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Introduction

On the eve of December 24th, children snuggle into bed awaiting their visit from Santa

Claus and gifts under the tree. Some children will try to resist sleep just to get a glance at Santa

Claus, but their parents will urge them to bed by telling them Santa will not come unless they are

asleep. The cookies, milk, or any other sweet treats, are out for Santa Claus and snacks for the

reindeer. But how can one jolly man fly around in a magical sleigh, pulled by nine reindeer, and

deliver toys to all the good boys and girls in one night? The phenomenon of Santa is an

implausible but endorsed myth.

All children reach an age where their

belief in Santa Claus ceases to exist. But before

that time, children believe Santa Claus is real,

working and living in the North Pole. He lives

with elves and spends the year getting ready for

Christmas. Deceiving children about Santa Claus has become a westernized tradition that is

seldom questioned. Santa Claus has become an evolutionary, modern myth. Santa is not entirely

made-up; he has a historical and religious origin. However, a new imaginary Santa has taken his

place. After a certain age we learn that Santa Claus never existed and that it was our parents who

hid the presents under the Christmas tree and filled the stockings, but we keep telling the myth,

even after the truth is revealed.

This paper will explore Santa Claus as a childhood mythical character in western culture.

Is the story of Santa Claus classifiable as an urban legend, myth, or something else entirely?

How does telling children affect them psychologically? Why is it that young children seem to

believe so strongly in such an impossible being? Could it affect their trust with adults? Does

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discovering the truth serve as a rite of passage? Throughout the years, Santa has increasingly

been used in commercialism. How does the highly visible aspect of Santa perpetuate him as a

myth? Santa Claus has movies, books, stories, and tons of merchandise dedicated to one of the

biggest enforced deceptions seen in western culture. He defies the definition of urban legends,

hoaxes, and conspiracy theories, but he is not a real and existing entity.

Urban Legend, Hoax, Conspiracy Theory, or Something Else?

What type of myth is Santa Claus? Common urban legends bring to mind the Loch Ness

monster or Sasquatch; both strike fear and are beings that are only reported as seen but never

confirmed. Conspiracy theories consist of theorizing that harmful events are intentional. A hoax

is a malicious deception. So where does Santa fit in? He does not invoke fear and he is not meant

to harm, except maybe some tears from the kids who get coal!

Urban legends are horrific or humorous stories that are false but circulated as true. Santa

does not have all the characteristics to be considered an urban legend; he is not horrific and is

only circulated as true for a portion of childhood years. Urban legends are also never seen first-

hand. For example the Loch Ness monster, which is purported to be true but not physically seen

(Bradley, 2015). Come Christmas time, that is not the case for Santa Claus. Stores and malls

have imposters dressed in red with Santa’s characteristics. The Santa Claus’s we see are visual

representations but not the ‘true’ Santa who lives in the North Pole. How would the legend

change if there were no Santa imposters? Could it be that Santa would be classified as an urban

legend if he was not visually represented?

Santa Claus does not meet the definition of a hoax or conspiracy theory. A hoax is

typically a malicious deception. For example, a hoax could be lying about a celebrity death, a

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joke that would cause harm to people who adore that celebrity. Santa is not used maliciously but

is considered as an innocent, traditional ‘joke’ played on children. The definition of a conspiracy

theory also does not apply well to Santa. Conspiracy theories are harmful events that are accused

to be deliberate. For example, saying that the assassination of Martin Luther King was planned

by two or more assassins would be a conspiracy. Santa is not a controversial event like the

assassination of MLK. Santa is a recurring practice, highly theatrical, and has become part of

western Christmas culture.

Santa Claus can be best considered as a mythical figure and highly folkloric. Folklore is

defined as beliefs, stories, or customs that are taught or learned through traditional knowledge —

they are not true but many people have heard or read the story (Merriam-Webster). Examples of

folklore are stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, or fairies. Folklore can encompass many elements,

including fantasy. Santa Claus can easily be considered fantastical, such as his use of flying

reindeer. It has become traditional that during Christmas displays of Santa Claus are readily seen,

sometimes as early as the day after Halloween. Christmas trees and stockings are ritualistically

purchased. Santa Claus lore is spread orally, visually, and in written form. The definition of

folklore best coincides with Santa, and a large amount of disinformation has supported Santa’s

folkloric existence.

History

Today’s mythical Santa Claus originates from the bishop Saint

Nicholas, who is estimated to be born around 280 A.D. St. Nicholas was

admired for his piety and kindness; he gave away his wealth and traveled to

help the poor and sick (Santa Claus). He was known for being a giver,

which could explain the act of gift-giving during Christmas. St. Nicholas’s

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popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. St. Nicholas

died on December 6th, and his death became a celebratory feast day (Ibid.). Saint Nicholas was

known for his kindness and giving and became the most popular saint in Europe (Ibid.).

Towards the end of the 18th century, Saint Nicholas started to evolve

into the mythical figure known today. During December 1773, St. Nicholas was

introduced to American popular culture by Dutch families who were honoring

his death with a feast and stockings hung with food (Ibid.). Early physical

representations of Santa were introduced in 1804 when John Pintard distributed woodcuts of St.

Nicholas (Ibid.). Written descriptions of Santa can be seen

in examples like Washington Irving’s popularized Sinter

Klaas stories, which described Santa wearing “a blue three-

cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings” (Ibid.).

However, Clement Clark Moore’s poem “A Visit from

Saint Nicholas”, also known as ‘T’was the night before

Christmas’, became a huge influential factor for the image

of Santa Claus. Moore’s depiction of Santa Claus, and his

story for Christmas, would become highly recognizable. It

is safe to assume that it would be difficult to find someone today who does not know the poem

and as American children we are read the poem at very young ages.

Gift giving has always been a part of Christmas celebrations, and with changing tradition

newspapers began to advertise Santa Claus. In the 1890’s, the Salvation Army sent men dressed

up in Santa Claus suits to collect donations in the streets of New York (Ibid.). Salvation Army is

one of the earliest examples of physical Santa representations. Stores in 1820 began using Santa

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in advertisements, and by the 1840s advertisements for the holidays with Santa images were

increasingly present (Ibid.). Christmas shopping had become tradition for early winter months.

Christmas time during current day New York has developed

into a city wide event. Santa Claus evolved from a religious

bishop, celebrated by the Dutch, to a western mythical

character during the holidays — a much bigger icon.

Santa is now associated with December, Christmas, gift giving and possibly much more

for children. The historical Santa has become myth. History shows how a religious figure eluded

its origin, becoming folklore and a commercial icon, used today in advertising and charity.

Santa’s growing story and catapulted visual representations put him into consciousness,

advancing the myth. With today’s technology, the focus has shifted to a mythical Santa Claus

that is promoted on the internet, in movies, and many other sources. Santa has taken on a

memetic quality, he is cultural information that is transmitted from one to another.

Research on Differentiating between Possible vs. Impossible

Santa Claus represents a highly impossible story, he defies laws of nature and reason.

Reindeers do not fly, and how can one man deliver presents to all the children in the world in one

night? Or eat that many cookies and maintain his existence as a jolly fat man? But young

children do not appear to question Santa Claus. As children get older their understanding of the

physical world changes, and the changes in children’s understanding reflect their acceptance and

later rejection of adult testimony about Santa.

In a 2014 research study, children between ages 3 and 9 were asked to create letters to

Santa that question how Santa accomplishes his feats and extraordinary events (Shtulman &

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Yoo, 2014). The study suggests that a child’s understanding of physical possibility, or conceptual

level, effects the acceptance of Santa testimony (Ibid.). The study used children who claimed to

believe in Santa and his story, but their reasoning differed. Children would ask questions such as

“what are your elves’ names” or “How can you see everyone in the whole wide world,” and

when children were asked if something about Santa was true they were asked to explain how

(Ibid.). Responses were coded to show which were more complex. Children who could

differentiate possible events from impossible began to question the feasibility of Santa but would

provide explanations for the actions (Ibid.). The study questioned children’s conceptual ability to

differentiate possible from impossible explanations.

The study shows that children naturally begin to question Santa Claus with increased

understanding about the world. Even though children may begin to have doubts about Santa and

phenomena related to him, they still maintain a belief and will try to explain the impossible

events. Santa’s realism is enforced, but the myth has a natural discovery of truth.

Theatrical Aspect to Reinforce Realism

Santa Claus is not a figure of pure imagination but also possess a theatrical aspect. Santa

has a characterized demeanor and specific look which make him recognizable to anyone who

knows the western traditional stories. Imagine

if Santa had no beard and was dressed in all

black — would he still be recognized? We are

told that Santa is cheery and brings gifts to all

the children; he has a large round belly and

lives off of sweets. Santa has a white beard and his outfits never change: always red but,

depending on the projection, his attire can vary. Mall Santa’s are in the traditional Santa jumpsuit

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with white trim, and movies can sometimes show a more causal Santa, perhaps without his coat.

Santa Claus started as simple imagination but was given theatrical aspects that have solidified the

folklore and who he represents. He has become a form of theater.

Theatrics are defined as staged or contrived effects (Merriam-Webster). Santa Claus is

theatrical, a staged person with a staged demeanor. Clement Clark Moore’s poem has been most

influential in descriptions of the modern-day image of Santa Claus. Thomas Nast drew Moore’s

representation of Santa Claus, depicting him as the round cheerful man with a full white beard,

dressed in red, with a sack of toys, and living in the North Pole, all comprising in a set of staple

tropes (Santa Claus). Santa’s behavior, expectations, and appearance have been described in

detail and continuously staged. He is one of the biggest ‘white lies’ we are told, but could it just

be considered part of an act?

Children are highly imaginative, which increases

around preschool years. Could Santa be beneficial to the

promotion of childhood imagination growth? Most children

maintain a strong belief in Santa until around age seven when

they discover the truth on their own or are told. Their strongest

beliefs in Santa are around preschool years, which is also when

children often have imaginary friends. However, children often

make clear that they know the imaginary friend is not real. For

Santa children-believing he exist and maintaining theatrical

influences could be to blame for reinforcing the belief.

When I began to doubt my own Santa belief, my parents staged a Santa encounter. My

parents woke me in the middle of the night and excitedly claimed that Santa was here. Blocked

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by my parents in the hall, I never caught a glimpse of him that night, but the next morning there

was an ash footprint on our white carpet. Theatrics like this maintained my belief in Santa for a

little longer; I had a real experience to back up my realism claims. Imagine if we did not portray

Santa’s physical image, relying solely on children’s imaginations to maintain their belief? Santa

has been reinforced by theatrics, which have added realism and prolonged his folkloric status.

The Evolution of Theatrics

Santa Claus theatrics do not end with plays, books, or numerous

Santa’s dressed up at the mall. Who would Santa be without his sleigh,

reindeer, and sack of toys? Santa Claus theatre includes outside entities

associated with him. You would not view a play, or see a story, where Santa

was not on his sleigh pulled by his nine flying reindeer, for example Rudolf.

Rudolf has become “the most famous reindeer of all” and is characterized by his glowing, red

nose. Although the reindeer and Rudolf are not Santa, they are associated closely with the Santa

story and are part of the outrageous theatrics. Images and movies of the outside entities have been

added to Santa theatrics, reinforcing existence.

The theatrics increase the realism and fortify Santa, for example his ability to tell

‘naughty’ from ‘nice’ children. The internet has also provided virtual theatrics. Come Christmas

Eve, computers have allowed children to track Santa as he flies across the world, delivering toys.

A quick Google search can bring up numerous websites for children about Santa belief and

reasons he is real. The use of the internet provides children with more means to reinforce the

belief that Santa Claus is ‘real.’

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Relatedly, today the “Elf on a Shelf” tradition has been

popularized. The elf is one of Santa’s numerous helpers who

watches over the house and reports who has been naughty or nice.

During the night, parents move the elf to make it seem as if he is

real and watching over the household. The elf on a shelf has been

added to Santa theatrics. The elf gives Santa another way to watch over children and is a myth

within a myth.

Discovering the Truth as a Rite of Passage

Discovering the truth about Santa Claus shares traits similar to a rite of passage. A rite of

passage is defined as something that marks the transition from one phase of life to another, for

example from adolescence to adulthood (Rites of Passage). All cultures have small rites of

passage, like 18th birthdays, or a ceremony of a boy becoming a man. How could discovering the

truth of Santa Claus serve as a rite of passage? Could learning the truth about the Santa folklore

serve as a transitional part of children’s lives?

Learning the truth about Santa could enter children into a new understanding that reflects

on their current life experience. Although we do not celebrate learning the truth about Santa,

most children discover the truth around the same age. Children take the knowledge and choose

how to employ it. Will the child continue the tradition, lying to peers or younger siblings, or will

they reveal the truth to others? Once Santa is revealed as false, the child is no longer being

deceived and gains knowledge while losing the imaginary aspects of the fantasy. Children can be

seen as entering the social group of non-believers. When I think back to the years when I

discovered that Santa was not real, I can recall conversations with peers about what they believe

and why. The new social groups debated our beliefs against each other. Learning the truth could

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re-categorize children into a new social group. Discovering that Santa is not real may effect a

child’s sense of self. They could feel closer to older peers, or more mature.

Research on Differentiating Fantastical Entities

What if children become non-believers sooner than they reveal? A research study

observed pragmatic cues parents and siblings used when talking about endorsed entities towards

children (Canfield & Ganea, 2013). The pragmatic cues alter how children form their

conceptions on testimonies about entities like Santa Claus.

The study wanted to observe children’s natural ability to learn through active exploration

and had them apply that knowledge to discern roles (Ibid.). With entities like Santa Claus, direct

experience is altered. However, unlike fantasy entities, like unicorns, children receive visual and

verbal testimony. The study hypothesized that verbal testimony varies in important ways that

influence the formation of children’s conceptions of the unseen world (Ibid.).

The observed outcome was that children are sensitive to discourse cues and can be seen

picking up subtle cues about an entity’s reality status by age 5 (Ibid.). Cues include the speaker’s

confidence, for example the difference between saying “that is” and “I think that is” (Ibid.). The

study showed that children are likely to claim Santa Claus exists and attribute more human-like

properties to real entities, including Santa, than compared to a dragon (Ibid.). The study observed

naturalistic conversations that are manipulated to include cues; the dependent variable was the

children’s conceptions of the entity. Parents talked about scientific and endorsed entities in a

similar way, using verbal cues that led kids to believe the testimony. Scientific and endorsed

entities fell into the same cluster (Ibid.).

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If children are spoken to confidently about entities like Santa Claus, they are likely to

believe in him. But with Santa Claus, belief becomes controversial when peers begin to find out

the truth, or when older children speak to their siblings. The conflicts in testimony influence

children’s beliefs. Pragmatic cues could be part of psychological decipherment. Even though

young children appear to believe strongly in Santa Claus, because he is a myth, subtle verbal

cues are detected by children that affect their opinions on Santa. Santa is enforced, but

conversations of those who know he does not exist often aid children in discovering the truth.

Functional Uses of Santa

Belief in Santa Claus is part of the December holiday spirit. Could Santa serve a greater

function than holiday cheer? Santa Claus is an over-popularized myth, a fictitious character that

young children believe to be real. Parents use Santa as a tool to enforce good behavior, and

during December songs about not pouting and crying clutter the radio.

Santa Claus has meaning and is not an empty folklore. Myths like unicorns are not used

to reinforce behavior; they are fantasy stories. Santa, however, is a myth that parents use to make

their children behave, via the threat of getting “coal in your stocking” and

no presents under the tree. Dr. Seuss’s use of the Grinch augment how the

Christmas spirit and act of giving is a positive and accepted experience.

The Grinch does not have the Christmas spirit, and is not viewed

favorably by the people of Who Ville. It is not until the Grinch allows his

heart to grow and become kind that he too can be happy and embrace what Santa Claus and the

traditions have to offer.

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Movies and books about Santa Claus and Christmas traditions reinforce the meaning of

Santa’s cause. Santa Claus has become a mythical character utilized by parents to reinforce

behavior and good morals. Christmas traditions promote the act of giving for the sake of making

someone else happy. The traditions are supposed to support selflessness. It may not be fully

effective, but the myth of Santa provides an enforcement tool for parents.

Research on the Harms of Lying

Could lying to children about Santa Claus be potentially harmful? By instilling such

strong beliefs in a mythical character, could children develop feelings of mistrust in adults? One

research study looked at the reactions of children when they discover the truth about Santa Claus.

The reactions of kids were surprisingly and predominantly positive and parents seemed to have

more negative or sad feelings about their child discovering the truth about Santa (Carl &

Prentice, 1994).

The study surveyed 52 children who no longer believed in Santa. The study recruited

subjects that “often felt cheated or lied to by parents when they discover the truth, children in

psychotherapy are often angry and resentful about the deception,” where parental encouragement

to believe was strong (Ibid.). The study used an open-ended interview. The results of the study

showed that children expressed doubts of belief beforehand, so discovering the truth about Santa

Claus was characterized as a gradual process (Ibid.). They found that parents who encouraged

the belief had less-distressed children, maybe because parents can better deal with the child

(Ibid.). However, they found children thought it was going to be more distressful for another

child then it was for themselves (Ibid.). The study also found that more than half pretended Santa

was real afterwards, for various reasons like fun, younger siblings, presents, or not wanting to

disappoint parents.

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What is surprising about the study is the lack of negative feelings from children. Santa

Claus is a huge childhood deception or folklore hoax; however children said that the “purpose of

believing was to have fun and enjoy themselves at Christmas” and 71% said that children should

be taught to believe in Santa” (Ibid.). The study shows support for retelling Santa Claus lore. The

children in this study encourage the belief of Santa Claus and do not feel harmed or deceived by

their parents.

Not all kids respond with positive feelings. Chaley-Ann Scott wrote a post about her

experience of telling her son, which was not pleasant. She recalls that her and her husband didn’t

feel betrayed when they learned the truth about Santa Claus but their eldest son Jack reacted with

anger, and declared he could never trust his parents again (Scott). Chaley is a counselor and has

run across other parents whose children have felt betrayed. It may be the way parents approach

their kids about the truth or how much the belief has been encouraged. Chaley’s experience

shows that not all kids have positive feelings about discovering the truth about Santa Claus.

Some children mistrust their parents afterward.

Research on Why Santa is an Easy Belief

Another question to ask is why Santa Claus is so easy for children to believe in? As

adults, we know he is not real but children have a strong belief that he exists. A study looked at

the extent to which children rely on other’s testimonies compared to their own first-hand

experience with regard to entities that are real, scientific, equivocal beings that are impossible,

and endorsed beings like Santa Claus (Harris et al., 2006).

The study revealed that children believe in Santa Claus based primarily on adult

endorsement. Santa Claus has observable outcomes, so testimony is believed and accepted. The

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results showed that only older children tend to think there could be an incongruities about his

existence. With scientific entities, like germs, children believe adult testimony (Ibid.). For

impossible beings like mermaids, the study found that 4-6 year olds will say do not exist (Ibid.).

The study found that 8 year-olds are hyper sensitive to other people’s testimony. The results

found that children asserted the existence of endorsed beings, for example Santa Claus, and

backed up their claim by offering generalizations about the entity in question (Ibid.). By contrast,

children mostly denied the existence of beings that they had not encountered, but for entities like

Santa, they encounter him and believe in his existence. Children conclude that endorsed beings

do exist, alongside scientific entities (Ibid.).

One finding was that “Children readily believe in entities that they cannot see for

themselves but have been told about. Their confidence in the existence of those entities appears

to vary with the pattern of testimony that they receive” (Ibid). Children receive heavy testimony

to believe in Santa Claus. The study reveals how children receive testimony that is almost as

believable as scientific entities. The way testimony is given perpetuates the belief. Although

children cannot see germs, they do not question the realism. Santa Claus is a complete display

that helps support testimony and children’s belief.

Iconography and Enforcing the Myth

As urban folklore, Santa Claus, has become highly visual. He has acquired traditional

images and symbols that make him recognizable in different settings. Iconography is defined as

pictorial material, usually traditional or conventional images and is present in Santa myths

(Merriam-Webster). Santa Claus iconography is present in advertisements, books, pictures, and

even greeting cards. Over the years, the image of Santa Claus has evolved with the current time

but has enforced the myth and who Santa represents.

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Icon American brands, like Coca-Cola, produced Santa

Claus iconography. Examples like this lend a commercial image to

Santa. In the 1930’s, Coca-Cola needed to increase sales during

winter and came out with a Santa Claus advertisement, but this

wasn’t Santa’s first appearance in advertisements (Snopes.com,

2013). The use of Santa in Coca-Cola’s advertisement did help with

sales, but what does that say about how we use Santa Claus’s

image? With so many children believing strongly in his figure, he could be very influential.

Although one typically does not hear kids claim that they want to be like Santa, they want to be a

‘nice’ child and thought of positively by Santa. Using Santa Claus iconography in advertisements

like Coca-Cola could cause kids to also want to consume such products.

Iconography has given Santa new meaning: he not only brings gifts to good children on

the eve of December 24th, but he also promotes products like Coca Cola, or runs to Target to get

supplies. Not every myth is used for endorsements, but Santa is readily used. For adults, this sort

of commercialism can reinforce the notion that what children expect to “receive from Santa” can

be found at multiple locations, like Target or Walmart. The Santa myth has evolved with

modern-day accessibility.

Conclusion

This paper does not argue whether Santa is ‘real’ or not, or whether we believe or not, but

presents arguments explaining the questions asked. Young children believe in Santa Claus and

around age seven that belief ceases to continue. But belief in Santa Claus resonates with

something much more than a myth, he is part of tradition and Christmas spirit.

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Santa Claus pushes the boundaries for the standard definition of hoaxes, urban legends,

and conspiracy theories. Santa can be classified more as folklore, or possibly an urban hoax that

is not meant to cause harm. Minimal research has been conducted to determine whether there is a

psychological harming effect from telling children about Santa. The studies that have been

conducted suggest that children generally have neutral feelings about discovering the truth, and

most likely had pre-existing doubts.

More research could be done on why children begin to doubt Santa Claus. Does it have to

do with conceptual understanding, or verbal cues? Discovering the truth about Santa could

represent children moving into a new social group and world understanding via a new belief.

With the amount of publicity Santa receives, it is not surprising that young children

believe in him so fervently. Parents use him to reinforce good behavior, and for months

advertisements promote Christmas. Shopping malls hire fake Santa’s, allowing physical

representations. Children have no difficulty acquiring images of Santa, which reinforce their

beliefs. Santa is not an invisible entity, but one children can see first-hand in all forms of media.

The visual aspect keeps the Santa tradition strong, and for children the belief strong. Imagine a

Christmas without Santa.

In conclusion, western culture has turned Santa lore into a mass-believed and advertised

myth. Movies, books, verbal stories, countless internet websites, and merchandise are dedicated

to a childhood deception. A non-existing entity that can best be categorized as folklore, survives

and is reinforced with tradition, theatrics, testimony, and abundant illustrations.

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