It was for some!
I’ve been recalling alot of personal nostalgic moments from Christmases past on Allison’s Written Words (because “’tis the season” to be nostalgic, right?). From Christmas dresses to pajamas featuring licensed characters, right down to movies watched and the time a big kid helped me write a Santa letter (and the time I got to play an elf in writing), I’ve been cranking out some nostalgic stories on my own blog. This time though, I thought it would be a nice treat to bring some of that over here to Pop Culture Retrorama.
Let’s go back 25 years to the magical year of…
1994
(Which, by the way, was the same Christmas I got to play an elf…in writing!)
Twelve-year-old me had just finished the last day of sixth grade before Christmas break (the final Christmas break of my elementary school life), and had just had her best friend over to hang out. She went home on her bike, and I went into the family room to bide the time between spending time with my friend and dinnertime. I did it the way all kids did it, the way they still do (I guess) – watch TV.
That’s when this magical commercial came on.
Upload via MusicLuvr76
Oh wow, was this breathtaking!
I mean, you’ve got snow, riding horses in the snow, a male model in a cowboy hat and super tight jeans, accompanied by a female model, and braving the wilds..
…of Central Park in winter?
Only in commercials, am I right?
I was amazed by this commercial. I was twelve, and I knew I loved commercials, but this was just…it was deep. It was beautiful. It stuck with me, the way all good, effective advertising does and should. The snowy, breathtaking scenery (side note: I hate snow, but, the hot guy, and the Enya-like music all made for a commercial that really felt more like “we wish you a Merry Christmas” than “I’m selling you Stetson cologne.”
Basically, what it all boils down to is “buy our cologne, because you want all of this in your life. You want snowy rides on horses in Central Park, you want a handsome man to take you on this journey, and he better smell good.” That’s how 37-year-old me sees it, but 12-year-old me was just…wowed by the beauty of the commercial.
“Easy to Wear, Hard to Resist…”
The commercial itself had been airing for several years, and continued on for several years after this, but somehow, I totally missed it before 1994.
This Christmas commercial was one in a series of Stetson commercials that reminds us that “Stetson Fits,” but one of a few to feature the “easy for you” song (though this one is by far the most dramatic!). As I said, it is gorgeous to look at, a true marvel of what compels us to buy any product/use any service, and reminds me of Christmases past, when commercials like this were common. I don’t think I’ve seen a Stetson commercial in years, even when it isn’t Christmastime, which gives this a “White Diamonds” feel.
For me, it will always be that beautiful cologne commercial I saw a few days before Christmas.
And speaking of Christmas…it’s drawing near! One more day and counting!
I feel like I could have written this word for word. I’m 55. For some reason this commercial has stuck with me all these years. Everything about it. The hit dude, the pretty woman, the snow (which I hate) and the all boys choir. The song is so mesmerizing! You mentioned Enya. She’s my favorite singer! I look at this commercial from time to time and lose myself in it. You are the only other person in this world that seems to remember it. Thank you for the nostalgic memory. I just wish I knew who the guy in the commercial was!
It was an amazing commercial. Just knowing it was actually Central Park and not the snowy wilderness makes me laugh, but cologne commercials always had this dramatic effect in the 90s.