This page will contain blogs about santa claus, as they become available.Santa ClausSanta Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy or simply Santa) is a folk hero in various cultures who distributes presents to children, traditionally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus. Father Christmas is a well-loved figure in many countries and predates the "Santa Claus" character. "Father Christmas" is similar in many ways, though the two have quite different origins. Using 'Santa' in places that predominantly call him 'Father Christmas' is often viewed as an Americanism and is quite rare, although they are generally regarded as the same character. Father Christmas is also present instead of "Santa" in Italy ("Babbo Natale"), Brazil ("Papai Noel"), Czech_Republic ("Ježíšek"), Portugal ("Pai Natal"), Romania ("Moş Crăciun"), Germany ("Weihnachtsmann"), Ireland ("Daidí na Nollag"), France and French Canada ("Le Père Noël"), Spain and Mexico ("Papá Noel"), Afghanistan ("Baba Chaghaloo"), and South Africa. OverviewSanta is a variant of a European person folk tale based on the historical figure Saint Nicholas, a bishop from the region that is now present-day Turkey, who gave presents to the poor. This inspired the mythical figure of Sinterklaas, the subject of a major celebration in the Netherlands and Belgium, Germany (where his alleged date of death, December 6, is celebrated the evening before on December 5), which in turn inspired both the myth and the name of Santa Claus (actually a mispronunciation of the Dutch word "Sinterklaas" by the English settlers of New Amsterdam (later renamed New York)). A classic image of Santa Claus.He forms an important part of the Christmas tradition throughout the Western world and Japan and other parts of East Asia. In many Eastern Orthodox traditions, Santa Claus visits children on New Year's Day and is identified with Saint Basil whose memory is celebrated on that day. Depictions of Santa Claus also have a close relationship with the Russian character of Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost"). He delivers presents to children and has a red coat, fur boots and long white beard. Much of the iconography of Santa Claus could be seen to derive from Russian traditions of Ded Moroz, particularly transmitted into western European culture through his German folklore equivalent, Väterchen Frost. The Russian Ded Moroz.Conventionally, Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly, round-bellied, merry, bespectacled white man in a red coat trimmed with white fur (perhaps remotely derived from the episcopal vestments of the original Bishop Nicholas), with a long white beard and green or white gloves. On Christmas Eve, he rides in his sleigh pulled by flying reindeer from house to house to give presents to children. To enter the house, Santa Claus comes down the chimney and exits through the fireplace. During the rest of the year he lives together with his wife Mrs. Claus and his elves manufacturing toys. Some modern depictions of Santa (often in advertising and popular entertainment) will show the elves and Santa's workshop as more of a processing and distribution facility, ordering and receiving the toys from various toy manufacturers from across the world. His home is usually given as either the North Pole, in northern Canada, Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland, Dalecarlia in Sweden, or Greenland, depending on the tradition and country. Sometimes Santa's home is in Caesarea when he is identified as Saint Basil. Since most activities associated with Santa Claus are extraordinary, such as delivering presents to all of the believing children in one night, keeping track of where every believing child lives, how he squeezes down chimneys, how he enters homes without chimneys, how he delivers presents without tripping motion detectors if the Christmas tree is not in the same room as the fireplace, why he never dies, how he makes reindeer fly, and how he survives in the cold at the North Pole, "magic" is usually used to explain his actions. OriginsThe modern Santa Claus is thought to be a composite character made up from the merging of quite separate figures. Ancient Christian originsSt. Nicholas, with his crozier and miter, as he appears on a German holy card.The first of these is Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century AD Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was born at Patara, province of Lycia, Asia Minor. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. The relics of St. Nicholas were transported to Bari in southern Italy by some enterprising Italian merchants; a basilica was constructed in 1087 to house them and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout. Saint Nicholas became revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia. In Greece, Saint Nicholas is sometimes substituted for Saint Basil (Vasilis in Greek), a 4th century AD bishop from Caesarea. Also, a few villages in West Flanders, Belgium, celebrate a near identical figure, Sint-Maarten (Saint Martin of Tours).[1] Germanic folkloreOdin, the wanderer.Prior to the Germanic peoples' conversion to Christianity, Germanic folklore contained stories about the god Odin (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule, have a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy [Siefker, chap. 9, esp. 171-173]. This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas. Children still place their straw filled shoes at the chimney every winter night, and Saint Nicholas (who, unlike Santa, is still riding a horse) rewards them with candy and gifts. Odin's appearance was often similar to that of Saint Nicholas, being depicted as an old, mysterious man with a beard. (Other features, like the absence of one eye, are not found in Saint Nicholas.) This practice in turn came to America via the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam prior to the British seizure in the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace. Another early folk tale, originating among the Germanic tribes, tells of a holy man (sometimes Saint Nicholas), and a demon (sometimes the Devil, Krampus, or a troll). The story states that the land was terrorized by a monster who at night would slither down the chimneys and slaughter children (disembowelling them or stuffing them up the flue, or keeping them in a sack to eat later). The holy man sought out the demon, and tricked it with blessed or magical shackles (in some versions the same shackles that imprisoned Christ prior to the crucifixion, in other versions the shackles were those used to hold St. Peter or Paul of Tarsus); the demon was trapped and forced to obey the saint's orders. The saint ordered him to go to each house and make amends, by delivering gifts to the children. Depending on the version, the saint either made the demon fulfil this task every year, or the demon was so disgusted by the act of good will that it chose to be sent back to Hell. Yet other versions have the demon reform under the saint's orders, and go on to recruit other elves and imps into helping him, thus becoming Santa Claus. In an alternate Dutch version, the saint is aided by Moorish slaves, commonly typified as Zwarte Piet ("Black Peter"). Some tales depict Zwarte Piet beating bad children with a rod or even taking them to Spain (formerly ruled by the Moors) in a sack. Another form of the above tale in Germany is of the Pelznickel or Belsnickle ("Furry Nicholas") who visited naughty children in their sleep. The name originated from the fact that the person appeared to be a huge beast since he was covered from head to toe in furs. Modern originsThe Ghost of Christmas Present, a colorized version of the original illustration by John Leech made for Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol (1843).Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and folklore merged with the British character Father Christmas to create the character known to Britons and Americans as Santa Claus. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected in the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The name Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for the mythical character based on St. Nicholas. He is also known there by the name of Sint Nicolaas which explains the use of the two fairly dissimilar names Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas or St. Nick. Sinterklaas wears clothing similar to a bishop's. He wears a red miter (a liturgical headdress worn by bishops and abbots) with a 'golden' cross and carries a bishop's staff. The connection with the original bishop of Myra is still evident here. He rides a white horse over rooftops and his helpers climb down chimneys to deposit gifts (sometimes in children's shoes by the fireplace). Sinterklaas arrives from Spain on a steamboat and is accompanied by 'Zwarte Piet'. Folk tale depiction of Father Christmas riding on a goat. Perhaps an evolved version of the Swedish Tomte.Presents given during this feast are often accompanied by poems, sometimes fairly basic, sometimes quite elaborate pieces of art that mock events in the past year relating to the recipient (who is thus at the receiving end in more than one sense). The gifts themselves may be just an excuse for the wrapping, which can also be quite elaborate. The more serious gifts may be reserved for the next morning. Since the giving of presents is Sinterklaas's job presents are traditionally not given at Christmas in the Netherlands, but commercialism is starting to tap into this market. In other countries, the figure of Saint Nicholas was also blended with local folklore. As an example of the still surviving pagan imagery, in Nordic countries there was the Yule Goat (Swedish julbock, Norwegian "julebukk", Finnish joulupukki), a somewhat startling figure with horns which delivered the presents on Christmas Eve. A straw goat is still a common Christmas decoration in Sweden, Norway and Finland. In the 1840's, the farm gnome in Nordic folklore started to deliver the Christmas presents in Denmark, but was then called the "Julenisse", dressed in gray clothes and a red hat. By the end of the 19th century this tradition had also spread to Norway and Sweden (where the "nisse" is called Tomte), replacing the Yule Goat. The same thing happened in Finland, but there the more human figure retained the Yule Goat name. American originsThomas Nast immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the January 3, 1863, issue of Harper's Weekly.In the British colonies of North America and later the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York, Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention. Modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on December 23, 1823. The poem is ascribed to Clement Clarke Moore, although there is some question as to his authorship. In this poem Santa is established as a heavyset individual with eight reindeer (who are named for the first time). Santa Claus later appeared in various colored costumes as he gradually became amalgamated with the figure of Father Christmas, but red soon became popular after he appeared wearing such on an 1885 Christmas card. Still, one of the first artists to capture Santa Claus' image as we know him today was Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist of the 19th century. In 1863, a picture of Santa illustrated by Nast appeared in Harper's Weekly (it is believed the inspiration for his image came from the Pelznickle). Another popularization came in 1902 in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Specially designed Christmas labels featuring Santa Claus give a seasonal twist to these Coca-Cola bottles.Images of Santa Claus were further cemented through Haddon Sundblom's depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising. The popularity of the image spawned urban legends that Santa Claus was in fact invented by Coca-Cola. Nevertheless, Santa Claus and Coca-Cola have been closely associated. [2]
Some suspect that the depiction of Santa at the North Pole reflected popular opinion about industry at the time. In some images of the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman. A man dressed up as Santa Claus fundraising for Volunteers of America on the sidewalk of street in Chicago, Illinois, in 1902. He is wearing a mask with a beard attached. DN-0001069, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade by each individual elf working in the traditional manner. By the end of the century, the reality of mass mechanized production became more fully accepted by the Western public. That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and Mrs. Claus as managers [see Nissenbaum, chap. 2; Belk, 87-100]. Many television commercials depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on their boss. Santa Claus continues to inspire writers and artists, such as in author Seabury Quinn's 1948 novel Roads. Other additions to early ideas of Santa include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the ninth and lead reindeer immortalized in a Gene Autry song, written by a Montgomery Ward copywriter. Other possible originsAmerican mycologist Jonathan Ott suggests that many of the modern features attributed to Santa Claus may somehow be derived from those of the Kamchatkan or Siberian shaman. Apparently, during the midwinter festival (holiday season) in Siberia (near the North Pole), the shaman would enter a yurt (home) through the shangrak (chimney), bringing with him a sack of fly agaric mushrooms (presents) to give to the inhabitants. This type of mushroom is brightly colored red and white, like Santa Claus, though the relevance of this is questionable. The mushrooms were often hung (to dry) in front of the fireplace, much like the stockings of modern-day Christmas. Furthermore, the mushrooms were associated with reindeer who were known to eat them and become intoxicated. Reindeer are also associated with the shaman, and like Santa Claus, many people believed that the shaman could fly.[3] Santa Claus ritualsSanta Claus with two children sitting on his lap and four children gathered around him for a photo in a room in Chicago in 1929. DN-0090223, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.Several rituals have developed around the Santa Claus figure that are normally performed by children hoping to receive gifts from him. Christmas Eve ritualsIn the United States and Canada, the tradition is to leave Santa a glass of milk and cookies; in Britain and Australia, he is sometimes given sherry and mince pies instead. British, Australian and American children also leave out a carrot for Santa's reindeer, and were traditionally told that if they are not good all year round, that they will receive a lump of coal in their stockings, although this practice is now considered archaic. Children following the Dutch custom for sinterklaas will "put out their shoe" — that is, leave hay and a carrot for his horse in a shoe before going to bed — sometimes weeks before the sinterklaas avond. The next morning they will find the hay and carrot replaced by a gift; often, this is a marzipan figurine. Naughty children were once told that they would be left a roe (a bundle of sticks) instead of sweets, but this practice has been discontinued. Letter writingWriting letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Interestingly, some social scientists have found that boys and girls write different types of letters. Girls generally write more polite, longer (although they do not request more), and express more expressions of the nature of Christmas in their letters than in letters written by boys. Girls also request gifts for other people on a more frequent basis [Otnes, Kim, and Kim, 20-21]. Many postal services allow children to send letters to Santa Claus pleading their good behavior and requesting gifts; these letters may be answered by postal workers or other volunteers. Canada Post has a special postal code for letters to Santa Claus, and since 1982 over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to write responses. His address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0 [4] (see also: Ho ho ho). (This postal code, in which zeroes are used for the letter "O" is consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all Canadian postal codes.) Sometimes children's charities answer letters in poorer communities or from children's hospitals in order to give them presents that they would not otherwise receive. In Britain it is tradition to burn the Christmas letters on the fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the North Pole however this tradition is dying out in modern times with few people having true open fires in their homes. Through the years Santa Claus of Finland has received over eight million letters. He gets over 600,000 letters every year from over 150 countries. Children from Great Britain, Poland and Japan are the busiest writers. The Finnish Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi but Santa's Official Post Office is situated in Rovaniemi at the Arctic circle. His address is this: Santa Claus, Santa Claus Village, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle, Finland. Websites and e-mailThe Christmas issue of NOAA's Weather Bureau Topics with "Santa Claus" streaking across a weather radar screen, 1958.Some people have created websites designed to allow children and other interested parties to "track" Santa Claus on Christmas Eve via radar; while in transit, Santa Claus is sometimes escorted by Air Force fighter jets [5]. In 1955, a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline". The number was mistyped and children called the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead. The Director of Operations, Col. Harry Shoup, received the first call for Santa and responded by telling children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was indeed heading south from North Pole. In 1958, Canada and the United States jointly created the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) and together tracked Santa Claus for children of North America that year and ever since.[6]. This tracking can now be done by children via the Internet and NORAD's website. Many local television stations in the United States and Canada likewise track Santa Claus in their own metropolitan areas through the stations' meteorologists. Many other websites are available year-round that are devoted to Santa Claus and keeping tabs on his activities in his workshop. Many of these websites also include e-mail addresses, a modern version of the postal service letter writing, in which children can send Santa Claus e-mail. SongsCover to the sheet music for "Santa Claus' Galop" (1874) by composer Charles KinkelOver the years, Santa Claus has inspired several songs and even orchestral works. As early as 1853, Louis Antoine Jullien composed an orchestral piece titled Santa Claus which premiered to mixed reviews in New York that year [Horowitz, 213]. More popular, well-known songs about Santa Claus (mostly sung by children) include:
"Santa Claus" in shopping mallsEaton's Santa Claus Parade, 1918, Toronto, Canada. Having arrived at the Eaton's department store, Santa is readying his ladder to climb up onto the building.Santa Claus is also a costumed character who appears at Christmas time in department stores or shopping malls, or at parties. He is played by an actor, usually helped by other actors (often mall employees or contractors) dressed as elves or other creatures of folklore. His function is either to promote the store's image by distributing small gifts to children, or to provide a seasonal experience to children by having them sit on his knee (a practice now under review by some organisations in Britain [7], and Switzerland [8]), state what they wish to get, and often have a photograph taken. The area set up for this purpose is festively decorated, usually with a large throne, and is called variously "Santa's Grotto", "Santa's Workshop" or a similar term. In America the most notable of these is the Santa at the flagship Macy's store in New York City - he arrives at the store by sleigh in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the last float, and his court takes over a large portion of one floor in the store. Essayist David Sedaris is known for the satirical diary he kept while working as an elf in the Macy's display, which he later published. If and when a shop or party Santa is discovered to be an imposter by an observant youngster, a common way out is to simply admit that he is not the real Santa, but helping him at this time of year. Most young children seem to already understand this, as the "real" Santa would be extremely busy around Christmas time. Santa Claus on filmSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Santa Claus Conquers the MartiansProbably the only other place where Santa Claus makes as many appearances as in the malls is on the big screen. Motion pictures of St. Nick abound and apparently constitute their own sub-genre of the Christmas film genre. Early films of Santa revolve around similar simple plots of Santa's Christmas eve visit to children. In 1897, in a short film called Santa Claus Filling Stockings, Santa Claus is simply filling stockings from his pack of toys. Another film called Santa Claus and the Children was made in 1898. A year later, a film directed by George Albert Smith in 1899 titled Santa Claus (or The Visit from Santa Claus in the United Kingdom) was created. In this picture Santa Claus enters the room from the fireplace and proceeds to trim the tree. He then fills the stockings that were previously hung on the mantle by the children. After walking backward and surveying his work, he suddenly darts at the fireplace and disappears up the chimney. Santa Claus' Visit in 1900 featured a scene with two little children kneeling at the feet of their mother and saying their prayers. The mother tucks the children snugly in bed and leaves the room. Santa Claus suddenly appears on the roof, just outside the children's bedroom window, and proceeds to enter the chimney, taking with him his bag of presents and a little hand sled for one of the children. He goes down the chimney and suddenly appears in the children's room through the fireplace. He distributes the presents and mysteriously causes the appearance of a Christmas tree laden with gifts. The scene closes with the children waking up and running to the fireplace just too late to catch him by the legs. A 1909 film by D. W. Griffith titled A Trap for Santa Claus shows children setting a trap to capture Santa Claus as he descends down the chimney, but instead capture their father who abandoned them and their mother but tries to burglarize the house after he discovers she inherited a fortune. A twenty-nine minute 1925 silent film production entitled Santa Claus by explorer/documentarian Frank E. Kleinschmidt filmed partly in northern Alaska and features Santa in his workshop, visiting his Eskimo neighbors, and tending his reindeer. A year later another movie titled Santa Claus was produced with sound on De Forest Phonofilm.[9] Over the years various actors have donned the red suit (aside from those discussed below), including Monty Woolley in Life Begins at Eight-thirty (1942), Alberto Rabagliati in The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (1966), Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places (1983), Jan Rubes in One Magic Christmas (1985), David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), Jonathan Taylor Thomas in I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), and Ed Asner in Elf (2003). Later films about Santa vary, but can be divided into the following themes. Origins in filmSome films about Santa Claus seek to explore his origins. They explain how reindeer fly, where elves come from, and other questions children have generally asked about Santa. Two stop motion animation television specials addressed this issue: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970) by Rankin/Bass with Mickey Rooney as the voice of Kris reveals how Santa delivered toys to children despite the fact that Burgermeister Meisterburger had forbidden children to play with them and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985), based on L. Frank Baum 's 1902 children's book of the same name, in which Santa is reared by mythical, magical creatures and is granted immortality by them. Interestingly enough, none of these films focus on Santa Claus's saintly origins. Questioning and believingThe Polar ExpressAnother genre of Santa films seek to dispel doubts about his existence. One of the first films of this nature was titled A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907) and involves a well-to-do boy trying to convince his poorer friend that Santa Claus is real. She doubts because Santa has never visited her family because of their poverty. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) starring Natalie Wood as Susan Walker revolves around the disbelief of young Susan whose mother (Maureen O'Hara) employs a kind old man (Edmund Gwenn, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) to play Santa Claus at Macy's; he later convinces Susan that he really is Santa. This film was remade in 1994 and stars Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as Susan Walker. The television special Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus (1991) follows the true story of a young girl, Virginia O'Hanlon, who writes a letter to the editor of the New York Sun in 1897 after her friends tell her there is no Santa. The newspaper editor tells her that indeed there is a Santa: "He lives, and he lives forever." Francis Pharcellus Church was the real-life editor and is played by Charles Bronson in the film. The Polar Express (2004), based on the children's book of the same name, also deals with issues and questions of belief as a magical train conducted by Tom Hanks transports a doubting boy to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus.[10] Santa as a heroSome less-than-serious films feature Santa Claus as a superhero-type figure, such as the 1959 film titled Santa Claus produced in Mexico with José Elías Moreno as Santa Claus. In this movie Santa allies with Merlin the magician to battle the Devil who is attempting to trap Santa. In the Cold War-era film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) where Santa Claus is captured by Martians and brought to Mars and ultimately foils a plot to destroy him. The Night They Saved Christmas (1984) starring Art Carney as Santa likewise chronicles how Santa Claus and Claudia Baldwin (Jaclyn Smith), the wife of an oil explorer, have to save the North Pole from explosions while her husband is searching for oil in the Arctic. Santa Claus: The Movie also contains a subplot in which Santa Claus rescues Joe (Christian Fitzpatrick) from his best friend Cornelia's (Carrie Kei Heim]) evil uncle B. Z. (John Lithgow).[11] He is a hero in Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas held captive to Oogie Boogie. The latest film to depict Santa Claus in such a manner is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), in which Father Christmas (James Cosmo) supplies the Pevensie children with the weapons and tools they need to battle the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Succession of SantasOne genre of movies suggest that Santa Claus is not historically a single individual but a succession of individuals. The feature film Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) starring David Huddleston as Santa Claus and British actress Judy Cornwell as his wife Anya shows how Santa and his wife are adopted by elves (including elves played by Dudley Moore and Burgess Meredith) in order to deliver their toys all over the world. The film's prologue features a generous old man who assumes Santa-like duties in his home village, and strongly suggests Santa's saintly origins. There is an elaborate sequence depicting the death of the previous office-holder (extremely advanced in age), and the selection of the new Santa Claus, which visually evokes the Papacy and also the divine/supernatural nature of the office/selection process. It is also suggestive of Santa's miraculous ability to live for many years, but not indefinitely. In Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest (Jim Varney) aids Santa Claus/Seth Applegate (Douglas Seale) convince Joe Curruthers (Oliver Clark) to become the next Santa. In The Santa Clause (1994), Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall off the roof of his house. After he puts on Santa's robes, he becomes subject to the "Santa clause" (like a contract) in which he is required to become the next Santa. Reluctant at first, he falls in love with his newfound role. This film spawned a sequel in 2002, The Santa Clause 2 in which he must find a wife (the "Mrs. Clause"). A recent and unique television special also draws upon the succession theme. In Call Me Claus (2001) Lucy Cullins (Whoopi Goldberg) is an African American woman destined to become the next Santa Claus. She too is reluctant to take on the role. In The Hebrew Hammer (2003), the role of Santa Claus is traditionally passed down from father to son. The system is disrupted when the reigning Santa is murdered by his son, Damian, who then uses the position to attack the competing holidays of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Impostor SantasBad SantaSeveral films have been created which explore the consequences should an impostor Santa take over. Probably one of the first films featuring a fake Santa Claus is the 1914 silent film The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus written by Frederic Arnold Kummer. In this film, a bogus Santa steals all the Christmas presents and amateur detective Octavius (played by Herbert Yost) tries to recover them. Arguably the most notorious impostor appears in the 1966 cartoon based on Dr. Seuss's children's book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, where the Grinch attempts to rob the Whos in Whoville of their Christmas, but has a change of heart. This animated feature was made into a live-action movie in 2000, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Chuck Jones's version of The GrinchAnother less-than-friendly impostor appears in A Christmas Story (1983) as a disgruntled mall Santa at Higbee's Department Store (a real store in downtown Cleveland, Ohio) in the fictional town of Holman, Indiana. Played by Jeff Gillen, Santa is depicted as a larger-than-life figure who terrifies, rather than amuses, children. Gillen's performance lends credence to the theory that the mall Santa is not quite genuine. Another recent devious mall Santa was played by Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003), a film which gained normally family-friendly Disney "bad press". [12] Tim Burton's stop-action animated musical film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) depicts Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, wanting to become Santa Claus after an accidental visit to Christmas Town. After the mostly well-meaning but clueless Halloween citizens capture Santa, they try to take over Christmas with disastrous results; the real Santa is almost eaten by the Oogie Boogie Man. Other darker impostors have appeared in slasher films such as the Silent Night, Deadly Night series of the 1980s, Santa Claws (1996), and in the short ". . . All Through the House," part of the Tales from the Crypt (1972) movie and later remade as episode 1.2 and directed by Robert Zemeckis for the HBO series of the same name. Both were inspired by the Tales from the Crypt comic book.[13] Christian opposition to Santa ClausExcerpt from Josiah King's The Examination and Tryal of Father Christmas (1686), published shortly after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England. Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.Despite Santa Claus's mixed Christian roots, he has become a secular representation of Christmas. As such, a small number of primarily fundamentalist Christian churches dislike the secular focus on Santa Claus and the materialist focus that present-giving gives to the holiday. Such a condemnation of Santa Claus is not a twentieth century phenomenon, but originated among some Protestant groups of the 16th century and was prevalent among the Puritans of 17th century England and America who banned the holiday as either pagan or Roman Catholic. Following the English Civil War, under Oliver Cromwell's government Christmas was banned. Following the Restoration of the monarchy and Puritans were out of power in England, the ban on Christmas was satirized in works such as Josiah King's The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas; Together with his Clearing by the Jury (1686) [Nissenbaum, chap. 1].[14] Rev. Paul Nedergaard, a clergyman in Copenhagen, Denmark, drew the ire of Danish citizens in 1958 when he declared Santa to be a "pagan goblin" after Santa's image was used on fundraising materials for a Danish welfare organization [Clar, 337]. One prominent religious group that refuses to celebrate Santa Claus or Christmas for similar reasons are the Jehovah's Witnesses, but several denominations of Christians have varying concerns about Santa Claus.[15] Some Christians would prefer that the focus of the Christmas season be placed on the actual birth of Jesus. Some parents are uncomfortable about "lying" to their children about the existence of Santa. Some parents worry that their children might think that if they were deceived by their parents about Santa Claus, parents might also be deceiving them about the existence of God. While these viewpoints do not represent the majority of Christians, their comments have drawn the attention of critics such as the fictional Landover Baptist Church, whose website satirizes and parodies this viewpoint.[16] Santa claus calculationsThere are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total (or 378 million according to the population reference bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming there is at least one good child in each. Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and rotation of the Earth, assuming east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stocking, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get onto the next house. Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we're now talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks. This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second - 3000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a pokey 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour. The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized Lego set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granding that the flying reindeer can pull 10 times that normal amount, the job can't be done with eight or even nine of them - Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, by another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch). 600,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates a lot of air resistance - this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quantillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 miles per second in 0.001 seconds, would be subjected to acceleration forces of 17,000 g's. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo. Christmas gift-bringers around the worldSee also: Christmas worldwide Europe and North AmericaThe Dutch Sinterklaas, accompanied by Zwarte Piet, at his arrival in the town of Sneek in the northern Netherlands, in November 2005.Throughout Europe and North America, Santa Claus is generally known as such, but in some countries the gift-giver's name, attributes, date of arrival, and even identity varies.
Latin AmericaSanta Claus in Latin America is generally referred to with different names from country to country.
East AsiaPeople in East Asia, particularly countries that have adopted Western cultures, also celebrate Christmas and the gift-giver traditions passed down to them from the West.
Central Asia
Africa and the Middle EastChristians in Africa and Middle East who celebrate Christmas generally ascribe to the gift-giver traditions passed down to them by Europeans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Descendants of colonizers still residing in these regions likewise continue the practices of their ancestors.[17]
Oceania
References
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Descendants of colonizers still residing in these regions likewise continue the practices of their ancestors.[17]. So far, no clear changes or announcements on Nintendo's part have resulted from it. Christians in Africa and Middle East who celebrate Christmas generally ascribe to the gift-giver traditions passed down to them by Europeans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. [39] It contains information explaining what high definition is and why they feel it is important for the Revolution to support it, plus, ideas for ways people can get involved in lobbying Nintendo to change their minds. People in East Asia, particularly countries that have adopted Western cultures, also celebrate Christmas and the gift-giver traditions passed down to them from the West. 1080up.org is an online movement started by video game enthusiasts in hopes of influencing Nintendo’s final decision regarding HD support for the Revolution. Santa Claus in Latin America is generally referred to with different names from country to country. DTV or EDTV sets), when compared to viewing on an analog (480i-only) television set. Throughout Europe and North America, Santa Claus is generally known as such, but in some countries the gift-giver's name, attributes, date of arrival, and even identity varies. [38] Regardless, the support of 480p will still mean an improvement in graphics quality when properly hooked up to and viewed on an HDTV set (or any digital [non-analog] set, i.e. See also: Christmas worldwide. EDTV, currently the native output of a standard DVD), as did the GameCube, and the lack of true HD support (720p/1080i) is not yet a final decision. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo. It has been confirmed that the Revolution will support 480p (a.k.a. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 miles per second in 0.001 seconds, would be subjected to acceleration forces of 17,000 g's. In reaction, major Internet-based magazines like IGN.com organized letter writing campaigns to protest against Nintendo regarding the decision and urging consumers to take action [37]. The entire reindeer team would be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house on his trip. Kaplan stated beautiful graphics and innovative gameplay could be achieved without HD and that abstaining from the technology would help keep the cost of games down. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. Online arguments commenced when Nintendo of America's Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Perrin Kaplan, announced there would be no HD support for their upcoming system. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quantillion joules of energy per second each. On December 8, 2005, Electronic Arts officially declared its support for the Revolution. 600,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates a lot of air resistance - this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. It will be a futuristic overhead shooter. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, by another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch). [26] A new video game company called NIBRIS is said to make an exclusive game called Raid over the River. Even granding that the flying reindeer can pull 10 times that normal amount, the job can't be done with eight or even nine of them - Santa would need 360,000 of them. [25] According to Game Informer, Hideo Kojima is developing a Revolution game with the team from Kojima Productions that developed Metal Gear Acid. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Killer 7 producer Goichi Suda, aka Suda 51, has confirmed that Grasshopper Manufacture is planning to make a Revolution game. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized Lego set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. This game could possibly be a sequel to Golden Sun: The Lost Age. The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Also, Camelot has announced that they are currently working on a Revolution RPG. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a pokey 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour. Koei and Namco/Bandai (merging) have made announcements that they will make games for Revolution but not what games yet. This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second - 3000 times the speed of sound. Blitz has announced that Possession will come to all three next-gen consoles. Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we're now talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks. The exclusive title is being coined off as a Doom clone. This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stocking, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get onto the next house. Square Enix is working on a sequel Crystal Chronicles title, Ubisoft is releasing Splinter Cell 4 on all major consoles including Revolution, and has announced an exclusive FPS and another non-exclusive game. This works out to 967.7 visits per second. It has been speculated that the new franchise might be more mature than most previous Nintendo games. Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and rotation of the Earth, assuming east to west (which seems logical). Nintendo has also announced that it is in the process of developing an entirely new and original franchise to be added into the Nintendo universe, although all other details about this project are unknown at this time. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming there is at least one good child in each. It has also been hinted that older games such as Kid Icarus will be on the Revolution as well, though as of most of the Revolution's details this has only been based on speculation. However, since Santa does not visit children of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total (or 378 million according to the population reference bureau). Many games featuring Nintendo's classic franchises, such as Mario (most likely the long awaited Mario 128), The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Super Smash Brothers, have been announced. There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. This feature is included on the Xbox 360 and will be present on the PlayStation 3 as well. While these viewpoints do not represent the majority of Christians, their comments have drawn the attention of critics such as the fictional Landover Baptist Church, whose website satirizes and parodies this viewpoint.[16]. Details are currently unknown. Some parents worry that their children might think that if they were deceived by their parents about Santa Claus, parents might also be deceiving them about the existence of God. This method is usually, in fact, in the instruction manual, and therefore, most anybody could bypass a parental lock. Some parents are uncomfortable about "lying" to their children about the existence of Santa. However, this may prove unreliable as most parental control systems have a very easy way to reset the password, in case one forgets the password. One prominent religious group that refuses to celebrate Santa Claus or Christmas for similar reasons are the Jehovah's Witnesses, but several denominations of Christians have varying concerns about Santa Claus.[15] Some Christians would prefer that the focus of the Christmas season be placed on the actual birth of Jesus. For instance, an article listed on Nintendo's website claims that the governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire, feels that it "gives parents more information and more control over what video games their kids play and at what age."[24]. Paul Nedergaard, a clergyman in Copenhagen, Denmark, drew the ire of Danish citizens in 1958 when he declared Santa to be a "pagan goblin" after Santa's image was used on fundraising materials for a Danish welfare organization [Clar, 337]. Some politicians have expressed that they are pleased with the concept of hardware based parental controls. 1].[14] Rev. It is unknown what effect this will have on importing and playing games from one region on another region's machine; since Nintendo's consoles are also region locked, it is likely that whatever method importers use to circumvent the regional lock-out would have to override the parental lock-out as well. Following the Restoration of the monarchy and Puritans were out of power in England, the ban on Christmas was satirized in works such as Josiah King's The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas; Together with his Clearing by the Jury (1686) [Nissenbaum, chap. This will be found in all systems released around the world; it is confirmed that the European units will use the PEGI rating system [22], North American units will use the ESRB rating system [23], units for the Japanese market will presumably use the CERO rating system, German units will use the USK system, and Austrailian units will use the OFLC system. Following the English Civil War, under Oliver Cromwell's government Christmas was banned. For instance, a game carrying an ESRB rating of M for Mature, which is intended for those over the age of 17, will not play on a system that is set to only allow games rated E for Everyone (ages six and older). Such a condemnation of Santa Claus is not a twentieth century phenomenon, but originated among some Protestant groups of the 16th century and was prevalent among the Puritans of 17th century England and America who banned the holiday as either pagan or Roman Catholic. This allows parents to set the age level of the system, and when a disc is inserted, it will read the content rating encoded on the game discs; if this rating is greater than the system's age level setting, the game will not load unless the user correctly enters a password to override the setting. As such, a small number of primarily fundamentalist Christian churches dislike the secular focus on Santa Claus and the materialist focus that present-giving gives to the holiday. The Revolution will feature parental controls, prohibiting young viewers from viewing inappropriate content. Despite Santa Claus's mixed Christian roots, he has become a secular representation of Christmas. [21]. Both were inspired by the Tales from the Crypt comic book.[13]. An official survey conducted for Nintendo of America by marketing company Zanthus may give an idea what the "virtual console" could look like and how it might function, along with potential (but not official) prices. All Through the House," part of the Tales from the Crypt (1972) movie and later remade as episode 1.2 and directed by Robert Zemeckis for the HBO series of the same name. Nintendo recently filed a patent on the interface of the virtual console [20], suggesting that it will be a full emulator, as opposed to using re-written games, and that it may be possible to have extra features such as new characters added to the game. Other darker impostors have appeared in slasher films such as the Silent Night, Deadly Night series of the 1980s, Santa Claws (1996), and in the short ". The unveiling of the new controller has also shed some light on the functionality of the backwards compatibility; specifically, when held sideways, the controller resembles the NES controller; on the left is a D-Pad, in the middle are Select and Start Buttons, and there are two buttons on the end serving as "A" and "B" buttons. After the mostly well-meaning but clueless Halloween citizens capture Santa, they try to take over Christmas with disastrous results; the real Santa is almost eaten by the Oogie Boogie Man. This backward-compatibility feature also stands as a new unique selling point against the Revolution's competitors. [12] Tim Burton's stop-action animated musical film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) depicts Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, wanting to become Santa Claus after an accidental visit to Christmas Town. If Nintendo is successful at utilizing this model, they may be able to reduce illegal ROM downloading and open up a new revenue stream. Another recent devious mall Santa was played by Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003), a film which gained normally family-friendly Disney "bad press". The music industry's most successful method of reducing illegal music downloading has apparently been to offer consumers a way to download music legally for a small cost, as in the case of Apple, selling music in their iTunes music store for a general price of $1.00 USD. Gillen's performance lends credence to the theory that the mall Santa is not quite genuine. Since computers have been powerful enough to emulate past-generation home consoles and the Internet provided an easy, fast, and widely accessible distribution path for ROM images and emulators, illegal ROM downloading has been common among a segment of fans of old games. Played by Jeff Gillen, Santa is depicted as a larger-than-life figure who terrifies, rather than amuses, children. Some see Nintendo trying to pattern the most successful strategy used by the music industry against illegal music downloads. Another less-than-friendly impostor appears in A Christmas Story (1983) as a disgruntled mall Santa at Higbee's Department Store (a real store in downtown Cleveland, Ohio) in the fictional town of Holman, Indiana. Currently, Nintendo could release more than 200 potential titles (and if, like it has been rumored, the Revolution is indeed compatible with the Game Boy Player accessory, then over 90 percent of Nintendo's back catalogue could be playable on the system, excluding Virtual Boy software). This animated feature was made into a live-action movie in 2000, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch. I hope Sega games will be playable as well." He also said similar in a recent interview with Nintendo Power. Seuss's children's book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, where the Grinch attempts to rob the Whos in Whoville of their Christmas, but has a change of heart. Yuji Naka, the designer of Sonic the Hedgehog at Sega, said in an interview with Famitsu, "It's also great that we'll be able to play Famicom and other games via download. Arguably the most notorious impostor appears in the 1966 cartoon based on Dr. Nintendo has suggested that they may give some of the downloadable games away with Nintendo products or through other special offers.[19] It is also unknown what specific titles will be available or whether third-party developers will release their older games for the Revolution, although it has been said that Nintendo is in talks with these developers for this purpose. In this film, a bogus Santa steals all the Christmas presents and amateur detective Octavius (played by Herbert Yost) tries to recover them. Although no specifics have yet been released, there will be fees associated with the "virtual console" feature. Probably one of the first films featuring a fake Santa Claus is the 1914 silent film The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus written by Frederic Arnold Kummer. If the technical aspects of Revolution also go well, "[Nintendo is] discussing the possibility of having older games like Mario Party playable online." Merrick has also said it's possible that users will be able to download games from others regions, a feature important to European gamers who could download (for example) Super Mario RPG from an American server. Several films have been created which explore the consequences should an impostor Santa take over. Some 3D games may "look sharper when played on Revolution." [18] However, Jim Merrick, a European Nintendo president, claimed N64 games played on Revolution will have a better frame rate, but that there would not generally be any other significant graphical improvements. The system is disrupted when the reigning Santa is murdered by his son, Damian, who then uses the position to attack the competing holidays of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. It was also said that although the gameplay would stay the same, it would be possible "that with Revolution, we may be able to see the old games with new looks." This may be compared to the 1993 SNES release Super Mario All-Stars, a single cartridge containing several classic Super Mario Bros games with updated graphics. In The Hebrew Hammer (2003), the role of Santa Claus is traditionally passed down from father to son. Nintendo announced that the downloadable games may be redesigned, recompiled, or emulated. She too is reluctant to take on the role. To prevent illegal copying, downloaded games will feature a proprietary DRM system."[17]. In Call Me Claus (2001) Lucy Cullins (Whoopi Goldberg) is an African American woman destined to become the next Santa Claus. According to a Japanese press release, "all downloaded games will be stored on the 512 [MB] flash memory built into the system. A recent and unique television special also draws upon the succession theme. Satoru Iwata refers to this feature as the "Virtual Console". Clause"). Nintendo has announced that Revolution will have the ability to play many or all Nintendo-produced Nintendo 64, SNES/Super Famicom, and NES/Famicom games; the software may be recompiled or emulated but will be offered via the Nintendo online download service. This film spawned a sequel in 2002, The Santa Clause 2 in which he must find a wife (the "Mrs. The console also has the ability to play NES, SNES, and N64 games through the Virtual Console feature. Reluctant at first, he falls in love with his newfound role. This is a first for self-loading media drives, which have previously only been able to accept discs of a single size. After he puts on Santa's robes, he becomes subject to the "Santa clause" (like a contract) in which he is required to become the next Santa. The Revolution's self-loading media drive accepts 8cm GameCube discs as well as the standard 12cm discs such as Revolution games and DVDs. In The Santa Clause (1994), Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall off the roof of his house. The side of the console (or top if stood vertically) is the GameCube docking station, featuring four controller ports and 2 memory card slots compatible with GameCube Memory Cards and the Nintendo GameCube Microphone. In Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest (Jim Varney) aids Santa Claus/Seth Applegate (Douglas Seale) convince Joe Curruthers (Oliver Clark) to become the next Santa. Nintendo has stated that Revolution will be backward compatible with all GameCube software and most peripherals. It is also suggestive of Santa's miraculous ability to live for many years, but not indefinitely. Some details have however been released by Nintendo and other third parties involved with the console:. There is an elaborate sequence depicting the death of the previous office-holder (extremely advanced in age), and the selection of the new Santa Claus, which visually evokes the Papacy and also the divine/supernatural nature of the office/selection process. According to a recent interview with Nintendo's Jim Merrick, Nintendo may never release a complete system specification [16]. The film's prologue features a generous old man who assumes Santa-like duties in his home village, and strongly suggests Santa's saintly origins. Nintendo has released very little detailed information at present concerning the technical specifications of the Revolution console. The feature film Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) starring David Huddleston as Santa Claus and British actress Judy Cornwell as his wife Anya shows how Santa and his wife are adopted by elves (including elves played by Dudley Moore and Burgess Meredith) in order to deliver their toys all over the world. Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto, before exiting the stage of Japan's 2005 Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference, stated that "there are still secrets to this controller, and these will be revealed next year.". One genre of movies suggest that Santa Claus is not historically a single individual but a succession of individuals. An Ars Technica journal entry speculates that the controller may use a combination of IR and ultrasound to function, much like some existing, similar products such as "virtual whiteboards" [15]. The latest film to depict Santa Claus in such a manner is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), in which Father Christmas (James Cosmo) supplies the Pevensie children with the weapons and tools they need to battle the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Despite the controller's similarity to lightguns which are only compatible with standard-definition CRT televisions, Nintendo has stated the Revolution and its controller will be compatible with all televisions including digital projectors. (John Lithgow).[11] He is a hero in Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas held captive to Oogie Boogie. [14]. Z. An IGN article titled "Understanding the Revolution Controller" discusses the "shell" and includes a mock-up of what the shell might look like. Santa Claus: The Movie also contains a subplot in which Santa Claus rescues Joe (Christian Fitzpatrick) from his best friend Cornelia's (Carrie Kei Heim]) evil uncle B. According to Satoru Iwata, it is meant for playing "the existing games, virtual console games, and multi-platform games" [13]. The Night They Saved Christmas (1984) starring Art Carney as Santa likewise chronicles how Santa Claus and Claudia Baldwin (Jaclyn Smith), the wife of an oil explorer, have to save the North Pole from explosions while her husband is searching for oil in the Arctic. The Revolution "remote" will fit inside this shell which will allow gamers to play games using a traditional controller while retaining the "remote"'s motion sensitivity. In the Cold War-era film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) where Santa Claus is captured by Martians and brought to Mars and ultimately foils a plot to destroy him. Nintendo has also announced a controller "shell" which will resemble a traditional game controller called the "Classic-Style Expansion Controller". In this movie Santa allies with Merlin the magician to battle the Devil who is attempting to trap Santa. Nintendo has stated the aforementioned "Nunchaku" add-on may be bundled with the Revolution console. Some less-than-serious films feature Santa Claus as a superhero-type figure, such as the 1959 film titled Santa Claus produced in Mexico with José Elías Moreno as Santa Claus. It will connect to the main Revolution controller via a short cord, and its appearance while connected to the main controller has led it to become dubbed "The Nunchaku". The Polar Express (2004), based on the children's book of the same name, also deals with issues and questions of belief as a magical train conducted by Tom Hanks transports a doubting boy to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus.[10]. Nintendo has revealed one of these attachments to be a unit which features an analog stick and 2 trigger buttons. The newspaper editor tells her that indeed there is a Santa: "He lives, and he lives forever." Francis Pharcellus Church was the real-life editor and is played by Charles Bronson in the film. The controller also features an expansion port on its underside which will allow various attachments to be added to the controller. The television special Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus (1991) follows the true story of a young girl, Virginia O'Hanlon, who writes a letter to the editor of the New York Sun in 1897 after her friends tell her there is no Santa. The "b" button is located above the "a" button, suggesting the controller can be used like an NES controller when turned counterclockwise. This film was remade in 1994 and stars Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as Susan Walker. Towards the bottom of the controller are two additional buttons labeled "b" and "a". Miracle on 34th Street (1947) starring Natalie Wood as Susan Walker revolves around the disbelief of young Susan whose mother (Maureen O'Hara) employs a kind old man (Edmund Gwenn, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) to play Santa Claus at Macy's; he later convinces Susan that he really is Santa. Below the A button is a row of three small buttons labelled from left to right, Start, Home, and Select. She doubts because Santa has never visited her family because of their poverty. A digital directional pad is positioned at the top of the controller face, with a large button labelled "A" directly below it and a trigger on the underside acting labelled as the "B" button. One of the first films of this nature was titled A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907) and involves a well-to-do boy trying to convince his poorer friend that Santa Claus is real. [12]. Another genre of Santa films seek to dispel doubts about his existence. An early marketing video showed actors miming such actions as fishing, cooking, drumming, conducting an orchestra, shooting a gun, sword fighting, and performing dental surgery.[11] To communicate with the sensors, the Revolution's controller uses Bluetooth technology. Interestingly enough, none of these films focus on Santa Claus's saintly origins. This allows players to mimic actual game actions such as swinging a sword or using a flashlight, instead of simply pushing buttons. Frank Baum 's 1902 children's book of the same name, in which Santa is reared by mythical, magical creatures and is granted immortality by them. Other sensors in the controller itself allow it to sense its tilt and yaw. Two stop motion animation television specials addressed this issue: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970) by Rankin/Bass with Mickey Rooney as the voice of Kris reveals how Santa delivered toys to children despite the fact that Burgermeister Meisterburger had forbidden children to play with them and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985), based on L. The controller is also able to sense motion; two sensors placed near the television allow the controller to sense its position in three-dimensional space. They explain how reindeer fly, where elves come from, and other questions children have generally asked about Santa. The controller is shaped like a television remote control and is held with one hand. Some films about Santa Claus seek to explore his origins. The Nintendo Revolution controller sets aside the traditional controller seen in other mainstream consoles in an attempt to appeal to a larger audience. Later films about Santa vary, but can be divided into the following themes. Nintendo has since revealed three additional colors—gray/silver, lime green, and red. A year later another movie titled Santa Claus was produced with sound on De Forest Phonofilm.[9] Over the years various actors have donned the red suit (aside from those discussed below), including Monty Woolley in Life Begins at Eight-thirty (1942), Alberto Rabagliati in The Christmas That Almost Wasn't (1966), Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places (1983), Jan Rubes in One Magic Christmas (1985), David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), Jonathan Taylor Thomas in I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), and Ed Asner in Elf (2003). When the console was unveiled at E3 2005 the console was colored black, however, at the Tokyo Game Show 2005 when the controller was revealed, promotional material depicted a white console. Kleinschmidt filmed partly in northern Alaska and features Santa in his workshop, visiting his Eskimo neighbors, and tending his reindeer. The front of the console features a self loading media drive illuminated by a blue LED light which will accept 12cm Revolution game discs and 8cm GameCube game discs.[10]. A twenty-nine minute 1925 silent film production entitled Santa Claus by explorer/documentarian Frank E. The console will stand either horizontally or vertically. Griffith titled A Trap for Santa Claus shows children setting a trap to capture Santa Claus as he descends down the chimney, but instead capture their father who abandoned them and their mother but tries to burglarize the house after he discovers she inherited a fortune. The Nintendo Revolution is the smallest console Nintendo has ever manufactured, described by Nintendo as being "about the thickness of three standard DVD cases and only slightly longer". W. Additionally at E3 2005, Nintendo revealed that a small internal attachment (most likely a dongle) to be sold separately from the console will allow the Revolution to playback DVD movies. A 1909 film by D. Whether or not these discs shall retain the GameCube's discs' level of proprietary protection (having been completely nonstandard) remains to be determined. The scene closes with the children waking up and running to the fireplace just too late to catch him by the legs. At E3 2005 Nintendo announced that the Revolution will use proprietary 12cm optical discs, as the storage medium for Revolution Games. He distributes the presents and mysteriously causes the appearance of a Christmas tree laden with gifts. The new 1T-SRAM has very low power consumption while maintaning the speed and functionality of SRAM and allowing for the density of DRAM. He goes down the chimney and suddenly appears in the children's room through the fireplace. The goal of 1T-SRAM is to combine the speed of SRAM with the capacity and price of DRAM. Santa Claus suddenly appears on the roof, just outside the children's bedroom window, and proceeds to enter the chimney, taking with him his bag of presents and a little hand sled for one of the children. Nintendo has confimed that MoSys, whose 1T-SRAM memory technology was used in the GameCube, will again provide the RAM technology for the Revolution console. The mother tucks the children snugly in bed and leaves the room. Recent patents suggest that downloadable DS content is a possibility. Santa Claus' Visit in 1900 featured a scene with two little children kneeling at the feet of their mother and saying their prayers. It has also been suggested that the Revolution will feature connectivity between the system and the Nintendo DS. After walking backward and surveying his work, he suddenly darts at the fireplace and disappears up the chimney. Along with this comes the ability to use "Download Play." Currently featured in Nintendo's DS portable, this allows for multiplayer network games to be played across multiple systems with only one copy of the game being played loaded into a participating system. He then fills the stockings that were previously hung on the mantle by the children. Nintendo has also announced that the consoles will be able to connect to one another wirelessly for LAN (Local Area Network) applications. In this picture Santa Claus enters the room from the fireplace and proceeds to trim the tree. This device was released specifically for the DS but is likely to work with the Revolution. A year later, a film directed by George Albert Smith in 1899 titled Santa Claus (or The Visit from Santa Claus in the United Kingdom) was created. The Revolution will have built-in Wi-Fi [8], allowing certain games to be played online via a wireless hotspot or through a wireless router.[9] Nintendo has also provided a device that may be able to connect the Revolution online via a Windows XP computer, and a USB port, as well as a Broadband connection, rather than buying a Wifi router. Another film called Santa Claus and the Children was made in 1898. As of January 2006 the specifications for the Revolution's GPU and CPU had not been released, and in an interview with Dutch game magazine [N]Gamer, Jim Merrick, Nintendo's former head of European marketing, said that they may never be.[7]. In 1897, in a short film called Santa Claus Filling Stockings, Santa Claus is simply filling stockings from his pack of toys. However in a recent interview ATI's Public Relations Manager for Consumer Products, John Swinimer, confirmed that "Hollywood" has not been developed from PC architecture.[6]. Early films of Santa revolve around similar simple plots of Santa's Christmas eve visit to children. It had previously been speculated that the "Hollywood" GPU was based off the Gamecube's GPU or existing PC hardware. Nick abound and apparently constitute their own sub-genre of the Christmas film genre. Many of ArtX's employees were former employees of Silicon Graphics, the company responsible for the Nintendo 64 graphics chip. Motion pictures of St. In February 2000, ATI acquired ArtX, the company responsible for the GameCube's GPU. Probably the only other place where Santa Claus makes as many appearances as in the malls is on the big screen. Nintendo has also announced that Canadian graphics card maker ATI Technologies is developing the GPU, codenamed "Hollywood" for Revolution. Most young children seem to already understand this, as the "real" Santa would be extremely busy around Christmas time. IBM had previously developed the processor for Nintendo's current system, the GameCube. If and when a shop or party Santa is discovered to be an imposter by an observant youngster, a common way out is to simply admit that he is not the real Santa, but helping him at this time of year. Nintendo has announced that IBM has finished developing the CPU, codenamed "Broadway". Essayist David Sedaris is known for the satirical diary he kept while working as an elf in the Macy's display, which he later published. . In America the most notable of these is the Santa at the flagship Macy's store in New York City - he arrives at the store by sleigh in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the last float, and his court takes over a large portion of one floor in the store. Nintendo has previously standardized technologies within the gaming console world such as the D-Pad, analog control thumbstick, first party wireless controllers (Wavebird), shoulder buttons, and vibrating feedback, which have been widely disseminated following their mainstream arrival on Nintendo's machines. The area set up for this purpose is festively decorated, usually with a large throne, and is called variously "Santa's Grotto", "Santa's Workshop" or a similar term. Top executives at the company denied this and insisted that they were simply protecting their intellectual property from imitation by competitors before the system is released. His function is either to promote the store's image by distributing small gifts to children, or to provide a seasonal experience to children by having them sit on his knee (a practice now under review by some organisations in Britain [7], and Switzerland [8]), state what they wish to get, and often have a photograph taken. Nintendo has been coy with release of information regarding the Revolution, leaving some media outlets with the idea that Nintendo was not prepared or did not have the intention to compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. He is played by an actor, usually helped by other actors (often mall employees or contractors) dressed as elves or other creatures of folklore. [5]. Santa Claus is also a costumed character who appears at Christmas time in department stores or shopping malls, or at parties. [4] Nintendo has announced that more details about the system will be made public on May 9, 2006 at their E³ 2006 Press Conference. More popular, well-known songs about Santa Claus (mostly sung by children) include:. [3] In a later interview with Sankei Shimbun Iwata confirmed that the Revolution will be released in North America before Thanksgiving. As early as 1853, Louis Antoine Jullien composed an orchestral piece titled Santa Claus which premiered to mixed reviews in New York that year [Horowitz, 213]. In an interview with Nikkei Business, Iwata stated the Revolution will be released after April of that year, and that they are considering attempting an international launch [2] with no more than 14 weeks of difference between the first and last launching regions. Over the years, Santa Claus has inspired several songs and even orchestral works. [1] Nintendo has stated the console will be launched in 2006. Many of these websites also include e-mail addresses, a modern version of the postal service letter writing, in which children can send Santa Claus e-mail. The system was unveiled at Nintendo's 2005 E³ press conference and the system's game controller was revealed at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata during his keynote speech in September. Many other websites are available year-round that are devoted to Santa Claus and keeping tabs on his activities in his workshop. For example, the console's controller, which can detect its exact location and orientation in 3D space, is a concept never before seen in mainstream video game consoles. Many local television stations in the United States and Canada likewise track Santa Claus in their own metropolitan areas through the stations' meteorologists. The codename refers to the console's promised "revolution" of the video-game industry. This tracking can now be done by children via the Internet and NORAD's website. The Nintendo Revolution is the current codename for Nintendo's fifth home video game console and the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. In 1958, Canada and the United States jointly created the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) and together tracked Santa Claus for children of North America that year and ever since.[6]. However, the liklihood of this is quite low- the technology (and the patents) upon which the "pitch" and "yaw" of the Revolution Controller is based was purchased by Nintendo in mid-2001 [41], well before the Eyetoy even existed. Harry Shoup, received the first call for Santa and responded by telling children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was indeed heading south from North Pole. It has been suggested by some that Nintendo released the information about the real-space controller because they caught wind of a "pitch" and "yaw" handheld extension of the EyeToy that was being considered for the PlayStation 3 and therefore released the information to avoid accusations of plagiarism. The Director of Operations, Col. A reported interview with Shigeru Miyamoto seems to confirm this; however, the legitimacy of the source is unknown.[40]. The number was mistyped and children called the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead. Nintendo Power magazine has said this is likely in its July 2005 issue. In 1955, a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline". The Revolution may have connectivity with the Nintendo DS and the next Game Boy system. Some people have created websites designed to allow children and other interested parties to "track" Santa Claus on Christmas Eve via radar; while in transit, Santa Claus is sometimes escorted by Air Force fighter jets [5]. It has been rumored that the Nintendo Revolution will have the ability to download Nintendo DS video game demos that will be able to be received on the Nintendo DS. His address is this: Santa Claus, Santa Claus Village, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle, Finland. Nintendo may utilize an internally developed proprietary visual distortion method to be applied to all of the games compatible with the Nintendo Revolution, including NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube titles. The Finnish Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi but Santa's Official Post Office is situated in Rovaniemi at the Arctic circle. It may be possible that games that were finished and never released, such as Star Fox 2 or EarthBound Zero may be released using the Virtual Console feature. Children from Great Britain, Poland and Japan are the busiest writers. Due to the style and features of the controller it may be possible to play NES games that use the NES Zapper as well as the SNES Super Scope, such as Duck Hunt and Yoshi's Safari If the above rumor is true, it would also be possible to play games that use the Sega Master System's Light Gun attachment. He gets over 600,000 letters every year from over 150 countries. Square Enix has already declared its support for the system, and will likely develop other games for the Revolution as well. Through the years Santa Claus of Finland has received over eight million letters. It has been speculated that Square Enix may be releasing new additions of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series on multiple systems, most likely the Revolution and the PS3. In Britain it is tradition to burn the Christmas letters on the fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the North Pole however this tradition is dying out in modern times with few people having true open fires in their homes. [36] It is interesting to note that if one brightens up the video, an object that just might be the transceiver for the controller can be seen above the TV. (This postal code, in which zeroes are used for the letter "O" is consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all Canadian postal codes.) Sometimes children's charities answer letters in poorer communities or from children's hospitals in order to give them presents that they would not otherwise receive. [35] If this is true, this could possibly be the exclusive FPS that Ubisoft is making. His address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0 [4] (see also: Ho ho ho). There have been rumors on the Internet about a first person shooter called No End Soon. Canada Post has a special postal code for letters to Santa Claus, and since 1982 over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to write responses. If this is true, it will most likely because they would want to make a Sonic game that takes advantage of the controller rather than just a port. Many postal services allow children to send letters to Santa Claus pleading their good behavior and requesting gifts; these letters may be answered by postal workers or other volunteers. There are rumors that Sega is creating a next-gen Sonic game, [33] that is different from the game announced for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 at the Tokyo Game Show 2005, [34] for Revolution. Girls also request gifts for other people on a more frequent basis [Otnes, Kim, and Kim, 20-21]. Sega titles are already available on the GameTap Service. Girls generally write more polite, longer (although they do not request more), and express more expressions of the nature of Christmas in their letters than in letters written by boys. Some of the CD-based games would need to be either stored on external SD cards that the Revolution supports or delivered on optical discs, given the system's expected 512MB of internal storage. Interestingly, some social scientists have found that boys and girls write different types of letters. This potentially includes titles released for the SG1000, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis/Megadrive, Sega CD, Sega 32x, and Sega Saturn. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Classic Sega titles may also be made available for download, in addition to classic Nintendo titles. Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. Konami may be in the process of developing two projects for Revolution. Naughty children were once told that they would be left a roe (a bundle of sticks) instead of sweets, but this practice has been discontinued. Third-party developers such as Activision, Atari, Capcom, Midway, Sega, EA Games, and THQ have made positive comments about the Revolution and will most likely be supporting the system, but have not announced any specific games themselves. The next morning they will find the hay and carrot replaced by a gift; often, this is a marzipan figurine. NIBRIS has found a Publisher for both systems. Children following the Dutch custom for sinterklaas will "put out their shoe" — that is, leave hay and a carrot for his horse in a shoe before going to bed — sometimes weeks before the sinterklaas avond. Raid over the River, a game developed by NIBRIS, based in Poland, is currently being developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS and the upcoming next-generation Nintendo console. British, Australian and American children also leave out a carrot for Santa's reindeer, and were traditionally told that if they are not good all year round, that they will receive a lump of coal in their stockings, although this practice is now considered archaic. NGC Magazine then rebutted Nintendo's rebuttal, claiming that a senior source within Nintendo positively confirmed the alleged controller features.[32]. In the United States and Canada, the tradition is to leave Santa a glass of milk and cookies; in Britain and Australia, he is sometimes given sherry and mince pies instead. Nintendo later issued a statement, declaring NGC Magazine's rumor to be just that: pure speculation. Several rituals have developed around the Santa Claus figure that are normally performed by children hoping to receive gifts from him. NGC Magazine claims that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, when inserted into the Nintendo Revolution, will utilize its native "free-hand" controller. Reindeer are also associated with the shaman, and like Santa Claus, many people believed that the shaman could fly.[3]. Miyamoto said in an EGM interview that he is thinking of making a Pikmin game for Revolution. Furthermore, the mushrooms were associated with reindeer who were known to eat them and become intoxicated. Mr. The mushrooms were often hung (to dry) in front of the fireplace, much like the stockings of modern-day Christmas. In an interview with IGN, Shigeru Miyamoto hinted that a new Kid Icarus may be in development for the Nintendo Revolution.[31]. This type of mushroom is brightly colored red and white, like Santa Claus, though the relevance of this is questionable. Animal Crossing Revolution has been confirmed by IGN. Apparently, during the midwinter festival (holiday season) in Siberia (near the North Pole), the shaman would enter a yurt (home) through the shangrak (chimney), bringing with him a sack of fly agaric mushrooms (presents) to give to the inhabitants. Pilotwings 3 may be slated for a Nintendo Revolution release, after being cancelled for the GameCube. American mycologist Jonathan Ott suggests that many of the modern features attributed to Santa Claus may somehow be derived from those of the Kamchatkan or Siberian shaman. [30]. Other additions to early ideas of Santa include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the ninth and lead reindeer immortalized in a Gene Autry song, written by a Montgomery Ward copywriter. Miyamoto. Santa Claus continues to inspire writers and artists, such as in author Seabury Quinn's 1948 novel Roads. Mario Revolution is likely to be the long developed Super Mario 128, considering comments by Mr. Many television commercials depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on their boss. A third Super Smash Bros. game with online play is scheduled to be released when the system launches. 2; Belk, 87-100]. There is speculation that there may be up to 15 games ready for launch. Claus as managers [see Nissenbaum, chap. In a recent IGN article, it has been suggested that the Revolution will sell for under $200. That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and Mrs. [29]. By the end of the century, the reality of mass mechanized production became more fully accepted by the Western public. On January 25, 2006, a IGN podcast was revealed having Matt Casamassina making a comment on that he heard, but doesn't know if it's confirmed that in fact the Revolution will be using displacement mapping. Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade by each individual elf working in the traditional manner. An interview at Spanish website Meristation suggests that the controller will provide force feedback, possibly through the use of gyroscopic technology. In some images of the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman. [28]. Some suspect that the depiction of Santa at the North Pole reflected popular opinion about industry at the time. On December 30, 2005 Nintendo released to a few select news sources that the Revolution will sell for less than $299.
Images of Santa Claus were further cemented through Haddon Sundblom's depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising. Built-in 802.11b & 802.11g support.
Still, one of the first artists to capture Santa Claus' image as we know him today was Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist of the 19th century. PEGI 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, 18+. Santa Claus later appeared in various colored costumes as he gradually became amalgamated with the figure of Father Christmas, but red soon became popular after he appeared wearing such on an 1885 Christmas card. Built-in content ratings system:
Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on December 23, 1823. Self loading optical disc drive compatible with both 12 cm Revolution optical discs and 8 cm Gamecube optical discs as well as standard DVD discs. Modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Media:
In the British colonies of North America and later the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. Support for 4 wireless controllers. The same thing happened in Finland, but there the more human figure retained the Yule Goat name. Two USB 2.0 ports. By the end of the 19th century this tradition had also spread to Norway and Sweden (where the "nisse" is called Tomte), replacing the Yule Goat. Ports and Peripherals:
A straw goat is still a common Christmas decoration in Sweden, Norway and Finland. ** Unconfirmed amount of 1T-SRAM and DRAM. As an example of the still surviving pagan imagery, in Nordic countries there was the Yule Goat (Swedish julbock, Norwegian "julebukk", Finnish joulupukki), a somewhat startling figure with horns which delivered the presents on Christmas Eve. Memory:
The more serious gifts may be reserved for the next morning. Processors:
He rides a white horse over rooftops and his helpers climb down chimneys to deposit gifts (sometimes in children's shoes by the fireplace). The connection with the original bishop of Myra is still evident here. He wears a red miter (a liturgical headdress worn by bishops and abbots) with a 'golden' cross and carries a bishop's staff. Sinterklaas wears clothing similar to a bishop's. Nick. He is also known there by the name of Sint Nicolaas which explains the use of the two fairly dissimilar names Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas or St. Nicholas. The name Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for the mythical character based on St. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected in the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe. Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and folklore merged with the British character Father Christmas to create the character known to Britons and Americans as Santa Claus. The name originated from the fact that the person appeared to be a huge beast since he was covered from head to toe in furs. Another form of the above tale in Germany is of the Pelznickel or Belsnickle ("Furry Nicholas") who visited naughty children in their sleep. Some tales depict Zwarte Piet beating bad children with a rod or even taking them to Spain (formerly ruled by the Moors) in a sack. In an alternate Dutch version, the saint is aided by Moorish slaves, commonly typified as Zwarte Piet ("Black Peter"). Yet other versions have the demon reform under the saint's orders, and go on to recruit other elves and imps into helping him, thus becoming Santa Claus. Depending on the version, the saint either made the demon fulfil this task every year, or the demon was so disgusted by the act of good will that it chose to be sent back to Hell. The saint ordered him to go to each house and make amends, by delivering gifts to the children. Peter or Paul of Tarsus); the demon was trapped and forced to obey the saint's orders. The holy man sought out the demon, and tricked it with blessed or magical shackles (in some versions the same shackles that imprisoned Christ prior to the crucifixion, in other versions the shackles were those used to hold St. The story states that the land was terrorized by a monster who at night would slither down the chimneys and slaughter children (disembowelling them or stuffing them up the flue, or keeping them in a sack to eat later). Another early folk tale, originating among the Germanic tribes, tells of a holy man (sometimes Saint Nicholas), and a demon (sometimes the Devil, Krampus, or a troll). (Other features, like the absence of one eye, are not found in Saint Nicholas.) This practice in turn came to America via the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam prior to the British seizure in the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace. Odin's appearance was often similar to that of Saint Nicholas, being depicted as an old, mysterious man with a beard. Children still place their straw filled shoes at the chimney every winter night, and Saint Nicholas (who, unlike Santa, is still riding a horse) rewards them with candy and gifts. This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas. 171-173]. 9, esp. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy [Siefker, chap. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Prior to the Germanic peoples' conversion to Christianity, Germanic folklore contained stories about the god Odin (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule, have a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Also, a few villages in West Flanders, Belgium, celebrate a near identical figure, Sint-Maarten (Saint Martin of Tours).[1]. In Greece, Saint Nicholas is sometimes substituted for Saint Basil (Vasilis in Greek), a 4th century AD bishop from Caesarea. Saint Nicholas became revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia. Nicholas were transported to Bari in southern Italy by some enterprising Italian merchants; a basilica was constructed in 1087 to house them and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout. The relics of St. In Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. He was born at Patara, province of Lycia, Asia Minor. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. The first of these is Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century AD Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. The modern Santa Claus is thought to be a composite character made up from the merging of quite separate figures. Since most activities associated with Santa Claus are extraordinary, such as delivering presents to all of the believing children in one night, keeping track of where every believing child lives, how he squeezes down chimneys, how he enters homes without chimneys, how he delivers presents without tripping motion detectors if the Christmas tree is not in the same room as the fireplace, why he never dies, how he makes reindeer fly, and how he survives in the cold at the North Pole, "magic" is usually used to explain his actions. His home is usually given as either the North Pole, in northern Canada, Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland, Dalecarlia in Sweden, or Greenland, depending on the tradition and country. Some modern depictions of Santa (often in advertising and popular entertainment) will show the elves and Santa's workshop as more of a processing and distribution facility, ordering and receiving the toys from various toy manufacturers from across the world. Claus and his elves manufacturing toys. During the rest of the year he lives together with his wife Mrs. To enter the house, Santa Claus comes down the chimney and exits through the fireplace. On Christmas Eve, he rides in his sleigh pulled by flying reindeer from house to house to give presents to children. Conventionally, Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly, round-bellied, merry, bespectacled white man in a red coat trimmed with white fur (perhaps remotely derived from the episcopal vestments of the original Bishop Nicholas), with a long white beard and green or white gloves. Much of the iconography of Santa Claus could be seen to derive from Russian traditions of Ded Moroz, particularly transmitted into western European culture through his German folklore equivalent, Väterchen Frost. He delivers presents to children and has a red coat, fur boots and long white beard. Depictions of Santa Claus also have a close relationship with the Russian character of Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost"). In many Eastern Orthodox traditions, Santa Claus visits children on New Year's Day and is identified with Saint Basil whose memory is celebrated on that day. He forms an important part of the Christmas tradition throughout the Western world and Japan and other parts of East Asia. This inspired the mythical figure of Sinterklaas, the subject of a major celebration in the Netherlands and Belgium, Germany (where his alleged date of death, December 6, is celebrated the evening before on December 5), which in turn inspired both the myth and the name of Santa Claus (actually a mispronunciation of the Dutch word "Sinterklaas" by the English settlers of New Amsterdam (later renamed New York)). Santa is a variant of a European person folk tale based on the historical figure Saint Nicholas, a bishop from the region that is now present-day Turkey, who gave presents to the poor. . Father Christmas is also present instead of "Santa" in Italy ("Babbo Natale"), Brazil ("Papai Noel"), Czech_Republic ("Ježíšek"), Portugal ("Pai Natal"), Romania ("Moş Crăciun"), Germany ("Weihnachtsmann"), Ireland ("Daidí na Nollag"), France and French Canada ("Le Père Noël"), Spain and Mexico ("Papá Noel"), Afghanistan ("Baba Chaghaloo"), and South Africa. Using 'Santa' in places that predominantly call him 'Father Christmas' is often viewed as an Americanism and is quite rare, although they are generally regarded as the same character. "Father Christmas" is similar in many ways, though the two have quite different origins. Father Christmas is a well-loved figure in many countries and predates the "Santa Claus" character. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus. Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy or simply Santa) is a folk hero in various cultures who distributes presents to children, traditionally on Christmas Eve. "Why Track Him?" at NORADsanta.org. ISBN 0609605631. New York: Crown Publishers, 2000. Twenty Ads that Shook the World. Twitchell, James B. ISBN 0786402466. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1996. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years. Siefker, Phyllis. ISBN 0060972610. New York: HarperCollins, 1988. Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History. Shenkman, Richard. ISBN 0822216310. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1998. The Santaland Diaries and Seasons Greetings: Two Plays. Sedaris, David. Nicholas of Myra" in the Catholic Encyclopedia at NewAdvent.org. "St. ISBN 097488958X. 1948; facsimile reprint, Mohegan Lake, N.Y.: Red Jacket Press, 2005. Roads. Quinn, Seabury. "Celluloid Santas" at Factmonster.com. Potter, Alicia. 309-317. 302 (October-December 1963), pp. "The Japanese Popular Christmas: Coping with Modernity." American Journal of Folklore, 76, no. Plath, David W. ISBN 0961423498. Kennewick, Wash.: Natural Products Company, 1993. Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Ott, Jonathan. 17-29. 1 (Summer 1994), pp. "Yes, Virginia, There is a Gender Difference: Analyzing Children's Requests to Santa Claus." Journal of Popular Culture, 28, no. Otnes, Cele, Kyungseung Kim, and Young Chan Kim. ISBN 0649412239. Knopf, 1996. New York: Alfred A. The Battle for Christmas. Nissenbaum, Stephen. December 23, 1823. Nicholas." Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel. "A Visit from St. [Moore, Clement Clarke]. In the Ten Ages of Christmas at BBC.co.uk. "The restrained restoration of Christmas". Lalumia, Christine. Full text available here. . London: Charles Brome, 1686. The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas; Together with his Clearing by the Jury . King, Josiah. September 21, 1897. "Is There a Santa Claus?" New York Sun. ISBN 0393057178. Norton, 2005. W. New York: W. Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall. Horowitz, Joseph. ISBN 0879758481. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1993. The Trouble with Christmas. Flynn, Tom. "Jingle Belle" various issues [18]. Dini, Paul. "The Devil Is In Your Chimney!" at Landoverbaptist.org. "The Claus That Refreshes" at Snopes.com. ISBN 0226107787. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children's Myths in Contemporary America. Clark, Cindy Dell. 337. 4 (October 1959), p. "Attack on Santa Claus." Western Folklore, 18, no. Clar, Mimi. December 15, 2000. The Watchtower (New York). "Christmas Customs; Are They Christian?". 87-100. 1 (Spring 1987), pp. "A Child's Christmas in America: Santa Claus as Deity, Consumption as Religion." Journal of American Culture, 10, no. Belk, Russel W. ISBN 0451520645. 1902; reprint, New York: Penguin, 1986. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Frank. Baum, L. December, 19, 1926. "Santa Claus Claimed as a Real New Yorker." New York Times. Barnard, Eunice Fuller. November 21, 2003. Washington Times. "Bad Disney". New Zealand: Father Christmas; Santa Claus. Australia: Father Christmas; Santa Claus. South Africa: Sinterklaas; Father Christmas; Santa Claus. Israel: סנטה קלאוס. Iran: Baba Noel. Uzbekistan: Qor Bobo (Snow Grandfather). Tatarstan: Qış Babay/Кыш Бабай (Winter Grandfather). India: ಸಾ೦ಟಾ ಕ್ಲಾಸ್ (in southern India). Thailand: ซานตาคลอส (Santa Claus). Taiwan: 聖誕老人 or 聖誕老公公 (both literally 'the old man of Christmas'). The Philippines: Santa Claus. Korea: 산타 클로스 (Santa Harabeoji, or "Grandfather Santa"). Japan: サンタクロース (Santa Claus, or Santa-san). Indonesia: Santa Claus or Sinter Klass (from Netherland pronounciation ). Hong Kong: 聖誕老人 (literally 'the old man of Christmas'). China: 圣诞老人. Peru: Papá Noel. Mexico: Santa Claus (pronounced "Santa Clos"); El Niño Dios ("God child," in reference to Jesus); Los Reyes Magos ("The Three Kings"; "Magi"). Dominican Republic: Santa Clos/Papá Noe. Costa Rica: San Nicolás or Santa Clos. Colombia: El Niño Dios ("God child"). Chile: Viejito Pascuero. Brazil: Papai Noel. Argentina: Papá Noel, El Niño Dios. United States: Santa Claus; Kris Kringle; Saint Nicholas or Saint Nick. United Kingdom: Father Christmas. Turkey: Noel Baba ("Father Noel"). Switzerland: Christkind. Sweden: Jultomten ("The Yule/Christmas Gnome"). A more common and traditional christmas present-giving figure in Spain are "Los Reyes Magos" ("The Three Kings"; "Magi"). Spain: Papá Noel (Father Noel); the Tió de Nadal in Catalonia; Olentzero in the Basque Country. Slovenia: Bozicek. Scotland: Bodach na Nollaig (Scots Gaelic: Old Man of Christmas). Russia: Дед Мороз (Ded Moroz, "Grandfather Frost"). Romania: Moş Crăciun ("Father Christmas"); Moş Niculae ("Father Nicholas"). Portugal: Pai Natal ("Father Christmas"). Poland: Święty Mikołaj / Mikołaj ("Saint Nicholas"). Norway: Julenissen. Netherlands & Flanders: Sinterklaas. Macedonia: Dedo Mraz. Lithuania: Kalėdų Senelis. Liechtenstein: Christkind. Latvia: Ziemassvētku vecītis. As well as the Befana, an old lady, comes out on the Epifany, Jan 6th). Italy: Babbo Natale ("Father Christmas"); La Befana (similar role as Santa Claus; she rides a broomstick rather than a sleigh, although she is not normally considered a witch); Gesù Bambino ("Baby Jesus"); Santa Lucia (A child saint "operating" in the Northern regions, bringing gift on December the 12th. Ireland: Daidí na Nollag ("Father Christmas") among Irish speakers. In Icelandic folktales, there are 13 Santa Clauses. Iceland: Jólasveinn. Hungary: Mikulás ("Nicholas"); Jézuska or Kis Jézus ("child Jesus"). Greece: Άγιος Βασίλης ("Saint Basil"). Germany: Weihnachtsmann ("Christmas Man"); Christkind in southern Germany. France: Le Père Noël ("Father Christmas"); Père Noël is also the common figure in other French-speaking areas). Finland: Joulupukki. Estonia: Jõuluvana. Denmark: Julemanden. Czech Republic: Ježíšek (diminutive form of Ježíš ("Jesus")). Croatia: Djed Božićnjak ("Grandfather Christmas"), used to be Djed Mraz (Grandfather Frost) before 1990, Mali Isus ("Baby Jesus"), Sveti Nikola ("Saint Nichlaus") bringing gifts or rod on December the 6th. Canada: Santa Claus (among English speakers); Le Père Noël ("Father Christmas"), among French speakers. Bulgaria: Дядо Коледа (Diado Koleda (Grandfather Christmas)), used to be Дядо Мраз ( Diado Mraz (Grandfather Frost)) before 1989. Belgium: Sinterklaas ("Saint Nicholas") among Flemish speakers; Le Père Noël ("Father Christmas"), among French speakers. Austria: Christkind ("Christ child"). "Christmas All Over the World" (1985), Words & Music by Bill House and John Hobbs, from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Santa Claus: The Movie, sung by Sheena Easton. "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (1979), by Randy Brooks, recorded by Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Trigg. "Up on the Housetop" traditional. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (1935) by J. "Santa Baby" (1953) by Joan Javits, Philip Springer, and Tony Springer, performed by Eartha Kitt. "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (1996) by "Weird Al" Yankovic (satire). "Little Saint Nick" by Brian Wilson, performed by The Beach Boys. Nicholas" traditional. "Jolly Old St. "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield. "Here Comes Santa Claus" (1947) by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman. |