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Influences of Santa on American culture
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Santa Claus: Influential person who never lived Have you ever heard of Santa Claus? I think all of you know who he is. For me, Santa Claus is a fictional character but he is the inspiring person in my life until now. He was not only influenced my childhood but also influenced cultures whole over the world.
Santa Claus, simply Santa, is who brings gifts to good children on 25 December, Christmas day. He makes a list of children whole over the world and evaluates their behavior such as naughty or nice. Accordingly, the naughty children can’t get a gift and nice children can get a gift on Christmas day. Santa commonly depicted as white bearded man wearing red coat with a black leather belt and boots. On Christmas, he rides in a carriage pulled by Rudolph and reindeers and gives children gifts. He always smiles and loves children.
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Not only children but also adults like Santa. When I was a child, I like Santa because he gave me a gift whether he is real or not. After I grew up, I know that Santa is unreal but Santa reminds me of my childhood. Many of the children think Santa is real person so that their parents try hard not to destroy their innocence. So, on Christmas, parents buy gifts for their children and dress themselves up as a Santa.
Not only that, Santa Claus is influential in American culture because it’s like a religious figure. Actually, Santa is a story based on St. Nicholas who was a Greek Christian bishop of Myra. He gave away his wealth that he has and traveled other countries to help the poor. Because of his kindness, he is popular and well known as the protector of children and sailor. The history is fuzzy but the folktales based on the life of St. Nicholas and people admire him and celebrated on the anniversary of his death. I think that’s why Santa is important in American
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
Jay Mocks article “Is Santa Clause a Conspiracy?” first appeared on The River Journal website on December 11th, 2009. Mock, an online blogger who has the mindset that there are conspiracies behind many things that go on in the world, seeks to encourage readers to discover whether there is a conspiracy behind Santa Claus. If so, whether or not it is maintained by the lies of parents, and whether or not their intentions are good because they support good, and even so would that still qualify as a bad thing? “We sometimes knowingly lie or overlook a lie if the reason is to support ‘good’” (Mock p4). The legend of Santa Claus can be the lure to which mankind falls into a ploy of conspiracy that may fortify a manipulative mindset and devious conduct in people. This article is a good example of how conspiracy theorist can appeal to readers through persuasion by the use of three kinds of proofs, reasoning (logos), credibility (ethos), and emotion (pathos). Although this article is a great attention grabber, it lacks the ability to impose the authors’ thoughts and feelings upon its readers.
Elf starts out with the introduction to the life of Buddy, an orphaned baby, who would mistakenly crawl into Santa’s sack on Christmas Eve. Buddy would be raised on the North Pole but would soon realize that this wasn’t his place. Santa soon revealed that his true father was still alive, lived in the New York, and most importantly was on the naughty list.
There’s so many different kinds of people who have had a huge impact on how and why we live our lives the way we do today. Some have even risked their lives by disobeying the law so they can accomplish what they feel is right, and some have made a difference even without putting their life on the line.Walt Disney was very influential to U.S culture in the 1950’s because a lot of major animated movies were released in this decade, the construction of Disneyland was started and finished and many other non-animated projects during this decade.
Scrooge was always mean to everyone. They did not like him. He was visited by three ghosts that taught him a lesson. He started being nice. “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all. . . He was a second father. . . [to Tiny Tim] His own heart laughed.” (Dickens 64). Doing nice things for people can make people happier too. The Grinch, as well as Scrooge, hates Christmas and he expresses it. The Whos hate him for it. He takes the presents of all the Whos, he is about to throw it off the mountain. The Grinch hears a sound. It is them. They are singing, despite the fact their Christmas is ruined. He returned all their gifts and celebrates Christmas with them. He is finally loved by the Whos. Doing nice things for people can make a person happy as well. Although, Scrooge was helped by spirits, The Grinch was held by people. Recent books can be seen using traditional story’s themes.
Ah Christmas, it is said to be the most wonderful time of the year. In the United States Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, spending time with your family, and in most Christian families, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is hands-down the most highly commercialized holiday celebrated by Americans. In fact, according to CBS news, the average American will spend $700 on gifts this holiday season, totaling for a whopping $465 billion spent nation-wide. From mall Santas as far as the eye can see, to hearing Christmas music in every retail store you enter. Christmas is a time of high spirits and high spending in the U.S.
Is Santa truly a secular figure or is he a religious one? This has been a long-standing argument. However, instead of viewing Saint Nick as either secular or religious, it would be more beneficial to examine him as a figure consisting of both religious and secular elements. It is true that the contemporary Santa Claus may be more associated with secular concepts, such as consumerism, but it is also crucial to emphasize the origins of the jolly old man. He is the product of Western Christianization. It is thought that he was created from a combination of the historical figure of Saint Nicholas, a Christian saint, who was known for giving gifts, and the fictional character of Father Christmas from British folklore (CITE). Santa Claus can be viewed
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
“A wiffin’, sniffin’ gift, especially for you! It’s from Secret santa, bet you can't guess who!... It’s a woman!” Can you imagine a woman saying this? This holiday season at Macy’s Department store in New York City they hired 5 women to play the role of santa. The reason why the women were hired was because there were not enough men to play the role of Santa . Adults got VERY mad when they found out that Santa was being played by a woman. They said that they would never shop there again. i believe that Santa should not be played by a woman.
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol because he believed that he can have an influence on the situation in England in the 19th century(Bio). He included the character’s greed and want that are a part of Scrooge during his visits with the Ghosts of Christmas.
“Are you believing in Santa Claus?” Have you asked this question to someone? Children would say “Yes,” but adults would say “No.” This is because children believe that Santa Claus gives them a lot of gifts on Christmas day, but adults know the gifts are given by their parents. Christmas is the most popular holiday all over the world, and most families get together and spend time on dinner in the United States. Children enjoy everything such as Santa Claus and reindeer as reality, but adults just have fun with an atmosphere of the event through Christmas songs and illuminations. What makes the difference between them? The answer is believing in Santa Claus or not. However, even though adults know the man is not real, all people should believe in Santa Claus. Believing in Santa Claus gives everyone benefits such as developing children’s creativity and more enjoyment of Christmas for adults.
...ch out only for themselves, we lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. Forgetting the being of Santa Claus only makes us slight the kindness on which this holiday is based. Not believe in Santa! You may as well not believe in the very gifts laid under the tree on Christmas morn. Without your faith, Santa Claus would be nonexistent. There would be no yearning in your soul to give of yourself to others, no example to follow. Thank God, Santa Claus exists and exists forever, lightening the heavy heart as the sight of the snow blankets the soul and defines the heart of childhood.
Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the “jolly old elf” with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas.