Santa - An Origin Story

In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys. It is Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves and his wife, Mrs. Claus. In addition, as it has been noted by many others, the stories of Santa also have echoes of older indigenous traditions of shaman magically flying out of their shelters through their “chimney” smoke holes and travelling in the ethers to collect the spiritual gifts of the land for the good of their people.

But these are the time-tracks of how the Santa legends came to us in the forms they now occupy. The history, however, does not speak to why these stories continue to thrive in our age of science and technology where magic is no longer considered real. Why an elf? Why the reindeer? Why is he associated with Christmas and the winter solstice? Why the magic and the presents? Why is the belief in Santa, advanced in movies like the Miracle of 34th Street, considered important by many successive generations? Why is the collapse of this belief as a child comes of age a sign of something beautiful and meaningful lost?

These questions were in the back of my mind but not actively being contemplated as I went for a run. Then, as sometimes happens, one of my Sidhe (or Elf if you prefer the term) friends came to tell me a story about the enduring roots of Santa. Here it is.

Download this wonderful story and read it in its entirety.

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