(Santa) Claus and Effect
Santa Claus is one of the most iconic figures in the western world. He goes by many names, but is typically depicted as a jovial, bearded man wearing a bright red coat and carrying a bunch of gifts for well-behaved children. Santa makes a list of all the children who have been “naughty” and “nice” and rewards them appropriately, giving fun gifts for the good children and a lump of coal for the bad ones…
But Santa Claus was an actual historic figure that morphed over the years to fit a legend. Saint Nicholas of Myra was a bishop in the Byzantine Empire who was famous for his generous gifts and being the protector of children and sailors. He devoted his life to Christianity and became one of the most well-recognized names at the time. It was this Saint Nicholas that became popular as a gift-bearer.
However, there is discrepancies throughout the world. Sinterklaas, common in Dutch and Belgian folklore, is another character similar to our modern day Santa Claus, and considered inspiration for the creation of our happy elf. This character melded with other western interpretations of Father Christmas (another matter entirely, I believe) and thus we have a myriad of similar ideas overlapping into one creation.
Santa Claus is a confusing concept to me as an adult. I preferred it much more as a kid when all I had to worry about was behaving and going to bed on time to receive presents. Although, such harmless lies to children opens up a whole new discussion, but that’s for another time.
