You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Welcome everyone to the last Nighthawk Talks for 2011. We've managed to nab the big red elf himself for a quick interview.
Tell us a bit about the real Santa Claus.
<Ho-ho-ho> The average person over the age of ten would say there’s no such person. But here I am.
You certainly are, red suit and all. But this is a relatively new look for you, isn’t it? You’ve worn white furs, red velvet, coloured robes... Not to mention different names: Father Christmas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle...
Don’t forget Pere Noel, Sinnterklaus, and Basil.
Basil?
Greek tradition. I answer to many names. Festo Spiritu is another one.
Holiday Spirit?
You know your Latin. I predate Christianity and transcend religious differences - or should. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that they designated my season as the birthday of Jesus. It’s not historically accurate, but I don’t believe letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
You don’t mind that it get’s called Christmas and that you’re called Father Christmas?
<Ho-ho-ho> Call it a gift. That’s what it’s all about, you know. There’s a reason my day falls in the dead of winter and that the earliest gifts I gave were food-related. Winter can be harsh, food scarce. The spirit of the holiday is all about generosity.
And the toys?
Hey, winter is long where I come from. Books and toys make the time pass. Time to play games, visit family and friends. Once the spring came, with the planting, lambing, calving, shearing and so on, things got busy. They'd stay pretty busy too – until the after harvest.
Do you really have a workshop run by elves?
<wink> If I told you...
You’d have to kill me?
<Ho-ho-ho> Not my style. I don't get much harsher than an occasional piece of coal. There's one line of that song you were singing that I really like: "You better be good for goodness sake." I believe doing good is its own reward.
That doesn't answer my question. Santa? Santa?
Oh well, folks - see you next year.
Bit of a "fly by night" gentleman, isn't he? I sometimes have to wonder what his angle is. I mean, really, who else would we find "socially acceptable" who breaks into our house at night through the suspicious route of a chimney, litters the place with boxes, and eats our cookies and drinks all our milk like some rampaging teenager on a high. LOL Ah well...stalk on, Santa!
ReplyDeleteMany pictures have Santa in curly-toed stalkings... er stockings. All the better to sneak around in.
ReplyDelete