The origin and stories of Santa Claus in the Christian religion have always been a subject of critical appreciation and discourse. The essay analyzes the positive aspects of Santa Claus and the detrimental aspects of Santa Claus in the authentic Christian celebrations of Christmas.
The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” sheds light upon the Christian belief of Saint Nicholas as Santa Claus, who comes to every house to distribute gifts on Christmas Eve (Foundation, 2021). As stated in Forbes’s book “Christmas: A Candid History” (Forbes, 2007), Christmas celebrations provide opportunities for sharing happiness, belief, and generosity with other people. The book illustrates the historical origin and evolution of the Christmas celebrations. When people gather at Christmas celebrations, they enjoy, play, and relive their childhood memories amidst their busy schedules of life. They believe that Santa Claus helps people come together, celebrate, share their happiness and gifts and remember their childhood memories of Santa Claus. In “Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus”, “Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film)”, the writer reflects upon the significance of the belief in Santa Claus. The narrative and the movie reveal the existence and significance of Santa Claus in the lives of children and adults. According to this literary piece, Santa Claus is not a physical being or a figure. Santa Claus impersonates the qualities of “love, generosity, and devotion”. (Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, n.d.) If we fail to believe in Santa, then we fail to believe in the origin and the existence of the world. The only detrimental effect of Santa Claus on Christmas celebrations is that people are moving away from true Christian celebrations and focusing entirely on impersonating Santa and giving gifts to children. They do not know or celebrate other Christian traditions like going to Church, saying Grace, and hiding holiday tokens in food. The addiction to Santa Claus has led people to gift-giving, impersonating Santa, and decorating trees. The children only wait for the gifts on Christmas and do not care for any other Christian tradition.
References
Forbes, B. D. (2007). Christmas: A Candid History (First edition). University of California Press.
Foundation, P. (2021, December 1). A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/) [Text/html]. Poetry Foundation; Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43171/a-visit-from-st-nicholas
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://beebo.org/smackerels/yes-virginia.html
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