The Weird History of Santa (And What We're Really Celebrating)

Miller turns 4 this week. This is the first year he has a full understanding of Santa Claus. Which means I just went down a rabbit hole learning where this tradition actually came from.

Turns out, it's way weirder than you'd think.

How We Got Here

Quick history lesson on how we ended up here:

Santa's origins trace back to Odin, the Norse god who rode an eight-legged horse (Sleipnir) through the winter sky during Yule. Eight legs → eight reindeer. The math checks out, even if nothing else does. There was also a Turkish bishop named Nick who was the master of secret gift-giving to needy families with children.

The Christmas tree? Pagan tradition. Evergreens symbolized life persisting through winter darkness. Christians saw people celebrating and thought, "We should get in on that." So they centered it around the birth of Christ. Does it matter that Christ probably wasn't born in December? Not really. The season captures the spirit of the story: light entering darkness, hope in the coldest time, new life when everything looks dead.

Gift-giving? Originally, a winter solstice survival strategy. Share resources when times are hard. Very practical. Very un-capitalist.

Elves? Norse mythology gave us magical beings tied to Yule celebrations. Then the Industrial Revolution said, "You know what kids need to learn? That labor is joyful!" So elves became Santa's cheerful, unpaid workforce. Nothing says holiday magic like a propaganda machine for child labor. (Don't worry, we're skipping that lesson with Miller.)

Modern Santa? Coca-Cola marketing in the 1930s solidified the red suit and jolly image. Department stores ran with it. And somehow, we all just... agreed to tell our kids the same elaborate story about a home invader who judges their behavior and leaves presents.

It's wild how this became a global phenomenon. Pagan rituals → Christian assimilation → corporate propaganda → the thing everyone participates in without questioning.

The Choice We Made

Lori and I had a few chats about whether we'd do the Santa thing with Miller. She was all in; I was the skeptic.

On one hand, it's a lie. We value honesty. On the other hand, it's mostly good. And I didn't want him to be the weird kid or the one who ruins it for his classmates.

I decided to go along with it. But we're doing it consciously. We're choosing what this tradition means for our family.

What We're Celebrating

Here's what Christmas means to us:

The birth of Christ: This is the heart of it. God's gift to the world. Everything else is a metaphor pointing back to this truth. Light in darkness. Generosity. New life. Sacrifice and love.

The lights: It's dark this time of year. Creating brightness in the darkness matters. It feels good to push back against the gloom. It's a physical reminder of light entering the world.

Santa as a moral guide: An all-knowing figure who sees when you're good or bad? That's a decent framework for teaching character when no one's watching. It's basically God as a character kids can understand. The theology might be questionable, but the lesson works.

Togetherness: Slowing down. Sharing meals. Being together without the usual chaos (and with a little unusual chaos). This is what the season is for.

Generosity: Teaching Miller that giving feels better than getting (a work in progress). Contribution is a lesson worth keeping from all this.

Gratitude: Taking time to recognize what we have instead of fixating on what we want. The birth of Christ teaches us to be grateful for God’s gift to us.

The creativity: I do love seeing how people make the holidays their own. New traditions, inventive celebrations, personal touches. It will be interesting to see what Christmas looks like in ten years.

The commercialism? Gotta take the bad with the good, I suppose.
The magic and meaning? All in. It’s awesome.

The Tradition Container

I could be cynical about how modern Christmas is built on assimilated pagan rituals, corporate propaganda, and a collective agreement to lie to children.

But there's no joy in that.

The tradition is just the container. You get to choose what you put in it.

We're choosing lights in the darkness, time with people we love, gratitude for what we have, the celebration of Christ's birth, and a 4-year-old's belief in magic while it still exists.

The history is hilarious. The tradition is ours to shape.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and permission for you to celebrate whatever makes this season meaningful for you.

What are you choosing to celebrate?

This work is meant to be reflective and shared. If you enjoyed it, let me know. I read every response. If you think someone else will enjoy it, please share!

-Ricky