Kleo and Santa
December 17th 2008 23:17
Its come to my attention that Santa aint the good guy he used to be - We got people saying that he's a tool of consumerisim, that he's a symbol of (western) greed, and that parents out there just dont know how to go through with the Santa lie anyway. But in my opinion, Santa is important, damn near essential, to Christmas, actually.
We were hard core Catholics - it was all church, hymns and prayers when I was little. Our whole Christmas schedule revolved around mass times and chior times and service times. But most important to me was that time after mass on Christmas Eve. We would come home, fairly late, and we would put out the cookies and milk for Santa, and some carrots and water for the 8 Riendeer. Even at that age, it never occured to me to leave the animals out of the equation.
Once it was revealed to me that it was Dad chomping the ends off the carrots and gorging on the cookies, I got a bit angry with the big red dude. Went through a massive stage of hating him, and jumped on board with the 'We dont need Santa!' protest group. I said it was a waste, it was psychogical trauma, it drove the monster of consumerisim, *dusts hands* and thats the end of that.
The magic of Santa continued to cling to me, year after year. I couldnt shake him. Nor could I shake the sense of awe and wonder Id had as a child, thinking about the perfect starred skies above Santas house, the warm cracking fires where Santa sat to answer our letters and the elves made the toys. Those fantasies, those mysteries, were my first touch of magic. It can literally be felt in the air, on Christmas Eve, as if the air is alive, as if so many spirits are in the air you cant move without brushing against them. The power of this particular holiday is immense, and we have celebrated it since we could concieve of the meaning for that word. This depth, this weight, on the day, as it has been celebrated through the centuries, is evident to all, even those who claim not to believe in it in any sense.
Trying to come up with a good reason for keeping Santa, I remembered how my mother had explained it to me.
When she said there was no Santa, she told me it was important to realize that it is the spirit of Santa thats important. The generousity and giving, the sense that good is rewarded, and bad is discouraged. A symbol of karma even. That the magic story of Santa encourages us to look for goodness in ourselves and others, and helps us give all we have to ensure christmas is great for everyone. Follow Santas example and just give, for the sake of giving. Think about it, he spends all year just deciding what to give every body. You gotta love that.
And, like so many things, (dragons, dinosaurs and unicorns sigh) that I want to believe are wandering the earth, I really wanted to believe in Santas stronghold. It shone so beautifully in my mind - still does - represnted by that many movies and books its so easy to see the beautiful housesurrounded by the pristine snow. As a lover of the cold and a hater of heat, no wonder I so desperately wanted to visit Santa at christmas time! The more I thought about it, the more the old adage just didnt add up, you know the one - "Santa doesnt exist because no one could get around the earth in one night" when this smart assed brat fired that one at her parents, you know what they said? "Magic" and "Time difference" How cool is that? Suddenly I was thinking about these magical time slipping riendeer, able to literally work the night with their cloven feet, and Santa happily following christmas eve night from one side of the earth to the other, working a full 24 hours once a year.
Now thats a job.
Okay, so we've got the spirit of generousity, that encourages us to give. We've got a particularly beautiful mystery to enjoy and explore. It wasnt quite enough. What was I missing?
When I remembered, walking outside with a big bowl of water and placing the carrots beside them. Laying out a plate of milk and cookies for Santa.
After the stilted yet more exuberant than usual worship at church, this act to me, even though I didnt know it then, was decidedly pagan. The putting out of offerings for the spirits. Its the oldest, most ingrained tradition of the human psyche - to give, something of yourself, with the thought of no return. Of course now we say give it to the needy, dont just offer it to thin air, but theres an ancient woman in me who says no matter how many homeless you feed, that offering to nothing and no one still has to be made. I have been known to put fruit and bread on the altar for Halloween. But this simple and ancient ritual was the one I couldnt let go of - the anchor between Santa and me.
For all of his symbology of giving and goodness, for all of the beauty in his story, this was what made Santa shine to me - the pagan offering. And at the thought of that, I realized that all over the world, believers in Santa would be doing this still - wandering out in the warm night to place their carrotsexcitedly by the water dish. Picking the nicest cookies to leave out for Santa next to the most comfortable arm chair so that he can rest his feet a minute in his rush. This act more than any other is bringing magic into so many peoples lives who otherwise would not have it. People who dont believe in the pagan rituals that made them, people who dont believe that magic of any kind exists - for that one night a little part of their mind gallops off on those bells while they think of a red swathed man giving with a jolly glee, of that magnificent image of the sleigh jungling past the moon with courageous Rudolph at their head. Whether its believed in or not, this ancient ritual brings magic and good luck to the household, opens the mind and the soul, especially on this most magic of nights.
So. If you think Santa is an evil tool of consumerisim, I think you're looking at him upside down.....
If you think Santa is a horrendos lie to tell children....I can think of far worse lies my parents told me!.....
If you think Santa is a gay crap waste of time......
Kleos tellin ya that he's a symbol for much more than that. He represents magic and the mystery within it, gets your mind turning on just how that dude and his flying deer make it around the earth.....Do you see how even a brief contemplation of this makes you happier? Not constrained by the worlds ideas, you fly free with the tapping of cloven hooves and bells on the sleigh.....Dont you? You can remember that childlike excitement, even now you're a tough know everything adult......Can't you? You can appreciate how kids think, when you contemplate Santas elves.....Cant you? Isnt it a beautiful mystery to immerse yourself in, doesnt it free you, and leap you straight into a holiday mindset?
Well, it does me, and Im going to put out reindeer snacks and Santa snacks, and Im going to look for him in the sky, cos sometimes its really fun to immerse yourself in mysteries that dont make all the sense......Sometimes, its damn near essential!
We were hard core Catholics - it was all church, hymns and prayers when I was little. Our whole Christmas schedule revolved around mass times and chior times and service times. But most important to me was that time after mass on Christmas Eve. We would come home, fairly late, and we would put out the cookies and milk for Santa, and some carrots and water for the 8 Riendeer. Even at that age, it never occured to me to leave the animals out of the equation.
Once it was revealed to me that it was Dad chomping the ends off the carrots and gorging on the cookies, I got a bit angry with the big red dude. Went through a massive stage of hating him, and jumped on board with the 'We dont need Santa!' protest group. I said it was a waste, it was psychogical trauma, it drove the monster of consumerisim, *dusts hands* and thats the end of that.
The magic of Santa continued to cling to me, year after year. I couldnt shake him. Nor could I shake the sense of awe and wonder Id had as a child, thinking about the perfect starred skies above Santas house, the warm cracking fires where Santa sat to answer our letters and the elves made the toys. Those fantasies, those mysteries, were my first touch of magic. It can literally be felt in the air, on Christmas Eve, as if the air is alive, as if so many spirits are in the air you cant move without brushing against them. The power of this particular holiday is immense, and we have celebrated it since we could concieve of the meaning for that word. This depth, this weight, on the day, as it has been celebrated through the centuries, is evident to all, even those who claim not to believe in it in any sense.
Trying to come up with a good reason for keeping Santa, I remembered how my mother had explained it to me.
When she said there was no Santa, she told me it was important to realize that it is the spirit of Santa thats important. The generousity and giving, the sense that good is rewarded, and bad is discouraged. A symbol of karma even. That the magic story of Santa encourages us to look for goodness in ourselves and others, and helps us give all we have to ensure christmas is great for everyone. Follow Santas example and just give, for the sake of giving. Think about it, he spends all year just deciding what to give every body. You gotta love that.
And, like so many things, (dragons, dinosaurs and unicorns sigh) that I want to believe are wandering the earth, I really wanted to believe in Santas stronghold. It shone so beautifully in my mind - still does - represnted by that many movies and books its so easy to see the beautiful housesurrounded by the pristine snow. As a lover of the cold and a hater of heat, no wonder I so desperately wanted to visit Santa at christmas time! The more I thought about it, the more the old adage just didnt add up, you know the one - "Santa doesnt exist because no one could get around the earth in one night" when this smart assed brat fired that one at her parents, you know what they said? "Magic" and "Time difference" How cool is that? Suddenly I was thinking about these magical time slipping riendeer, able to literally work the night with their cloven feet, and Santa happily following christmas eve night from one side of the earth to the other, working a full 24 hours once a year.
Now thats a job.
Okay, so we've got the spirit of generousity, that encourages us to give. We've got a particularly beautiful mystery to enjoy and explore. It wasnt quite enough. What was I missing?
When I remembered, walking outside with a big bowl of water and placing the carrots beside them. Laying out a plate of milk and cookies for Santa.
After the stilted yet more exuberant than usual worship at church, this act to me, even though I didnt know it then, was decidedly pagan. The putting out of offerings for the spirits. Its the oldest, most ingrained tradition of the human psyche - to give, something of yourself, with the thought of no return. Of course now we say give it to the needy, dont just offer it to thin air, but theres an ancient woman in me who says no matter how many homeless you feed, that offering to nothing and no one still has to be made. I have been known to put fruit and bread on the altar for Halloween. But this simple and ancient ritual was the one I couldnt let go of - the anchor between Santa and me.
For all of his symbology of giving and goodness, for all of the beauty in his story, this was what made Santa shine to me - the pagan offering. And at the thought of that, I realized that all over the world, believers in Santa would be doing this still - wandering out in the warm night to place their carrotsexcitedly by the water dish. Picking the nicest cookies to leave out for Santa next to the most comfortable arm chair so that he can rest his feet a minute in his rush. This act more than any other is bringing magic into so many peoples lives who otherwise would not have it. People who dont believe in the pagan rituals that made them, people who dont believe that magic of any kind exists - for that one night a little part of their mind gallops off on those bells while they think of a red swathed man giving with a jolly glee, of that magnificent image of the sleigh jungling past the moon with courageous Rudolph at their head. Whether its believed in or not, this ancient ritual brings magic and good luck to the household, opens the mind and the soul, especially on this most magic of nights.
So. If you think Santa is an evil tool of consumerisim, I think you're looking at him upside down.....
If you think Santa is a horrendos lie to tell children....I can think of far worse lies my parents told me!.....
If you think Santa is a gay crap waste of time......
Kleos tellin ya that he's a symbol for much more than that. He represents magic and the mystery within it, gets your mind turning on just how that dude and his flying deer make it around the earth.....Do you see how even a brief contemplation of this makes you happier? Not constrained by the worlds ideas, you fly free with the tapping of cloven hooves and bells on the sleigh.....Dont you? You can remember that childlike excitement, even now you're a tough know everything adult......Can't you? You can appreciate how kids think, when you contemplate Santas elves.....Cant you? Isnt it a beautiful mystery to immerse yourself in, doesnt it free you, and leap you straight into a holiday mindset?
Well, it does me, and Im going to put out reindeer snacks and Santa snacks, and Im going to look for him in the sky, cos sometimes its really fun to immerse yourself in mysteries that dont make all the sense......Sometimes, its damn near essential!
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Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
Merry Christmas!
p/s...hope Santa brings you something nice
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Yeah, sometimes my mums a gem. Makes up for the rest of the time!
Glad you agree - it aint the Silly Season for nothing! It is my sworn duty to encourage sillyness from about mid november to mid january.
And when people sigh, and say, "Kleo, theres no Santa. Theres no unicorns." I say, "Look. Prove to me it DOESNT exist. Come on, I dare ya..."
Hope you get a good Santa visit too, listen for those bells and galloping hooves!