On Santa the Changeling.

My daughter always declined to allow her children to believe in Santa Claus. She took the view that children must always be told the truth of all things, and the truth is that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. I understand that view, but others might say that Santa is a myth, and all cultures have their myths so why shouldn’t we have the myth of Santa Claus? It contributes to the magic of Christmas, does it not, at least for the children?

OK, let’s go back to when I was a kid. At that time, in England at least, some people still used what they thought was the old fashioned term – Father Christmas. The thought prevailed that Father Christmas and Santa Claus were interchangeable terms for the same thing, but of course they’re not.

Father Christmas is the true myth going back into antiquity. He represented the spirit of Christmas as the concept of the season used to be viewed. He was the bringer of good cheer, goodwill, and a bountiful table at least once a year. He was personified by the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol, and the simple peasant venerated Father Christmas just as much as the high-born lord.

But the true myth was banished by the commercial world and replaced with an impostor whose role was to condition people to the view that the magic of Christmas is all about material acquisition. Santa’s sole purpose is to fly around the sky every Christmas Eve delivering bags full of material gifts. And who gets the stress of having to pay for them all? And who really gets the benefit?