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There is currently an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago displaying posters promoting London Underground transit from the 1920's and 30's.

This interesting piece comes from 1924. A full descripton can be seen on The Library of Congress website. As you can see, it is somewhat unusual in that, despite including a Christmas tree and the word "Christmas," it has a Star of David atop the tree.

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The blending of Jewish and Christian traditions in early 20th century Britain surprised me. To my knowledge, placing a star atop a Christmas tree is a common form of decoration, but the specific reference to Judaism seems unusual.

Is there any precedent for this kind of cross-cultural decor? Was it in fact designed for inclusivity? Or, alternatively, was placing a Star of David atop a Christmas tree once a common practice in the mainstream Christian tradition, in Britain or elsewhere?

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    @IanRingrose Maybe becuase Judaism does not recognise him as such?
    – Angew is no longer proud of SO
    Aug 27, 2019 at 12:06
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    @Angew think of the target of the advert and what songs most of the targets would be singing at Christmas
    – Ian Ringrose
    Aug 27, 2019 at 13:19
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    The person who designed this just put a star on top that came to mind? In that case, we will never know.
    – user37912
    Aug 27, 2019 at 13:49
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    @JanDoggen Not to mention that 6 point stars are far easier to draw than 5 point stars.
    – Auspex
    Aug 27, 2019 at 15:27
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    On a side note, I found it curious that it says "A Merrie Christmas" which, according to some cursory searches went out of favor when Q. Elizabeth II started saying "Happy Christmas" in radio broadcasts.
    – JimmyJames
    Aug 27, 2019 at 20:12

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The hexagram is not an exclusively Jewish symbol. For that matter, the Star of David as a symbol of Judaism (as opposed to a symbol used by Jews) is far newer than people realize, dating only to 1897 and the First Zionist Congress. Given that, seeing a six-pointed star on top of a Christmas tree in 1924 is no surprise.

Also, Jesus was of the house of David, so the Star of Bethlehem being designed as a Star of David should be especially unsurprising

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    Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – MCW ♦
    Aug 27, 2019 at 13:49
  • +1. Here's a 1930s Ukrainian Christmas post-card, a child is holding a traditional Ukrainian Christmas pole with a star which is a hexagram with XP inside it. The text is "Look with your kind eye, Oh the Son of God, down unto our land, Ukraine..."
    – Yellow Sky
    Aug 30, 2019 at 13:05

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