WHEN SANTA TURNED GREEN ?

Comment

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 10:01pm

Hey, Saz : look at this : " Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and folklore merged with the British character Father Christmas to create the character known to Britons and Americans as Santa Claus. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected in the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. "
also :
" In the British colonies of North America and later the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York, (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat " BUT THIS ONE SMOKES ;-)

I guess they both can live together.
Also- it is far away from Coca-Cola-guy!

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 9:29pm

"Santa is a mythological figure, he can look any way someone wants him to",
he is also a product ( well...) and some people might be attached to how he always looked like.
Yes, you are right, there is not a big problem with Santa looking healthier ( for you, for me as a grown up also ), but it might be a crush for children imagination, when parents will start turning a story upside down.
I understand what you are saying, Saz;-).
I just don't see a necessary, urgent need to adjust Santa to today environmental changes.
You, as an adult , raw foodist and so on, are seeing Santa as I see obese people in restaurants eating stakes.
You are seeing him also as an adult.
I don't think children need to rationalize Him so much.
Although, I am aware of probable positive impact of telling stories about Green Santa's Willing to Change the world.

My Santa was warm, chubby as my grandpa ( well...) and never had in mind to hurt me on his lap;-).
And as I said, he danced with me and was giving me bananas from Germany when my Poland has on its shelves vinegar bottles and milk only. But this is another story ;-)

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 7:28pm

By the way - Thank You, Guys/Girls for taking time to post here. Love it! ;-)

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 7:17pm

I understand your disagreement and - telling the truth - I expected it from some people.
See..I don't see Santa as a Manifestor of some unhealthy behaviors.
I don't see the relationship between Santa as a symbol of this chubby men giving gifts ( sometime, under certain conditions, and if mother wants to be smart , she could set up a quest/ test for her child, for example ; if you eat this every day ( etsc), Santa will bring you a gift ) and between WHAT WILL END UP AT A CHRISTMAS TABLE.
Again, I don't see the point in turning Santa into some other -men made story, if the old story is flexible enough to manage our/parents goals.
Santa doesn't tell us to give them Cola-Cola or candies!
But is long enough as a particular picture that I don't see as harmful.

Maybe my Santa, from Poland , differs from Santa from USA.
I was always excited to dance with him by Christmas tree.

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 6:54pm

I am certainly opting for introducing the new/healthy consciousness to children.
But since we are teaching through so many channels, let's leave Santa and mythology alone with its stories, no matter if they are health-oriented.

Comment by Nicole on November 6, 2008 at 6:29pm

I can understand holding on to what we knew as children. I personally loved the Peanuts and all their holiday movies, The great Pumpkin, The Easter Beagle, It's Christmas Charlie Brown... However, I do appreciate this new conciousness being introduced to children. It's better than Bratz dolls, and video games like grang theft auto. I probably sound like a prude but, a gun is not a toy and little girls should not dress like mini hookers

Comment by Marta - Rawvolta on November 6, 2008 at 3:19pm

I don't know..and I don't really care..
I am not going to explain my daughter that he is.
But I would have to explain why the green one looks different than all the red ones that are red since ever.
And I would have to explain the Fitness Santa in a future if he shows up also.

Now, I am not against explaination, but why to mix up /mess up with the such a not harmful image.
I wanted to believe in Santa when I was young and the only way to make kids believe is by not rationalizing ( they are just kids in play! ).