Christmas arrives and in Argentine homes the tradition of Santa Claus and the surprise in the tree is renewed as it was a hundred years ago.

According to sociologist Laura Zambrini, with the passing of the last century, the celebration became much more focused on gifts than on religion.

And so, decade by decade, in these gifts you can see how customs, trends, clothing and toys have been transformed. One hundred years of Argentine history, told in Christmas shopping.

Alfred Gath and Lorenzo Chaves founded their store in 1883, in San Martín at 500. At the birth of the 20th century, in 1901, they opened the headquarters of Gath & Chaves in Bartolomé Miter and Florida. The department store becomes an emporium with several branches, and the most emblematic is Florida and Cangallo.

In 1922, Gath & Chaves merges with Harrods and thus continues to mark generations of children who continue the ritual of going to these European-style department stores at Christmas.

To the traditional presence of the Three Wise Men, Santa Claus is added, who receives thousands of letters per year. It is one of the most famous stores in the world for the Christmas season, with its windows decorated with silver garlands and terracotta mangers.

Unlike today's malls, these stores do not have premises, and offer services such as hairdressing, shoe polishing and sell everything from crockery to pianos, as well as chocolates, perfumes and jewelry, as well as toys. It has a confectionery on the top floor so that the shopping experience is not just about purchasing a product.

What are Santa's gifts at this time? Popular toys are made of tin, such as airplanes and kitchens. Cloth, rag, celluloid or porcelain dolls also appear in the girls' letters.

As for fashion, it is a transgressive decade in which changes in clothing have repercussions with the consequences of the First World War. The men wear suits and the women wear the draped dresses and low-waisted tunics. Those who belong to a lower middle class wear two-piece suits, jackets and mid-calf skirts. It is very common to wear a low belt and shoes.

In the decade of the Great Depression, pasta dolls appeared and Estanciero, a board game in which people bought and sold properties, became popular.

The set of jacket, blouse and skirt is the favorite of women in this decade. And the two-tone combination, which consists of two colors in the same garment, is all the rage. Leather coats, long dresses fitted at the waist and with a significant neckline at the back are worn at parties, while silk scarves and hats appear as accessories.

The places chosen for shopping are still the department stores, which keep the tradition of visiting Santa Claus alive.

Peronism is a before and after in the country, and its impact on daily life does not leave out the Christmas celebrations.

During the first government of Perón, in the Fiestas of 1947, the distribution of sweet bread and cider began throughout the country through the Post Office. People begin to come there hours before the opening of the postal offices to receive the gift.

Then, to avoid waiting, vouchers are processed for low-income families. The postmen are in charge of taking the sweet bread and the bottle of cider directly to the homes. On the labels, next to the faces of Perón and Eva Duarte, you can read: “Perón and Evita. To their dear descamisados ​​they wish you a Merry Christmas and a New Year.”

The delivery of the "sweet bread and Peronist cider" extends until the end of 1954 and is cut off with the Military Coup of the self-styled Liberating Revolution.

Tin toys continue to populate the Christmas tree. Its pieces are assembled using die-cut slots and tabs, finished with a full-color print that reproduces the details of the original model, and are propelled by spring strings. One of the most popular toys of this decade is the Sulky-Cycle, a car with a pedal wheelie that works like a tricycle.

Fashion is well in tune with the militaristic climate of the time. Blue, black and gray tailored suits are the most used, as well as jackets that close with two buttons, have wide lapels, shoulder pads and are combined with straight or pleated skirts.

In these years the boom of fashion houses begins in Buenos Aires, such as Moussion, Paula Naletoff, Luis D'Agostino and Henriette, among others. The great reference of fashion at that time in Argentina is María Eva Duarte de Perón, who is dressed by several of these stores.

These are the years in which the magazines Atlántida and El Hogar, television and cinema mark social and cultural life in Argentina.

On clothing, mass and serial production begins. Plate skirts with a length below the knees appear. Gloves are added to the shoes, handbags and hats, a touch to be very fashionable.

This is the decade in which Santa Claus "arrives" by plane to Ezeiza and the children accompany him in a caravan as he enters the huge Harrods store on Florida Street. The ritual of the letter is still intact, but the toys are different.

In this decade, the famous Spanish doll "Mariquita Pérez" began to be manufactured in the country. Rubber trucks and cars are also sold and miniature replicas of the Fiat 128, Volkswagen SP and Citroën 3CV are made. Rubber babies appear, who can be given a bottle and, thanks to a hole, pee. The popular soccer balls were also made of rubber, brick red and white veined.

For men, shotguns are very widespread. And a toy built by the boys themselves, a wire with a hook at the end through which an iron tire rolls.

The 60s revolutionized the world in many aspects and, of course, in fashion too. The way of dressing changed, especially in youth. Various styles appear: miniskirts, Indian, Moroccan, gaucho-look and maxiskirts. Clothing ceases to be an indicator of social status and becomes a means of expression and communication.

Knee-high boots and colored can-can socks are all the rage, as are short-sleeved turtleneck sweaters, which are worn under slim-fit long-sleeved jackets to match straight skirts and loafers.

The toys that were sold in past decades are still in fashion, but the horse track appears, "the game that delights children and adults". Foldable and portable.

It is still a tradition to go to department stores to meet Santa Claus and stroll around to do the Christmas shopping. The letter can be written from home or written at the time before queuing, using the desks that the store has with paper, pencils and envelopes.

Characters created by Walt Disney, such as Mickey and Donald Duck, are gaining a place on toy store shelves.

But this is also the case there for these years, a board game with questions about history, geography, literature, curiosities and more: The Magical Brain. It works with an electrical system in which, if the answer is correct, a light comes on. And the My bricks are beginning to be sold, small plastic blocks with which you can build houses, dolls or whatever the children's imagination dictates.

The hippie style continues to revolutionize wardrobes. The Mod look imposed by the Beatles appears. Suits are combined with Converse sneakers. Women begin to outline their eyes with thick lines and Oxford pants, platforms and strong colors appear. In contrast, dark garments and tight pants ripped at the knees are also sold thanks to the influence of punk rock.

However, the great revolution comes with the appearance of the jean. The garment is accepted on all occasions, both day and night, and casual clothing or sport's wear begins to be used.

In this decade begins the decline of department stores. Gath & Chaves closed permanently in 1974 and only Harrods remains, which will end up closing two decades later.

The '80s are marked by the return to democracy that brought great changes in the daily life of Argentines.

The different urban tribes appear, groups of young people who share the same ideologies, music, culture and space. With ska, a similar aesthetic returns to the 30s. Aerobics becomes fashionable, which is reflected in leggings as a garment, tank tops and hair ribbons.

As for the games, the Meccano appears, pieces of various sizes, colors and shapes made of metal with holes to fasten them to other pieces through screws and nuts. With the Meccano children build little cars, trucks, cranes, bridges and even mills. They are also the years of the boom of articulated dolls like Barbie, which became massive among girls.

The massification of microwaves began -which had appeared in the previous decade with a very high price and would explode in sales in the following one-, VCRs and Walkmans.

Another sign of the times is the rise of supermarkets, with supermarkets as the place of choice for purchases by all economic sectors, also to purchase Christmas items.

The expansion of shopping malls in the country changes the shopping experience. In these large stores -which have their antecedents in Gath & Chaves and Harrods--, clothing represents 70% of turnover.

Also as in the now extinct department stores, the little letter and the photo with Santa Claus continue the tradition, which is only slowed down by the pandemic. In addition, there are fireworks shows and the night of the Shoppings, a custom that started in the mid-90s.

It consists of keeping the premises open until dawn on the days prior to December 24, with special promotions and discounts. Long lines to buy and shows are part of the context on those shopping nights.

The clothing that is usually worn at the end of the 20th century is an example of plaid shirts, ripped jeans, canvas shoes or leather boots, sports shirts in larger sizes than normal, baggy pants and caps.

At the end of the 1990s, large plastic toys such as kitchens, car tracks and garages were launched on the market. Mechanisms and electronic devices with light and sound began to be incorporated into toys, a trend that continues today.

After the great crisis of 2002, credit card discounts emerged as a boost to consumption and it is a strategy that is also applied when making Christmas purchases: take advantage of sales days to "help" Santa Claus .

With this same mission of taking advantage of promotions, the Shopping Night is consolidated in this decade also as a space to acquire the gifts of the little tree.

And the clothes? In contrast to previous decades, in the 2000s a trend emerged that, tinted gray, white and black, bets on sobriety and quality basics for women. The new trend is to revisit the fashion of the 50s, as well as the looks of the 70s and 80s.

As for toys, the incorporation of technological elements is also deepened in line with the revolution that began when cell phones began to become widespread.

Regarding gifts, technology is beginning to be a great protagonist: cell phones, tablets, notebooks, consoles and a multitude of other devices. However, it is not a substitute for toys.

As a novelty, the sale of toys is increasingly focused on early childhood and educational toys are a trend to stimulate learning in the little ones, in addition to walkers with tow bars and skateboards for the older ones. STEAM products, science, technology, engineering, art and math games, are consolidated.

The use of tight pants arises and the sporty look becomes common to be more “cool”. Walking all day in sneakers, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt is one of the styles that continues to this day.

The Magic Parade of Alparamis begins, recovering in some way the spirit of the caravan that accompanied Santa Claus in the old days of Harrods.

Shopping malls continue to concentrate a large part of Christmas sales, but with a considerably fast Internet connection in different parts of the country, electronic commerce is beginning to consolidate. And towards the end of the decade “door to door” became famous, the purchase of products in another country (generally the United States) through platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress or Alibaba.

Christmas, so far this decade, is marked by the coronavirus pandemic. This year, with greater flexibility than in 2020, there is a boom in Christmas tree sales because more people plan to celebrate with their loved ones.

Also, according to a Google survey, 63% of consumers will buy gifts for family and close friends. And almost the same percentage (66%) will make their purchases in a "hybrid" way, in physical stores and with e-commerce.

It is that the pandemic gave e-commerce a big boost and accelerated a growth trend that had been taking place year after year. The annual turnover of 2020, according to the Chamber of Electronic Commerce, was 905,143 million pesos and in 2021 this figure is expected to be exceeded: in the first semester, e-commerce purchases doubled compared to the same period of the year previous.

Regarding toys, a trend that had been seen in the previous decade was also consolidated, and that is the introduction of the gender perspective and diversity in the toy industry to break different traditional paradigms associated with "toys for girls or de nene.” “Boys and girls have fun without associating a color or toy to gender,” says the president of the Argentine Chamber of the Toy Industry, Emmanuel Poletto.

The search for prices and promotions will also continue this year. And as a striking fact, many families dusted off the old childhood game of the "invisible friend". It's chosen to streamline costs, save time and combat the stress of holiday shopping, a time when end-of-the-year fatigue mixes with obligations and a shrinking pocketbook. But, also, with the desire to celebrate. And, for this reason, the packages under the little tree, small or large depending on the possibilities, will be there again to, despite everything, allow us to believe in Santa Claus again.