Santa: real or make believe?

[begreen]

Our current version of Santa Claus is a relatively new 19th century invention. The old St. Nick was not always so benevolent. Listen again to the words of Santa Claus is coming to town.

Krampus lives! Merry Krampusnacht!


http://www.krampus.com/who-is-krampus.php

The European practice of mummery during the winter solstice season can be traced back tens of thousands of years. Villagers across the continent dress up as animals, wild-men and mythic figures to parade and perform humorous plays. This ancient guising and masking tradition continues to this day as the primary source for our modern Halloween with its costumes, trick-or-treat, and pagan symbolism. Among the most common figures in these folk rituals were Old Man Winter and the horned Goat-Man — archetypes now found in the forms of Saint Nick/Santa Claus, and the Devil (‘Old Nick’), aka Krampus.

In 19th century New York City an American St. Nick emerged in the form of Santa Claus. Although based on the Dutch Saint Nicholas, Santa incorporated more elements from pagan winter solstice customs. He relinquished his white bishop garb for a red suit, traded his horse and staff for a sleigh and reindeer, and moved his franchise to Christmas Eve.

Santa also tried to take over the dark companion’s job of punishing the naughty, but his New World temperament was apparently unsuited for the task. As Santa neglected and abandoned his punishing duties, American kids lost all fear of Santa and his lumps of coal. Thankfully, in the 21st century, Krampus has arrived in this land of spoiled and dissatisfied children to pick up the slack.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Our current version of Santa Claus is a relatively new 19th century invention. The old St. Nick was not always so benevolent. Listen again to the words of Santa Claus is coming to town.

Krampus lives! Merry Krampus Nacht!

View attachment 118970
http://www.krampus.com/who-is-krampus.php

The European practice of mummery during the winter solstice season can be traced back tens of thousands of years. Villagers across the continent dress up as animals, wild-men and mythic figures to parade and perform humorous plays. This ancient guising and masking tradition continues to this day as the primary source for our modern Halloween with its costumes, trick-or-treat, and pagan symbolism. Among the most common figures in these folk rituals were Old Man Winter and the horned Goat-Man — archetypes now found in the forms of Saint Nick/Santa Claus, and the Devil (‘Old Nick’), aka Krampus.

In 19th century New York City an American St. Nick emerged in the form of Santa Claus. Although based on the Dutch Saint Nicholas, Santa incorporated more elements from pagan winter solstice customs. He relinquished his white bishop garb for a red suit, traded his horse and staff for a sleigh and reindeer, and moved his franchise to Christmas Eve.

Santa also tried to take over the dark companion’s job of punishing the naughty, but his New World temperament was apparently unsuited for the task. As Santa neglected and abandoned his punishing duties, American kids lost all fear of Santa and his lumps of coal. Thankfully, in the 21st century, Krampus has arrived in this land of spoiled and dissatisfied children to pick up the slack.

thsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

 

[firebroad]

Then there is this guy...

 

[acesneights1]

Funny this came up. I am at this point with my 8 yr old. I think he has his doubts now. I have not pushed it.
For the record I think it's good and fun for kids to believe in Santa. I have no regrets. I still wish him to be real...
I want that Deuce and a half...I have been a good boy...

 

[Gunny]

Then there is this guy...

That guy is the BEST! For the adults, not the kids. Awesome

 

[osagebow]

I think it's over here - Busted my 9 and 11 year old boys on a covert gift finding mission. Overheard the 9 year old briefing his brother on suspicious trash bags in the fuse closet. I blithley called out to them to clean up the room. Then I moved the goods, and hung out in the basement fuse closet waiting for the ninjas to show up.

They had no exit plan.

 

[rideau]

Narnia, Fairy tales, The Princess and Curdie, Alice in Wonderland, Hugh Pine, Winnie the Pooh, Little Bear, Blueberries for Sal, The Just So Stories, Ferdinand, The Wind in the Willows, Goodnight Moon, Mole and Troll Trim the Tree and hundreds of others. I suppose some of you disapprove of them too. Where is the magic of childhood, the room for a child's imagination to soar? Christmas and Santa can be a wonderful holiday and tradition, depends what you do with it, just as everything else in life. My grandfather claimed that learning there was no Santa was the worst thing that happened to him. Since he served in the trenches in WWI, I figure Santa must have been pretty terrific for him for some years. My father, an only child, loved Christmas and playing Santa for the children's floors at Memorial SKCC, loved spending Christmas day with us. 13 of us, little money, we had a marvelous month preparing for Christmas. My children have some pretty memorable tales to tell about trekking home through the woods with our chosen tree, horse drawn sleigh rides with Mr. Cheatham (they'd hear the sleigh bells and run down the road to meet him. He had blankets and a heater that kept them warm on the colder days.) One of their favorite stories is the day they were all three home for Christmas as adults. They did a stocking for me. It was glorious. Had the most amazing things in it...all things I loved and would truly enjoy using. The three of them kept watching me, rapt expressions on their faces, as I took one gift after another out of the stocking. Then they exploded with laughter. They had found a shopping bag with my previous year's stocking, put together by two of my sisters, complete with all its contents, and had simply restuffed the stocking.

I always found that their favorite presents as children were the ones that were bought almost as a afterthought and cost very little. (That is, until the PC Jr came along...)

Things are what you make them, children benefit from fantasy and imagination, love and experience, time spent with them.

I learned about Santa when classmates in grade school were joking amongst themselves about a fellow classmate who still believed in Santa. I was mildly shocked, but didn't let on, never told any siblings, and cheerfully kept the fantasy up at home for parents and neighbors and siblings. Christmas was always wonderful, magical, amazing. The house preparations, the preparatory cooking of cookies, Christmas cake and pudding, pies, the gifts we made for others, the meals, the lights around the neighborhood, the tree, the cards to and from relatives and friends, the holly from an Aunt in BC, the crèche at home and at church, the advent wreath and bible passages, wrapping presents, Christmas mass and Christmas carols, Boxing Day, our annual New Year's Eve party, New Year's Day with flaming Christmas pudding, Epiphany when the tree came down.....If we were lucky (just outside NYC) snow and skating as well.

We loved The Night Before Christmas, and didn't mind Dicken's Christmas Carol. For years my sister and I would watch the light on the top of the Empire State building, which we could see from the top floor of our home, convinced it was Santa's sleigh. The first year we lived in the home, my parents had to go to bed with us to get us away from the window and to sleep.

We were not angels. One year an aunt sent $25.00 for Christmas. The money was very welcome. My parents checked to see we had enough food, then bought us each one present. We found them and opened them before Christmas. I have no recollection of what happened to us, but I was certainly told the tale in later years.

I hope some people still have the wonderful Christmas traditions we enjoyed. I regret how commercial the season has become.

 

[Ehouse]

Narnia, Fairy tales, The Princess and Curdie, Alice in Wonderland, Hugh Pine, Winnie the Pooh, Little Bear, Blueberries for Sal, The Just So Stories, Ferdinand, The Wind in the Willows, Goodnight Moon, Mole and Troll Trim the Tree and hundreds of others. I suppose some of you disapprove of them too. Where is the magic of childhood, the room for a child's imagination to soar? Christmas and Santa can be a wonderful holiday and tradition, depends what you do with it, just as everything else in life. My grandfather claimed that learning there was no Santa was the worst thing that happened to him. Since he served in the trenches in WWI, I figure Santa must have been pretty terrific for him for some years. My father, an only child, loved Christmas and playing Santa for the children's floors at Memorial SKCC, loved spending Christmas day with us. 13 of us, little money, we had a marvelous month preparing for Christmas. My children have some pretty memorable tales to tell about trekking home through the woods with our chosen tree, horse drawn sleigh rides with Mr. Cheatham (they'd hear the sleigh bells and run down the road to meet him. He had blankets and a heater that kept them warm on the colder days.) One of their favorite stories is the day they were all three home for Christmas as adults. They did a stocking for me. It was glorious. Had the most amazing things in it...all things I loved and would truly enjoy using. The three of them kept watching me, rapt expressions on their faces, as I took one gift after another out of the stocking. Then they exploded with laughter. They had found a shopping bag with my previous year's stocking, put together by two of my sisters, complete with all its contents, and had simply restuffed the stocking.

I always found that their favorite presents as children were the ones that were bought almost as a afterthought and cost very little. (That is, until the PC Jr came along...)

Things are what you make them, children benefit from fantasy and imagination, love and experience, time spent with them.

I learned about Santa when classmates in grade school were joking amongst themselves about a fellow classmate who still believed in Santa. I was mildly shocked, but didn't let on, never told any siblings, and cheerfully kept the fantasy up at home for parents and neighbors and siblings. Christmas was always wonderful, magical, amazing. The house preparations, the preparatory cooking of cookies, Christmas cake and pudding, pies, the gifts we made for others, the meals, the lights around the neighborhood, the tree, the cards to and from relatives and friends, the holly from an Aunt in BC, the crèche at home and at church, the advent wreath and bible passages, wrapping presents, Christmas mass and Christmas carols, Boxing Day, our annual New Year's Eve party, New Year's Day with flaming Christmas pudding, Epiphany when the tree came down.....If we were lucky (just outside NYC) snow and skating as well.

We loved The Night Before Christmas, and didn't mind Dicken's Christmas Carol. For years my sister and I would watch the light on the top of the Empire State building, which we could see from the top floor of our home, convinced it was Santa's sleigh. The first year we lived in the home, my parents had to go to bed with us to get us away from the window and to sleep.

We were not angels. One year an aunt sent $25.00 for Christmas. The money was very welcome. My parents checked to see we had enough food, then bought us each one present. We found them and opened them before Christmas. I have no recollection of what happened to us, but I was certainly told the tale in later years.

I hope some people still have the wonderful Christmas traditions we enjoyed. I regret how commercial the season has become.

I just got done watching the Grinch (with Boris) try to steal Christmas for the umpteenth time, (daughter hauls it out yearly on black Friday). Once again, he didn't keep Christmas from coming. It came! I suspect it will survive the plethora of junk as easily as the paucity!

I never noticed 'til this viewing the powerful metaphor of the Christmas dinner, as the enlightened Grinch, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast and Cindy Lou graciously passed each plate 'round (even the one-horned pup got some) before tucking in herself.

I'll never stop reading Beatrix Potter!