So, at this point you're either really intrigued, or you think I'm completely crazy, or both...But have you considered that maybe I'm right?
This post is not to defend that a historical Saint Nikolaos existed. He very much did. He's one of Christendom's greatest saints and his feast day is on December 6th every year. No, this post is to defend belief in a Jolly Ol' Saint Nick who leaves presents under the tree for little children. So, does Santa Claus exist? Of course he does! You see him in your local mall, you can send him letters, you know where he lives and about his culture and even the clothes he wears. He eats the milk and cookies your kids leave out for him and he leaves them presents under the tree. Don't believe me? Keep reading.
First off, we have to do away with the hyper-individualism we Westerners so often assume. The belief that there is a single and concise you that is made up of just one influence: yourself. This is nonsense, and wasn't believed by anyone until the mid-1700s during a movement known as The Enlightenment. Even today, most non-Westernized cultures around the world don't believe in such a concept. Rather, the truth is much closer to this: you alone aren't you. What I mean by that is this: you are made up of multiple influences based on Nature and Nurture. Your biology, genes, what geographical area you were born to, etc are all examples of how Nature have shaped you. Then, you're also a product of how you were raised, what you were brought up to believe, where you were born and the culture around you; this is called Nurture. Now, a few of you "punks" might be thinking, "That's not true! I've rebelled against my upbringing and nurture!" But, isn't that exactly what is currently the cultural, in vogue, thing to do? Especially in America, a culture and nation founded on rebelling against the status quo? Whether you're in or out of the status quo, you didn't do it by yourself. No man is an island.
All of this to say, there is no "you" apart from the relationships you share with others, nature, and your own mind. Your personality, who you are, is a construct of the world around you in a triune kinda way: Nature+Nurture+Yourself=You. Even on a biological level this is true. There is no single "you" biologically. You're comprised of trillions of cells and tissues and muscles and organs that are constantly dying and replacing themselves so fast that the biological "you" that existed last week no longer exists. We are, all of us, constructions of a complex, multi-faceted inter-working of parts. This brings us to Santa Claus.
Santa Claus is a composite of us. Just like we are a composite of micro-organisms, and nature and nurture in general, so too is Santa Claus made up of us. Santa Claus is a macro-organism. And, he acts through and in us. Let me ask you a question: When Polly the Postmaster receives a letter to the North Pole, and she decides to write back, is she writing as Polly the Postmaster? Or is she writing as and for Santa Claus and in Santa Claus's name? When parents leave gifts under the tree, are they doing it as John and Jane Doe? Or are they doing it as and for Santa Claus and in Santa Claus's name? Obviously, it's the latter. Whether they believe in him or not, the parents are acting as Santa Claus's vicarious agents. Let me ask one more question: When we give water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, and clothes to the naked in the Name of Christ, is it we who act alone? Or is it Christ Who Is acting vicariously in and through us? Obviously, it's the latter. And, just as Santa's Body is made of those who act with kindness, generosity, and compassion (especially towards children), so too does St. Paul say that we are the Body of Christ and that He Himself is the Head of this Body. Am I saying, then, that Christ is made up only of us? Not at all! Rather, with Christ, it is the opposite of with Santa: He has made us into His Body. We may make up the Body of Santa, but Christ has made us into His Body. It's the inverse, however similar principles exist.
But, that's not to say that Santa Claus is only a being made up of composite humans. There are three possibilities: 1) Santa Claus is only a social human construction but, like how we are just cellular constructions, this doesn't mean he's not real; certainly not less real than you or I. 2) Number one is true but with an added reality on top of it, namely that there is a principle or ethic or philosophical reality at work in the universe that is the essence of kindness, compassion, and generosity towards children that we channel through the personality we call Santa Claus. 3) Number one and two are true, except that in the case of number two it is not merely an ethical reality in the universe but is, in fact, a real and living being that has decided to, at least during the Advent/Christmas season, attach itself to the construct we've named Santa Claus and has chosen to work vicariously through human agents.
I lean towards the third option. Why? Hopeful and wishful thinking, partly. But, my hopes aren't without merit. It is an Ancient (and still prominently existing) Christian Belief that, in the hierarchy of the Holy Angels, there exists a class of Angelic beings called Virtues. These beings embody all of what have commonly been called the Noble Virtues, and are reflections of God's Noble Character. They are believed to be Christ's vicarious agents in the world to enact these virtues in His Creation alongside Him. If these beings are real (and Church Tradition holds them to be), and with Christ's special Love of Children, why would He not make a Virtue extolling said Love of children? Or, why would multiple Virtues not work together in making the personality we call Santa Claus? Further proof is in the symbols attached to Santa Claus that the historical Saint Nikolaos has nothing to do with. Being fat, for example. Pre-late 1800s fat people weren't seen as depressed slobs but rather were seen as being wealthy and jolly. Santa is obviously wealthy in his generosity and in resources, and he's always called jolly. The red suit? It represents passion and Love (words deliberately chosen because of the Christ's Love shown through His red Blood during His Passion), as well as an overactive state (Santa runs around all night delivering gifts and spends all year building them). Etc. etc. But, these symbols had to come from somewhere; they couldn't have all just popped up in the cultural mind at once. I believe we derived them from this Virtue's personality.
A caveat: I don't think the Virtue's name is actually Santa Claus or that it has a physical body that's fat and wears a red suit. These are social constructs we've made, but they point to real things about the Virtue. Also, I don't think the Virtue only attaches itself to "Santa," but rather has many names and identities in different cultures around the world.
So, I doubt that it's a question now of whether or not you believe, and more a question of which number do you believe? 1, 2, or 3...? In any respect, I hope you've been nice and naughty because he's checking his list and checking it twice.
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