The 25th of December has just passed, but has Santa Claus really left the presents under the tree? Even though it recognises the birth of Jesus and the beginning of Christianity, many young children remain sceptical of the truth behind this yearly celebration. I Santa a real person? Is he really 1753 years old? If he isn’t real, then who gives us gifts? All these questions have filled children’s minds every time December comes year round. Parents understand how their children feel about wanting to know the truth, yet they still want to get presents. So should Christmas really be Santa’s delivery day? Or is it simply true that parents sneak out of their rooms to put presents underneath the tree, awaiting their children’s surprising and joyous reaction?
***WARNING!!!*** If you are a child of age younger than 10 years old, and do not wish for your hope for Christmas to be ruined, or your Christmas spirit destined to be, then do not read a single word of the following passage.
Apparently, Saint Nicholas is the father of ‘Santa Claus’ or the ‘real Santa Claus’, however he is considered to have been an actual person. Saint Nick was known as a bishop of Greek descendant who lived in Asia Minor during the time of the Roman Empire (around 2050 years ago since it was founded and around 900 years ago since the empire collapsed). If you are a parent, then you would undoubtedly know that it is your responsibility for children to continue celebrating Christmas, before they realise that there is indeed no Santa. Of all things, some may think that all of these decorations are worth of nothing, as it in no way lures Santa towards your house. And of course there is no Naughty or Nice list, otherwise a child would seem to have the worst parents ever.
Letters like this are some of the worst feelings for other parents who treat their children respectfully and with kindness. If children do still believe in Santa, they would still think that Santa was indeed real, yet later in the future when they find out, they will realise how and why they didn’t actually get presents for that Christmas. It would seem as if realistically a letter that no child should ever have to write.
All traditions of Christmas still serve of purposes, however. Even though Santa Claus is not entirely real, the date of which Christmas is designated is a day that many people attend a church as of religious practice. As well as Easter, these times are periods of the highest attendance recorded annually. Additionally, other popular traditions include eating Christmas puddings and opening Christmas crackers together, or even simply making a Christmas card for someone special. An extremely popular custom, and one that nearly every family would know, is of course setting up a Christmas tree. Despite it simply being a small tree decorated and ornate with baubles, tinsel, coloured lights, and other decorations, it serves to be the place in which ‘Santa’ places his gifts and presents for children.
If you are interested, then here are some interesting yet bewildering statements and facts about Christmas over the years:
- Celebrating Christmas used to be Illegal — During 1659 to 1681, anyone who was caught making merry would face a fine for celebrating.
- Santa Claus has his Own Personal Postcode — For children, if they would wish to send a letter to Santa Claus, his postcode is the NORTH POLE H0H 0H0.
- Christmas Wreaths are a Religious Symbol — The custom of bringing evergreens into the home initially started in the 1500s by the Northern and Eastern Europeans.
- ‘Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer’ used to be a Marketing Creation — Now it is a song and an integral part of the Christmas tradition (as well as all the other reindeer). It was first created as a poem for colouring books in a department store in the US, and thus became a cultural con worldwide.
- Jingle Bells was the first Christmas Song in Space — Even though it is well known, and thought to be the first ever Christmas song, astronauts aboard the Gemini 6A space flight broadcasted it as a prank to those down on Earth. As well as that, Jingle Bells used to be a song for Thanksgiving, titled ‘The One Horse Open Sleigh’.
- The Word ‘Xmas’ is not a recently made-up word — In the Greek alphabet, X is the Greek character of ‘气’ (chi/qi) which is also the first letter for the Greek name for Christ — ‘Χριστός’ (Christos). The letter X has commonly been used as an abbreviation for Christ; the ‘mas’ part of Christmas is from a church service, so when you put the two together, Xmas = Christmas! Indeed it is even older that some of our other favourite Christmas traditions!
I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2024!
Peace! ✌️