I attended the Santa Claus debates and read your article on the subject of the existence of Santa, all I can say is that all debaters on both sides lack the historical truth about the joyous old man. The Life and Times of Santa Claus written by the distinguished historian of Oz, L. Frank Baum, gives us a clear picture of this famous figure and tells us these truths.
While Santa Claus is a fat, white man he comes from a multicultural background having been raised by a wood elf and befriended elves, knooks, ryls and fairy folk.
Santa Claus became the first toymaker because he could see the dismal lives of poor children who were treated as little adults and were put to work at a very young age and wanted to brighten their existence. Later at the plea of a young aristocrat who wanted a doll he started giving toys to all children regardless of social class and he certainly did not keep lists of good and bad children. Later, when the number of children grew too large to visit by the hour, he deputized parents to help him so he could concentrate on those children who had no or very poor parents. Parents misuse this power when they threaten children over their behaviour. This history predates the '50s song Santa Claus is Coming to Town therefore has more authenticity.
The reindeer who pull Santa Claus' sleigh are in the care of the Knooks who were very careful about their charges, which is why Santa Claus was limited to once a year trips to deliver toys. Santa Claus's helpers are magical beings who help him out of a shared vision for his work, this includes the reindeer who also want to see the world.
I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions, unfortunately this history book is hard to find but the public library may have a copy for your reading enjoyment.
Frances Mantler
Prince George
