The Christmas Holiday season is amongst us and my inner Grinch1 is screaming the Christmas shenanigan of Santa Claus does a great disservice to children and teaches them to ignore reality and logic. It lays the foundation to for people to abandon critical thinking. I was that kid, “but the Santa is this photo does not look like the Santa in the other photos.” Why are we collecting toys for the poor if Santa goes to all children? Blah, blah, blah The gig was pretty much up by the time I was 6.
The date of December 25th was established for Christmas to supersede the heathen/pagan celebration of the birth of the sun after the winter solstice. The church saw this as a way to promote Christianity. Even from the “religious” perspective, Christmas is not exactly a celebration rooted in truth. What gives?
The Christmas celebration requires all of us to buy into a collective myth, reversion of history of which everyone smiles, nods and goes along. The open secret amongst theologians is the contradictions in the four gospels. Whilst some attribute this to “literary devices” and “story telling,” is the room for exaggerations and hyperbole in texts of faith, which requires a belief in something unseen and unknown? How does a country that espouses religious freedom reconcile the Christian Christmas? It is comical, that is the ethnicity of Santa Claus became a bombshell debate on national news with Megan Kelly.
Did the Santa Syndrome, the ability to defend a belief when all evidence and fact say impossible, lay the foundation for protests against the recent election of “stop the steal?” There is no evidence of fraud, this has been declared the safest election ever and lawsuits are being thrown out with strong rebukes and yet:
A significant number of Americans currently believe the 2020 election was stolen, even though it wasn’t. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed 52 percent of Republicans believe President Trump “rightfully won” the election. But the only “evidence” of election fraud has been widely debunked.
FiveThirtyEight
While there is caution around polls, the statistics along with numerous protest, including the million maga marches are congruent with the belief of myth over fact. This mask forsaken mass rebuke science and insist covid is a conspiracy to take away rights and a rigged election that has stolen democracy. This culture and climate have given rise to QAnon.
More than one-third of Americans think it’s possible that elites in Hollywood, government and the media “are secretly engaging in large scale child trafficking and abuse,” according to new polling for a U.K.-based anti-racism advocacy group reviewed by Axios.
AXIOS
A third? Two QAnon supporters from Georgia and Colorado were recently elected to congress. But, it doesn’t stop there. QAnon is spreading worldwide. In Germany, QAnon supporters gathered to protest mask mandates.
OK, this has bounced all over the place to ask the question, is the gig up for Santa Claus? Can Christmas be embraced as a magical holiday for sharing love, gifts and taking care of each other without the morbidly obese white man who comes down the chimney to bring presents to children? Knowing there was no Santa Claus did not change the exhilaration of singing in the children’s Christmas choir, the euphoric smell of a fresh tree or the joy of giving gifts. I still had the anxious anticipation of Christmas morning. The spirit of Christmas was not lost.
Santa Claus creates chasms. The kids who know are told not to “ruin it” for those who believe in Santa. Children of other religions are met with ostracism. It’s problematic to tell children if they are good, they get what they want and if they are bad they don’t. While this is clearly more of an economic issue, young children are left to question their moral compass based on what an alleged Santa did or did not deliver. This week, consider, is it time to stop the Santa Syndrome?
1I’m a childless, a registered voter as no party preference and have been known to proclaim the Grinch as my holiday spirit animal.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 
When I was a kid I remember thinking this Santa Claus stuff sure interferes with what they are telling me about God. I never even suggested that there was a Santa to my girls. My younger daughter now has 2 young boys and it is Santa isn’t going to bring you anything if you are not good then a crazy amount of stuff under the tree. Crazy amount to the point you don’t know which way to turn. One day in the car listening to them tell in in one breath that they were his best friends and would always love him and the next get their phone out to rat him out to Santa. Made me sick. When I was watching him he did something and wanted to know if I was to tell Santa. I said NO. do you remember the part in the song where it says be good for goodness sake? That’s what I want you to do. I didn’t have another bit of trouble out of him.
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