book! I bought my fiance a $10,000 engagement ring and then bought the book about a week later. After reading the book, I felt so ripped off for spending so much money on a worthless piece of stone that’s actually abundant and can be made artificially!
posted by jon on 6-19-2009 at 2:48 pm
Read “the heartless stone.” It’s a great book about the diamond industry and how they came so huge. I bought my fiancee a $10000 diamond ring from Tiffany’s and the next week i bought this book. I felt so ripped off that I bought a worthless piece of rock! Here’s a tip ladies: no expensive ring, get a downpayment for something or save it for the future. rings are pretty much useless after they are purchased. Value is MAYBE 30% of original price.
posted by jon on 6-19-2009 at 2:56 pm