Throughout the ages, Santa Clause has been regarded as the symbol of Christmas. Depicted as an old man with a potbelly and long beard, he was the staple of the season. The stories went that if you were good throughout the year, then on Christmas Eve, Santa would come to your house and give you presents. Although this story is nice to tell younger children who are misbehaving, it does not apply to our society as a whole.
Today, the idea of Santa Claus has gone through mass commercialization. During Christmas time, you can't walk into Wal-Mart without seeing images of Kris Kringle plastered all over the place. It's gotten to the point that when you think about Christmas, Santa Clause is usually the first thing to comes to mind. How did this holiday become so corrupted?
With all the images that flash before us during Christmastime, it's hard not to get caught up in it.
English: Santa Claus with a little girl Esperanto:...
Santa Clause Has Gone To War - NARA - 533870
Santa Clause on skies in Adelboden, SwitzerlandReindeer, candy canes, wreaths and Christmas trees are just a few of the Yuletide symbols seen during the season. One big thing that seems to stand out in the minds of people during this time is presents. I feel that this distraction is the obvious and direct result of the Santa Clause stereotype. Most of us have been receiving Christmas presents since before we can remember. Therefore, Christmas has been registered in our minds as a time to give presents and more importantly for some, a time to receive them.
So how much room does this Santa Clause idea leave for the true meaning of Christmas? If we only can link Christmas to Santa Clause, then how can we recognize the birth of Jesus as the true origin of the season? With all the fuss about Santa Clause and presents, some don't even know...