A Case for Santa Clause

I suppose when our children are small we are sucked in by all the holiday occasions and parties and celebrations. We love the story about Santa and would love it to be true, mainly for our children's sake. It's a great story about his living at the North Pole and having a toy shop with a bunch of elves (little people). Children love these stories as well and they get sucked in by books, movies and commercialism especially. I don't know at what age I learned the truth about Santa, but I do know that I was extremely disappointed. We all know that Santa isn't real, but isn't the history of Santa just an amazing story? I love that children believe with all their heart that Santa Clause will leave them whatever they want. I remember numerous times my kids leaving cookies and milk for Santa and how they looked in the morning when they realized that Santa ate the cookies and left a note saying how much he loved the cookies. That was priceless.

During the 1860's to the 1890's there was a huge campaign by Thomas Nast who illustrated for Harper's Bizarre Magazine. He created a robust man who lived at the North Pole and created many cartoons and basically the story of Santa grew and grew. Coca-Cola used Santa for many of their advertisments and so did Montgomery Ward who incorporated Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, who was invented by one of Montgomery Ward's writers.
Basically the legend of Santa comes from many different parts of the world whether you are protestant or Catholic. Every country basically has their own versions and stories about St. Nick who in most countries is related to saints and that is where the original idea came from.

Although I do believe in saints for religious reasons, which I realize many people do not. I do believe in Santa Clause in such that Santa Clause to me is a spirit. The spirit of giving; is the definition of Santa Clause. So I think that is why I didn't tell my children about Santa because deep down inside I still believe and will always believe in the spirit of Santa which is the spirit of giving. Just like the boy in Polar Express, as long as you can still hear that bell ringing then you haven't stopped believing in the spirit. You can be 90 years old and still believe in Santa, and I would rather believe in the spirit of giving and never lose that childhood innocence about Christmas.

1939
Norman Rockwell
Saturday Evening Post
December 16, 1939
Print: St Nicholas Center Collection

1931
Haddon Sundblom
First Coca-Cola Santa
Permission courtesy of the Coca-Cola Company

1925
J. C. Leyendecker
Saturday Evening Post
December 26, 1925
Michigan State University Museum