By Lubna Abdel-Aziz He just left his home in the North Pole, his large sack bulging with gifts. Heading westward, across the Pacific , his annual global tour will start with a stop at the South Pacific Islands. He will then hop down under to New Zealand and Australia, then onwards to Japan. From Asia he will make a stop in Africa, and then over the Mediterranean to the European continent, and from there he flies over the Atlantic to Canada , the US, Mexico, the Americas and back home for a well deserved rest, and the sweet satisfaction that he brought happiness to millions and millions of children. Known for his kindness and generosity, Santa Claus is one of the most recognized figures on the face of the earth. Who can mistake his burly build in his red snow-suit, big furry hat, pudgy cheeks, cherry-red nose, that famous twinkle in his eye and his hearty bellow of''Ho Ho Ho'! There can be no Christmas without Santa! Yet Santa is only a creature of our imagination. The ultimate modern myth, Santa was developed to fulfill a need within us for a symbol of kindness and goodness. Man has always created his own symbols of power and authority, of the forces of good and evil which he eternally struggles with. Ancient mythology is replete with such creations. Despite the crass reality of an age of industry and technology, man still seeks his myths and symbols....the being that surpasses man. Nietzsche conceived his Superman. Comic books gave birth to other supermen, as in Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man and even a Wonder Woman. Our creativity did not stop with witches and wizards, vampires and ghosts. The evil forces must be balanced with the good.. The world is badly in need of a figure, jolly and merry, who comes around once a year spreading joy to all mankind. Santa is not entirely a figment of man's imagination. As with most myths and legends, he is based on a real live loving priest of the early Christian Church, Nicholas , Bishop of Myra in southeast Asia, He was born in the town of Lycia,(part of Turkey}, early in the fourth century. It is said he was among the attendants of the first Church Council at Nicaea in 322 AD. He died December 6, 342AD, and became the patron saint of, children , of sailors, as well as of Russia, Greece and Sicily. Two aspects of his life led to his becoming the modern Santa Claus...his legendary generosity ,as well as his love for children. By ll00 Nicholas had become a popular symbol of gift- giving. Throughout the Middle Ages he was called by many names--none of them was Santa Claus. That was to come later, in the New World It was the Dutch who kept St. Nicholas' tradition alive. Known as the "protector of sailors", his image graced the prow of the first Dutch ship that arrived in America. Dutch traditions blended with those of the English settlers who quickly took to two Dutch Christmas traditions , the Christmas stocking and Santa Claus. In Holland wooden shoes, or clogs were placed by the hearth the night of St. Nicholas' arrival. The clogs were filled with straw as a meal for his weary gift-laden donkey. In return, Nicholas would leave a gift in each clog. . In America, the clog became the Christmas stocking, stuffed with goodies for the tiny tots,, and hung by the chimney. The Dutch referred to Saint Nicholas as Sint Nikolas.. In the New World he became Sinterklas. When the Dutch lost control of the city of New Amsterdam to the English, the name was changed to New York and Sinterklas was Anglicised to Santa Claus. What about his many other unique features...his sleigh and reindeer, his chubbiness, his Ho Ho Ho? The evolution occurred gradually. The growing popularity of a charming children's poem, written by a New York theology professor, Dr. Clement C. Moore in 1822, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" contributed much to the image of Santa. The poem was written solely to entertain his sick daughter , and was never intended for publication. It would have remained so, if not for a family friend , who mailed a copy to one of the newspapers. The catchy rhyme quickly caught on and appeared in several dailies and weeklies, The readers were delighted and eventually every line of Moore's imagery became part of the Santa legend, Afraid to damage his reputation as a theology professor, Moore did not acknowledge his masterpiece for many years. By l938 every child across the US could recite the poem, encouraging Dr, Moore to admit authorship, Through the years, Santa's image was further transformed from the pudgy, diminutive elf-like creature of Dr, Moore's vision to the well-rounded familiar figure we eagerly anticipate each Christmas Eve. Rich and calorie- laden, the American diet contributed to Santa's growing waistline Cartoonist Thomas Nast created the roly-poly, rosy-cheeked Santa in a series of drawings for "Harper's Weekly" over a span of 20 years. The "lean and hungry look' was always associated with danger, while the historic concept of excess weight was one of comfort and joy.,.Consequently, Santa got larger and grew a fuzzy,long, white beard. The image was complete In case you are wondering what Santa does the rest of the year, rest assured that he is kept pretty busy at his workshop in the North Pole. His numerous helpers of tiny, industrious elves make the toys for children of all ages. Santa has millions of letters to read and wishes to grant. He checks children's behavior, as well as adults', and rewards them accordingly. Some complain that Christmas has become too commercialized, but as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt remarked, there is nothing wrong with spending a little money in order to bring happiness to loved ones. It is a blessed time , especially for children who believe in that fabulous, fanciful figure of one warm and cuddly Santa Claus.. It was in 1897 that an eight-year old, Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the editor of the New York Sun with her query".......Some of my friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says;' if you see it in the Sun, it's so'! Please tell me the truth; Is there a Santa Claus?" An unsigned five paragraph editorial reply, read:; "No Santa Claus! Thank God he lives ,and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood". It was not until his death in 1906 that the paper made an exception to its rule of editorial anonymity, and revealed the name of Frank P. Church as the author of that editorial. His words have become part of Christmas lore.. May you also preserve that heart of childhood, all the days of your life..and may you have a Gladelug Jul , Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Kala Christovgenna, Buon Natale, or in other words...Merry Christmas. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist" -- Frank P. Church (1839-1906)
