I know that Santa presents problems for many. For some he represents rampant commercialism; for others he detracts from the religious meaning of Christmas, namely the birth of Jesus; for some he symbolizes a judging big brother, always spying on us to see if we're naughty or nice; for some he displays prejudice and discrimination; for yet others Santa means lying to children. Santa is a problem.
Santa, as he manifests in our culture, encourages a sense of greedy entitlement. From Bill Adler's book, Children's Letters to Santa Claus: "Dear Santa: My baby brother would like a cowboy suit. Do you have one with diapers?" Can a child still in diapers articulate that he/she wants something like a cowboy suit? "Dear Santa: Last year you didn't leave me anything good. The year before last year, you didn't leave me anything good. This year is your last chance."
The commercialization of Santa began long ago. Jeremy Seal, who wrote Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus, asserts that Santa began his association with consumerism in the 1800's. Carol Jean-Swanson writes, "Our jolly old St Nicholas reflects our culture to a T, for he is fanciful, exuberant, bountiful, over-weight, and highly commercial. . . . he has become burdened with some of society's greatest challenges: materialism, corporate greed, and domination by the media. Here, Santa carries more in his baggage than toys alone!"(In Mothering) Does this mean we should throw Santa out? Reject him as a symbol of all that is wrong with us?
Some religious Christians would reject Santa as a secular materialist, almost the antithesis of Jesus and his message. This position, too, is not new to the 21st century. The Puritans who came to this country actually banned the celebration of Christmas as pagan or Roman Catholic. In Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem Christ Climbed Down, he says:
Christ climbed down from His bare tree this year and ran away to where no fat handshaking stranger in a red flannel suit and a fake white beard went around passing himself off as some sort of North Pole saint crossing the desert to Bethlehem Pennsylvania in a Volkswagen sled drawn by rollicking Adirondack reindeer with German names and bearing sacks of Humble Gifts from Saks Fifth Avenue for everybody's imagined Christ child.. . .
Yet it is Santa's very association with Jesus and Christianity that poses another issue, namely Santa's exclusionary ways. Many assert that he only visits Christian children. How must it feel to be Muslim or Jewish or belong to a religion in this country that specifically does not celebrate Christmas or believe in Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God? Many such people have understood that to mean one can't have anything to do with Santa either. To them Santa is more than a cultural symbol; he is also a religious symbol. This is hard on children who often cannot see why that nice happy man in the red suit who brings presents to everyone else skips over their houses. Such behavior seems contradictory to who we want Santa to be.
As does the lie about Santa's existence. If he indeed knows when we are sleeping and when we are awake; if he knows when we've been bad or good, then aren't adults in trouble for lying? This I say tongue in cheek because if Santa doesn't exist, then how could he know anything and why does it matter if we' re good? But do you see the contradiction in telling children to be good, even as we lie to them? Do you see the thinking in telling children to be good so that the big guy, who knows and sees everything, will reward them? What ever happened to goodness for its own sake? Or for the sake of something bigger than personal reward?
What happens when our children find out that Santa is a myth? Do you remember when you did? Or your child? I do remember when my friends on the stoop told me Santa did not exist, but I don't think I cared much. After all, the presents kept coming and I liked it that they came from my parents, who thereby showed their love for me. Which leads me to wonder who needs Santa more “ adults or children? Santa is problematic yet we adults hold onto him and perpetuate his mythical existence. Why?
Because we need him. Rollo May asserts that humans need myths in order to make meaning in the world. "Without myths,"he says, "we literally go crazy; without myths we live in meaningless times. . . A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world."(The Cry for Myth) The symbol of Santa carries some important meaning for us, despite all the rest of the stuff around Santa. What is that meaning? Part of the answer lies in the history of Santa Claus.
The figure of Santa Claus is, in part, inspired by St Nicholas. As told by UU minister Scott Alexander, (in the December 1992 issue of The Quest), " Nicholas, the only child of wealthy Christian parents, was born at the close of the third century “ probably around the year 280 “ at Patara, a port city in the province of Lycia in Asia Minor, now the nation of Turkey. Early in his childhood, his devout mother carefully taught him the Scriptures, including the Gospel narratives which tell the story of Jesus' ministry of love, justice, and sharing. Too soon, both of Nicholas' parents died during an epidemic, and left their only child an orphan in possession of their great wealth. Long troubled by the magnitude of his family's riches “ for as a youth Nicholas had wandered Patara's streets seeing with his own eyes how so many of the people were living in horrible poverty and deprivation “ he decided to dedicate his life to God. Remembering from the Scriptures that Jesus demanded that those who sought to "follow him"give up their wealth and material possessions, Nicholas decided that it was his duty to give all of his family's money away to those in great need. So as not to receive praise for his giving “ for the Bible also instructs that one should offer gifts humbly “ Nicholas assumed disguises and gave out small sacks of gold to the poor and needy."Even after he became the bishop of Myra Nicholas dispensed gifts to the needy and to children. His legend grew and he was canonized into sainthood by the Catholic Church in the 9th century. However, his sainthood was revoked by Pope John Paul II in the 20th century. Nevertheless, St Nick played a large role in giving rise to Santa Claus.
As did the Germanic god Odin, who rode an eight legged horse across the sky in a hunting party at the time of Yule. Children would place carrots, straw and other edibles for the horse in their shoes and when the horse ate, Odin would respond to the children by placing sweets and gifts in the shoes. This practice became associated with Saint Nicholas as the Germanic people became Christianized. To this day on December 6th, St Nicholas Day, in parts of Europe children put out their shoes and hope that St Nicholas will pass by and leave treats in them. In England, the gift givers from church history and Germanic folklore merged with the figure of Father Christmas. Father Christmas, even as early as the 17th century, was depicted as round and bearded, wearing a green robe. The English brought him to this country when they came here. The Dutch also brought their version, called Sinter Klaas, the name for the character based upon St Nicholas. Thus we call him Santa Claus or St Nick. In the United States Santa took on the identity we know him by in 1823 with the publication of Clement Moore's The Night Before Christmas, in which Santa is depicted as a jolly figure with a stomach that jiggled like jelly and eight reindeer. In 1863 Thomas Nast immortalized the look of Santa with an illustration for Harper's Weekly. This was further solidified by the advertising of the Coca Cola Company, who inundated us with that red cheeked, long white hair and bearded, red suited man. Prior to Coca Cola's ads, Santa did not wear red and white exclusively. Sometimes he wore a green suit, a la Father Christmas.
So you see, although he has become solidified in his look and role today, Santa has changed over time. Which is to say that he can continue to change now. Santa's roots lie in a tradition of generous, helpful giving to people of whatever they need, be it gold or straw. Santa's roots lie in mutual giving, for the loving of it and each other. If we go back to the roots, we can begin to look at Santa as an antidote for spiritual cynicism. As an antidote for commercialism; as an antidote for greed. We can begin to understand Santa as a symbol of grace; a symbol of abundance; as a representation of gifting in its best sense.
On a deep level, Santa symbolizes our recognition of interdependence and therefore our corresponding need of one another. Santa touches our need to believe in a force of generous goodness and love. Santa touches our hope that we will be given what we need in life. Because we know that no one of us is completely independent, Santa is a force that dwells outside ourselves. Because we know that we are interconnected, Santa is a force that touches the places of generous giving inside us and inspires us to reach beyond ourselves and toward each other. Such a force is by nature happy. Such a force speaks to the child in us. The child that experiences the world as very large and him/herself as very small and relatively powerless and looks for those who can take of him/her. The child that wants to give back to those who are kind and loving. May Sarton said, "There is only one real deprivation, I decided this morning, and that is not to be able to give one's gifts to those one loves most.??? Does the gifting become confused with material gifts, with spending more and more money in a lockstep march of consumerism? Yes. Humans have repeatedly tried to understand and express the spiritual solely in terms of the material. But is that what Santa really means? Does the generosity become confused with one's worthiness to receive it? Become dependent on whether one is naughty or nice? Yes. Humans have repeatedly confused power and control for open generosity. But is that what Santa really means? Santa Claus carries a very important message for us but we have to remove the false clothing of materialism, exclusion, and misrepresentation that he wears. We don't have to say that Santa leaves the presents under the tree in order to teach our children, and ourselves, what the myth of Santa means.
Santa means we can give each other some of what we need and experience the happiness of that. Like Santa, we can look at each other and come to know one another, see one another and reach some understanding. Santa is about paying attention. Santa is about giving generously, with no strings attached and no expectations and no obligation. Giving what is important, like our time, our attention, our efforts, our help, our support, and making memories together. Feeding bodies and spirits in the most nourishing ways. Giving from a desire to offer happiness to one another. Some of the best gifts I have ever received from the Santas in my life have been the gifts of time and attention and fun. Long walks in Manhattan with my mother; a home cooked spaghetti dinner for my friends and family the day I was ordained; the gift of money you all gave me enabling me to go on sabbatical to a monastery in France. Some of the best gifts I have ever given have been the gifts of time and attention and fun. Give me something of yourself and I will give you something of myself. That is what Santa means. That is how we give, and receive, that which we need in life.
Can we do that? Can we understand Santa as a wise, gracious symbol of gifting? Can we follow that example? Santa started from Christian and pagan roots and now has transcended them both to become a symbol of the human spirit's yearning to give and to receive that which truly helps us to live. The myth of Santa offers us that understanding.
Let us close with a meditation-prayer from the Reverend Patricia Bowen called Offering:
"As we pause here . . . let us listen quietly to those whispers of Christmas truth . . . of the gifts of Christmas that cannot be got or bought or sold but can only be freely received and gladly given “ shared “ with ourselves and others. May it be so.