Dave, I have the most basic question of the season for you to tackle: Is Santa real or not?
Okay, well, let me answer first for those under 10yo children who might be reading this weblog: of course he is!
Now, let’s dig into it just a bit further, as the mythology of Santa Claus has a long and interesting history. First off, Santa’s proper name is Saint Nicholas, though he’s picked up a lot of nicknames throughout the years, including Kris Kringle, Father Christmas and Sinterklaas.
Saint Nicholas of Myra was a saint who lived back in the 4th Century in Byzantia (modern-day Turkey) who had the reputation of secretly giving gifts to the poor. Most famously, legend has it that he presented three desperately poor daughters of a Christian with dowries so they wouldn’t end up as prostitutes.
St. Nicholas is still revered as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prisoners, pawnbrokers, and even prostitutes. He’s also one of the patron saints of Russia, now that I think about it. A busy guy.
Saint Nick inspired two legends: Nikolaus in Germany, and Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, both of which directly contributed to the legend of Santa Claus himself.
Depictions of Santa Claus as a jolly, heavy white bearded older man are apparently directly lifted from the Russian mythological character Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost). Ded Moroz is historically represented as wearing a red coat, fur boots and a long white beard. Since Russian immigration directly influenced much of the Western European and then American tradition, it’s very likely that our current picture of Santa Claus is directly from Grandfather Frost.
Many of the historical legends behind Santa Claus also involve children leaving out fodder in their shoes for the horse that Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, or similar rode. Most likely that’s what has evolved into the modern tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace, actually.
The definitive modern interpretation of Santa Claus, however, is widely agreed to have been The Night Before Christmas (formerly known as “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, actually), wherein Santa is described as being heavyset and riding a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer who are named for the first time in this 1823 publication. Another popular publication early in the 19th Century was The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum.
Okay, so that’s the academic side of things. Interesting, but missing a certain level of heart, of soul.
So is there a Santa Claus?
Well, we live in a world where the idea of someone rewarding good behavior in this life, rather than the next (or at the door to the Pearly Gates) sounds darn nice, and particularly for children, is a good reminder of the rewards of thrift, virtue, compassion and honesty. And those are sorely missing attributes in our modern world, if you ask me.
So yes, I think that there is a Santa Claus.
I’ll certainly make sure we leave a plate of cookies and glass of milk out on Christmas Eve. How about you?
okay!!
my parents finnaly told me that santa was not real and they told me storyss like they would dress up like santa clus and 1 yr my brother was like 4 and he woke up and saw my dad in a santa costume but didnt no it was my dad my bro chased him all through the house but u no i kinda still beleavin santa u never no!!
iloooooooooooove santa and he is real real real
santa is really real becase im am ten i dont belive in people who dont belive him
You didn’t answer my question
IS SANTA REAL
you butmunch i really really really x200000 wana no soooooooooooooooooo tell me or else i will sue you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! be warned
Hi im 11 and idk if to believe in him or not.I had a huge spirti for him and bout 2 years ago i herd someone whistling in the roof so my parents cant do that duh!!!But last year my parents told me he wasnt real and were they hid the presents and all.Everyone in my class doedsnt believe in him or my friends or even my cousin.One time i heard a noise coming from downstairs and it sounded like my parents and when i told em bout it the next mornin they jus tlooked at each other like ()_(),i am going to check the handwritting and all but this year im going to try it,Im not tellin them 1 thing i really want for christmas and if its on the tree on xmas day hes real if itisnt hes not.I just dont know if i shuld or if i shuldnt :I
I’ve already attempted to post a comment before this one, but, it was unsuccessful. To sum it up, thank you Jess. That comment that you sent on Septmeber, 7th, at around 1:00 in the afternoon, changed my life. Thank you for letting me believe again. God bless you. Have a merry Christmas everyone!
SANTA IS REAL! Norad even tracks him! if u dont know what norad is, read the paper on christmas Eve. i garuntee they will mention it (at least my paper)
he is real because when i stayed awae at night in my parents bed a long time ago on cristmass and they never got up!!!!!!!!
hey it’s me again…
you see i’m going to have proof that santa’s real on christmas eve i’m going to video tape on my camera and keepit somewhere my ‘rents or santa won’t and then i’ll post it on youtube. I know santa’s real my whole family believes and apparently if your whole family believes you get yummy clementines that’s what we get every year and then i said why not research so there….. GO ON http://www.noradsanta.org but it’s only opens december but you can track santa on christmas eve I do this evry year it’s tradittion for us they’ve been tracking santa for 35 years now i think
sata is real because I heard him land on my foof
hi im 61 years old is santa real he stopprd coming to me when i was 21
I am 14 years old, and Santa is real! I know that he is because….he is. He is real and there’s no helping that.
I’m 11yr. old I just stoped believing an hour ago until I wanted to search about it. I have proof there is a santa …yeah!!!!!! Any of you who don’t believe have fun with a pair of socks that your parents give you while I’m playing with makeup and xbox games.Merry christmas!I DO believe!!!!
P.S. remember Jesus’ birthday.
Dear non Believers and Believers,
You see i’m 12 year old girl who will always have santa in her heart and to me it’s doesn’t matter if santa’s real or not. I hear all these stories and now i’m confused and if you go on youtube that makes Impossible for me. Because all that counts to me is when I grow up I won’t say to my kid that sorry santa’s not real… And I Courtenay still Believe in Him. But Why spoile a perfect childhood so.. For the non Believer so.. your parents told as I read but c’mon why spoile a childhood. You know Christmas eve and christmas doesn’t envolves Santa Claus 24/7 it’s about caring, sharing, giving, receiving that’s all that counts.:)
MERRY CHRISTMAS
P.S I think I feel like Virginia o’hanlon a bit
Ye I think hes real because I have seen him!!!!!!!!!
Hi I’m 11 and i am so sorry to say santa is not real. I checked on a few sites and saw it says hes unreal i’ll give the email shortly. To all you beleivers even though parents are the 1s putting presents under the tree there is no evidence saying that santa wasn’t real back in the past. So every1 know that santa is not real. But please still beleive in him and he will be real to you. -Cameron Petkov
of course he is real, he is only real to people who believe he his.
Is Santa real????????????
SANTA IS NOT REAL BECAUSE I WROTE A NOTE TO HIM A YEAR AGO AND I SAW IT IN MY MOM’S PURES!!!!!!!!!!!
I know he is real because I saw him.I put a video camera on a table and pretended to charge it but I was really recording and I got a video of him.
If you don’t believe me try it your self.
John, age 12
i’m 8. I going to tell you what i want for christmas, a furreal friend kittycat , candy,hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,lots of books,and i don’t know what else
My name is Brittany,and I am 10 years old.I belive in Santa because my Nanny and Poppy go to North pole Alaska each year to go see him.I get a letter each time.So if u don’t belive him THINK ABOUT YOUR MISTAKE!
Well, you will never believe this, my parents just like told me santa is real, and im like 11! But after woods i started to beleive in him so much that i prayed so much for him to come to me at night, and guess what, in the night something was tapping me on the back, after about 5 minutes i woke up, and i saw glitter going out of my room, i slowly opened my eyes and noticed no one was there, a couple of months later i still prayed for him to come, and this time, i was woken straigt away by a strong tap on the back, but this time no one was there,i looked over and saw the bedroom window HALF OPEN and the curtains HALF OPEN, i told my mum and she just said she was lying, santa doesnt get presents and stuff like that, but i said i do beleive in him and i dont care what she ses, and she said i can beleive in him if i want but ive got to an age where i have to stop but i cant, HELP!
why dont you not show your mom or dad your letter to santa, then post it secretly? so then mom or dad wont know what to get you! foolproof.
I believe that Santa Claus is real! Everyone has they’re own beliefs but this is mine…your friends or family may not believe, and may tell you that he is fake, or that maybe you’re too old..well your not! Santa is for everybody. Believing in him brings love, hope, spirit, faith, and all the joys of christmas. And for those of you who saw your parents putting out presents under the christmas tree or in your stockings….breath. Your parents have to help the poor guy out! How do u think he can carry all those gifts for each and every one of you? Have you ever thought your parents may not have wanted you to get dissapointed if you didnt get what you wanted? They might just be helping out. And if you’re still not convinced think about the word magic. flying reindeers, and everything else…..magic has to exist. If it didnt how did we get here? and all those christmas movies are all what the directors believe of christmas. They all relate some how, and in some way. We all might believe something different in santa but it doesn’t mean he isnt real! Because he is!
that is it I can not make up my mind is he rel or not? my mum and dad are just pretending I recken. All of my friendz are just saying that he is not real he is just our parents. So i dont no if he iz real?
I agree Mollie.I think people who truly believe in him can see him and people who don’t believe in him can’t see him.I truly believe in him 🙂 I love Santa clause and Christmas.
I just want you to know believing is seeing just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean its not real if you believe it you can see it.
Do you need to list down all your desired gifts just to prove if there is santa or not?
As i know, and based on our experience, we never write down the gifts we like, as we lived in a poor family, all i could ask is that to have at least a happy family. living together with full of happiness. We never jot down any gifts that we wanted since we don’t believe in santa. My mother never tell us that there is a real santa claus because my mother never believes in it.
You don’t need someone to tell you that santa claus is giving gift every christmas day but surely showing santa himself will make you feel at ease and will tell yourself i believe that there is santa. I really cannot stop saying this experience i had when i was a kid. No one will ever believe in us.
That time while the reinders are waiting for santa to come to his sleigh, my twin sis and i made a wish to have a healthy life, happy family, and overcome the problems we are having. and then it goes santa ride on his sleigh, and say HO-HO-HO-HO and the reinders and santa just gone out. That moment when we saw santa leaving, we wish he could bring us up their with him and his littles reinders
I know santa make our wish come true. How i wish i could find a picture of santa claus with his reinders so i can show you what we really saw that night
for those people don’t believe in santa. all i can say is to see is to believe. I know and my sister that there is santa. if i was the only one who saw santa, no one will believed in me, but since my twin sister saw it too, i know i am not telling a lie.
SANTA CLAUS IS REAL. How i wish you saw what my sister and i saw that night. I am not persuading everybody to believed in me, but those who have experience to see a real santa claus, they will feel what i am trying to talk about.
For those who believed in me, my many thanks, for those who puzzled and in doubt, i can’t say anything but hopefully you could see a real santa clause.
I just wonder can i see santa claus again for the second time?
Yes indeed, there is a real santa clause. It happen to me and my twin sister when we were a kid, santa is not giving us a gift or present but he is just with his reinders and say HO-HO-HO-HO while leaving to that place. You may never believe me but surely we saw santa claus on that night. He looks like the one wearing a red clothes, and for sure he is not just a human being to visit the chimney and drop a gift. This one is different.
We never believe in santa clause, even my mother won’t beleive in it. But until we saw it, it is just me and my twin sister who saw it that unforgettable night. That was the moment when i believe in saying santa claus is coming to town. My sister and i were not expecting any gift from santa clause but showing santa himself in the sky is enough and a priceless gift that we ever received. The one we saw was sooooo real santa because we saw santa in the sky
We all have different opinions some of us think he does exist some don’t. I guess were never gonna find out.
Hi my name is Katie and I am 12 years old.Hi my name is Sara Katie’s best friend and I am 12 years old.you see we met on the first day of preschool and have been best friends ever since.and we believe in Santa clause.believe you are obsessed with Santa clause.True.he is all you ever talked about since the first day I met you,also true.but I dont mind because I am obsessed with him too.Laughs.but yes we love santa clause and you should too.
Hi my name is Melody and I am 12 years old and yes I believe in Santa Clause I always have and I always will.one day I will tell my children the story of Santa clause and they will tell there children and there children will tell there children and so it will go on for the story of Santa clause will be forever told.
All of you, There is no Santa. It is just your parents
I’m 9 years old. Do you wana know what i think?
I’m a kid….I have so much proof Santa a BIG fake. Number 1:Santas to fat to fit through a chimny. Number 2:Raindeers are NOT real. Number 3:Your parents just write From:Santa To:_______
Number 4:Santa would freeze to death in the North Pole. Number 5:The ones in the mall are people dressed up. I’m sorry… but its true.
he is real and the kids at my school are the stupidiest kids ever! but i saw him once and he gave me 1 cookie!
I Believe in Santa and you should too! if you don’t fine with me. Well it wont be my Fault Nobody gave you presents for Christmas. So nothing to argue about. Just you believe what you believe. and I believe what i Believe. So Nobody has the right to tell you what to believe except yourself. So I Believe in Santa because he is a good person, and very Generous. He had to spend the WHOLE night without rest to go around the world just to give presents to each and every one of you.But if you STILL don’t Believe him. Its not my fault you believe what you believe and I believe what I believe. Nobody has no right to tell you what to believe. Except yourself.
i read this now and i am only 11, i now know santa is a fake and my parents are liars…thanks for telling me atleast someone’s honest around here
THE REAL THING LISEN TO THIS PLZ
sorry he is not real because i found a list with all my toys that i got for 2007 christmas but he used to be real so as i was saying he is not real like i said so any way i found a list of all my toys that i got 2007 christmas my grandma said i found a list of all your presents on your sofa because you was in bed and i did not want to wake you up and i thoght you would be up… then my mum bsaid it is so we los any of your presents so after that my mum said he died and we gto a new one but no that was not the truth my frends mum said no we buy the presents but i just want my girl to be happy i have not told her yet because she is 5 so that is the real thing hear me again on is easter bunny real
I am reasearching Santa Clause and just by reading on r=this website i know now that Santa Clause is real!!! I am one of the only people in my class that believes in Santa Clause!!
i’m 38 years old and how many raindears are there and what are there names
Well..I really belive in Santa…and if you don’t belive in a thing, then that thing can’t exist for you ,because it disappears from your heart and mind!
PS: that thing with check handwriting is so stupid, cuz santa can’t do all the job and that’s why he has elves!
im 13 and i belive in santa. once my friend captured santas boot and brought it to school. my mom is looking into psychiatrists
Hey all robrto,claire,gloria,santa hater,amonyous,lyndsey, and you all that dont belive in santa you guys are stupided telling these little kids santa is not real you guys should be a shame of your selfif they belive in santa they belive in them who ever belives in santa dont listen to them names if they write that santa is not real if you think he is real he is real and [santa hater] stop lieing to these little kids that your santa and all the teens out there you should know santa is not real cause he died a long time ago but i still dont give you know right to tell these little kids that santa is not real the belive what they belvie what they belive and also if you belive hard enough you will see him and you will see the elfs.
p.s.
your home girl,
jerilyn marro.
HI, I DON’T KNOW IF SANTA CLAUS IS TRUE BECAUSE MY OTHER FRIENDS SAY THERE’S NO SANTA BECAUSE IF ITS TRUE WHY WOULD SANTA NOT GIVE ME A GIFT, AND OTHER SAY SANTA IS TRUE BECAUSE SANTA LIVED IN NORTH POLE AND THEY SAY SANTA GIVE HER A GIFT. BUT ME SOMETIMES I WISH TO SANTA EVERY CHRISTMAS EVE BUT NO ONE I RECIEVE. BUT IF NO SANTA WHY IS THEY SAY SANTA?BUT I DID NOT SEE SANTA ANYMORE. BUT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS.IF THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS I FIRST WISH IS TO SEE HER.
santa is not real and merry christmas u non believers and i don`t celebrate christmas
Santa Clause is not real. I know this because on Christmas Eve I opened my bedrooom door twice. The first time I did, all I saw was a flash light beam going around my living room, and that was at like 11:15. Then the second time I opened it my mom was standing there looking at the tree and then I tried to close the door, but I didn’t, because I thought it might not be real, but then she saw me and I got busted, so there’s some real proof for you right there in print. For more proof, my friend’s mom had gotten my friend’s brother something for Christmas and it was Guitar Hero III. Well then on Christmass day, she saw the box and the lable to who it was, and all it said was: From:Santa To: Trevor, So there’s some more proof that he’s not real!!!! I’m only 9 years old =P
i even got proof santa is not real i dont have a chimney. if everyone had one he will be too fat because people consider him over weight 250 lbs (125 kilograms) stay up at night you will see its your parents santa is like another tooth fair but way bigger
he isnt real my parents told me because i told them i read things on the internet plus in one minute a man with reindeer and gifts cant go 630 something miles in one second the fastest vehicle known to man can go 24 miles in a second