The Claus Conundrum

So I was reading the Eugene weekly(which is the free local hippie/artsy newspaper) and there is an essay featured called "Better Not Pout" by Jim Earl. Mr. Earl is very good writer and professor. I have had him for various comparative writing classes. This essay is really good.

The gist of it is that there is three stages in "the myth" of Santa Claus and all of the "jobs" the myth does. The first stage is when your able to comprehend the idea of a Santa Claus and you really believe in him. The second is when your parents crush your hearts by telling you he is not real or you find out through classmates like I did. Anyway now you do not believe in the actual being of Santa Claus mainly because you know it is not possible for one person to visit every house in the world in one night or legal to trespass into someones house. At the same time this person who is in the middle goes along with the idea of Santa Claus. I am a perfect example. My mom still puts out a present from Santa Claus to me on Christmas because she still wants my sister to believe in him and I of course go along with it. Heck its an extra present! The third stage is when your a parent. At this point you are obligated to follow the Santa Claus tradition because you see him on your greeting cards, billboards, and books. So typically, when children are seven or eight parents are faced with the decision to tell their children there is no Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, etc. All the stages of this myth is teaching children how to cope with the inevitable disillusionments of growing up. Most people I have spoke to about this moment when you are told all the myths are false have said they remember it exactly, including myself. This moment can change a child and is usually a milestone in their young lives. What an interesting ritual right?
So why do we keep "believing" Santa Claus? The idea of Santa Claus puts more stress on families because they have to get another present from him to their children. And like Mr. Earl says in his essay, "The economy depends on all of giving each other lots of gifts on a designated day every year." What an accomplishment it is to keep up such a ritual.
Although Santa Claus has lost most of his meaning. Remember he used to be St. Nicholas and was the bishop of modern day Turkey. It was not until the nineteenth century that the Santa Claus with the red suit, big belly, and rosy cheeks appeared. This was possible by that famous book you read every Christmas Eve, The Night Before Christmas.
Whew. So all in all we live in a state of near-total confusion when it comes to Christmas and some of the traditions that we practice.