It's the festive season, and manufacturers are doing their bit to try to add to the Christmas cheer. Mercedes has unveiled some questionable car wraps, Bugatti has gift-wrapped a very special one-off version of the Chiron, and Ram has created a special sleigh for Santa too. Ford is getting in on the fun too, but the Blue Oval's way of doing things this year involves a bit of a throwback to the past.

The Detroit-based automaker recently rediscovered some old photographs of the Bronco that were taken with a Christmas theme, and besides revealing them to the public for the first time, Ford has also recreated them with the new Bronco.

The original photos were discovered by Ted Ryan, Ford's heritage & archives manager, who determined that they were taken on November 4, 1968. The assumption is that the photos were shot for Ford World, a bi-weekly internal newspaper about products and associates, but for some reason, they were never published. Now we get to see them for the first time, along with recreated images featuring the latest Bronco, here equipped with the Sasquatch package, brush bar and modular front bumper. Naturally, the only color worth having for Santa's sleigh is Race Red, and it looks perfect for Saint Nick to deliver presents to the most far-out destinations.

The new Bronco should be ideal for any tricky terrain that Santa might encounter, thanks to a 4x4 system and two powerful engine options. One is a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-pot developing 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, but we think Santa will be happier with the 2.7-liter turbocharged V6's 310 hp and 400 lb-ft. Whichever version he has, at least Santa hasn't had to suffer the delays that some buyers will experience, delays that will mean some buyers may only get their new Broncos as late as 2022. Perhaps these buyers can find a good deal on a used sleigh and some reindeer in the meantime.