Germans to ban Santa.

AudreyHepburn

I think this is a bit silly really.

I mean jesus it's only a bit of fun and in no way harmful to children. Santa is what makes Christmas when you're little I think.

prinz

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I think this is a bit silly really.
I mean jesus it's only a bit of fun and in no way harmful to children. Santa is what makes Christmas when you're little I think.

It does here. Santa isn't big in Germany, they have the ChristKind who brings the gifts, and their own traditions etc. Santa is a recent import to Germany. As such to a German kid "Santa" as we know it is in fact a meaningless figure. They don't want the American Coca-Cola Santa to displace the German traditions, and fair play. It would be like us importing the Green Power Ranger to replace St Patrick.

Sonnenblumen

prinz wrote: »

It does here. Santa isn't big in Germany, they have the ChristKind who brings the gifts, and their own traditions etc. Santa is a recent import to Germany. As such to a German kid "Santa" as we know it is in fact a meaningless figure. They don't want the American Coca-Cola Santa to displace the German traditions, and fair play. It would be like us importing the Green Power Ranger to replace St Patrick.

I respect German customs (solemn and religious) at Xmas, but honestly having experienced both versions, I prefer the Santa version, because it really is a fun time for kids. Plenty of time for serious traditions later in life.

Apart from the parade, St Patrick does not have any real pulling power with kids.

peasant

Well (for those guys in Germany) the difference is they are celebrating Christmas not "Happy holidays" or "X-mas" or the "Festive Season" and in their celebration "Santa" has no role to play.

"Santa" didn't play any role in my childhood christmasses either ...I survived

Saermegil

Santa Claus, Father Christmas, or simply Santa. Whatever name you use, the image it calls up is instantly recognizable around the world: a rotund, jovial elderly man in red clothing, with a full, white beard. We all know that he lives somewhere snowy. He has elves that make toys for him, and magic reindeer that transport him around the world by flying him around in a sleigh.

The other thing all adults are aware of is that Santa simply does not exist. He is nothing more than a fiction.

But how did this strange myth come about? It is generally agreed that it is based on Saint Nicholas, a 4th century christian bishop. Stories of this saint’s gift-giving, mixed with lore of the god Odin through the influence of Germanic Polytheists, resulted in the story of the gift-giving man.

However, the modern Santa is not the result of any zeitgeist. His conception was as far away from such an organic process as possible.

The story of Santa Claus has been present in popular literature in America and Britain since the 18th century, but the man himself had no definite form. Until the 1930, when the soft drink giant, Coca-Cola, popularized the image of Santa Claus conveniently clothed in red and white.

Today the image is in the collective subconscious, with the myth that this red-clad old man not only exists, but delivers gifts to children all over the world. And with the myth being perpetuated with each new generation, it seems that Santa is with us for good.

But one has to pause and take a hard look at Santa Claus. Despite reportedly representing all that is good about Christmas, namely joy, charity and selflessness, many people are now finding fault with the fat man in red. There are serious concerns about parents lying to their children about the existence of Santa, and about what his existence means for children. Another problem is now surfacing, with Santa displacing traditional values and traditions around the world. Lastly, the fact that the modern Santa Claus was created by advertising agencies and still persists as a symbol of unabashed consumerism simply cannot be ignored.

Children growing up in many countries across the world are now presented with the story of Santa as fact. Parents don’t really know what to do: lie to their children, or isolate their children from their friends by telling them the truth? And what about the time to let children know that Santa does not exist? Such delicate matters are often handled wrongly, resulting in hurt feelings, resentment towards the holiday of Christmas itself, or even long-term trust issues with the parents.

Child psychologist Bruce Henderson, professor in the psychology department at Western Carolina University, warns that “Forcing an elaborate Santa Claus story on children serves no good purpose for child or parent.” He even examines who is more attached to this made-up figure, and concludes that “the reality is that children may be more ready to give up the more magical aspects of the Santa myth than their parents are.”

Unfortunately, most parents succumb to the pressure of their peers and environment, and so children en up convinced that Santa exists. Have we thought about what that tells children?

As we examine him even more deeply, the fairy-tale is all wrong for this new millennium. Even the smallest things are wrong. Wearing real fur? Dubious. A steady diet of cookies? Simply wrong. A workforce of unpaid elves? Unethical. A man who has children sit in his lap while he listens to their wishes that he is going to grant? At best, ridiculous. At worst, sinister.

Children learn that gifts come from someone who watches them all the time, constantly judging them, ready to withhold the presents if they are “naughty”.

Contrast this with the love of the parents that is unconditional. Children will receive their presents even if, being children, they sometimes misbehave. Still, the parents are willing to pretend that the presents are not the result of their hard work, but the handiwork of elves in a faraway factory. Wouldn’t the sincere giving of a gift from parent to child reinforce their relationship and show the child that the parents are there for them, providing them with what they need?

What about the negative psychological issues that the thought of someone constantly observing your every move could cause? Only the most extreme of religious people like to believe that god acts the same way, but even god is forgiving, whereas if you are naughty, you are definitely getting coal, with no option of being forgiven. Such a cruel figure has not been so adored a symbol since the days of pre-civilisation.

And catholically adored, he is. Since promoting the empire of Coca-Cola in the 1930’s, he has gone on to advertise virtually anything from cigarettes to male performance enhancement pills. He is the quintessential image of consumerism. He supposedly represents selflessness, but he is seldom used with a noble goal in mind. The Christmas that Santa represents is the Christmas of extraordinary shopping sprees, of spending huge sums of money on things that one is to give to other people in return for the things one is to receive. Is that the symbol that we wish our children to give to their children?

Religious or irreligious, parents should be worried that Santa and the consumerism he represents in all its orgiastic glory is taking over the whole of Christmas. Regardless of religion, Christmas, or the Winter Solstice, or Hanukkah used to be a period for reflection, sharing and rejoicing in the knowledge that we have riches beyond measure; family and good friends. Nowadays Santa, along with all the material gluttony that comes with him, is taking over Christmas all across the world.

In some parts of the world, this new phenomenon is worrying. In the Czech Republic, presents are given to children by Baby Jesus. Even though Czechs are largely irreligious, they kept this part of their tradition alive. However, these days, more and more children wish their presents to be given to them by Santa, and so the tradition of the Baby Jesus is vanishing. Mass protests in Prague as well as a very popular website documenting the worries of uneasy parents, at least give some hope to those wishing to keep their millennia-old traditions.

We see him everywhere. He is in every street corner, plastic, tacky, non-recyclable. He jeers at us from every shop window, lewd, flashy and unseemly. He is there every time we turn on our TV sets, selling us selflessness, family and happiness, at their proper price, of course.

The next time you come across Santa, staring at you with unnatural, inhuman joy, think about it: is this what we want our children to give their children?