Santa Claus is Make-Belief for Children and Eucharist and Trinity, Make-Belief for Grown ups?
Epigraph: "And most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Surely, conjecture avails nothing against truth. Indeed, Allah is well aware of what they do." (Al Quran 10:37)
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Santa Claus with his reindeers
The receptionist in my office, who is in her thirties, whom I will call a Santa girl, told us that when she was eight years old, she was living in a house with a chimney, in Endicott, New York. She was expecting gifts from Santa Claus again on Christmas Eve, as he had been very generous the previous years and made her very happy with his gifts. She wanted to reciprocate the gesture by writing a letter to Santa. Her letter included some pictures, the details of which she now does not remember. She put the letter by the Christmas tree, for pick up. But, Santa forgot to pick up the delivery on Christmas eve from the Santa girl, or was it her mother who did not pay attention, among all the other celebrations.
She was broken hearted that Santa did not approve of her and started crying. She was hard to console and as adults tried to appease her the secret came out that Santa is not for real.
But, Santa has been real for millions over the centuries and continues to be real for millions more.
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and simply "Santa", is a figure with legendary, mythical, historical and folkloric origins who, in many western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.[1] The modern figure was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas,[2] which, in turn, was part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of Christian bishop and gift giver Saint Nicholas. A nearly identical story is attributed by Greek Orthodox and Byzantine Christian folklore to Saint Basil of Caesarea. Basil's feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in Greece. According to Encyclopedia Britannica:
Santa Claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries, bringing gifts to children. His popular image is based on traditions associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint. Father Christmas fills the role in many European countries. The Dutch are credited with transporting the legend of Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) to New Amsterdam (now New York City), along with the custom of giving gifts and sweets to children on his feast day, December 6. The current depiction of Santa Claus is based on images drawn by cartoonist Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly beginning in 1863.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man – sometimes with spectacles - wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache). This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.[3][4][5] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books and films.
Let me confirm some of the details in Encyclopedia Britannica, as well:
Santa Claus is said to live at the North Pole with his wife, where he spends the year making toys with the help of his elves. There he receives letters from children asking for Christmas gifts. On Christmas Eve he loads his sleigh with toys and flies around the world, drawn by eight reindeer, stopping at each child's house; he slides down the chimney and leaves the gifts, refreshing himself with the milk and cookies left for him by the household's children.
According to a tradition which can be traced to the 1820s, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, with a large number of magical elves, and nine (originally eight) flying reindeer. Since the 20th century, in an idea popularized by the 1934 song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior ("naughty" or "nice") and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh.[6][7]
The tradition of Santa Claus entering dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fireholes on the solstice. In the Italian Befana tradition, the gift-giving witch is perpetually covered with soot from her trips down the chimneys of children's homes. In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist Jan Steen's painting, The Feast of Saint Nicholas, adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney with amazement on their faces while other children play with their toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through Moore's A Visit from Saint Nicholas where the author described him as an elf.[41]
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