Outrage as Minnesota Satanists Given Holiday Display at State Capitol
(www.newsweek.com)
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I'll give you a different take on that -
Santa Claus is based on the old custom, going back at least two to three thousand years if not longer, of the Celtic and Scandinavian tribes in what's now Europe and the UK and Russia.
At the Winter Solstice - which is the midpoint of winter, not the beginning - the chief or king would call in his best men to load up sledges with food and warm clothes. These sledges were pulled by reindeer, oxen, ponies, or humans and taken out to the people living on farms and in small groups where they grew crops and tended the animals.
These supplies would be brought to a certain tree - an evergreen, which would stand out in the bare winter forest, and which was decorated with shiny things so it would be recognized - and left for anyone who might be in need with half the winter still to go.
It was quite likely that some toys were included, too, to amuse the children during the long dark days.
The chief or king, of course, was usually an older man with silver hair and beard and wearing the best furs. This is where our legends of Santa Claus come from.
The Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" is set at a later time but is all about exactly this custom.
It is easy to see how this custom easily merged with the Christian ideal of generosity and giving, especially to those in need, and quickly became a Christmas tradition.
It is why we still give gifts of fine food, sweaters, socks, and toys at that time of year, and explains why we have such a strong tradition of going home for Christmas.