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I just read the history of Santa Claus at yahoo news and thought it apropos for the season to share it with you all. I print it below. Also, whilst touring with the great British fingerstyle/altered tuning acoustic guitarist, Martin Simpson, he told me that once, touring in Japan, during the Christmas season (some Japanese really get into the Christmas spirit as a kind of exotic experience from what I've heard) he saw a decoration in a window that had Santa Claus hanging, crucified on a Cross.............whooooaaaaa! Okay, here's my irreverant Christmas card to this wonderful list. Merry Christmas to all of you, whether you celebrate or not...... love, Rick ********* THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF SANTA CLAUS (an eye opening read) In ancient times our ancestors found it difficult to deal with the harsh Winter season... obviously with out the modern comforts we all enjoy. A mild Winter was always something they longed for, and often tried to appears the forces of Nature with various religious activities. The Pagan Vikings would dress someone up to represent Old Man Winter, and then make him as welcome as possible. The British eventually adopted this custom, and after the advent of Christianity, called him Old Father Christmas. He was welcomed into each household to enjoy all the Feasting and festivities. He was plied with Mead and food to try and keep him in a good mood. It was hoped that these activities would make for a mild Winter and a good Spring. Much later, this ancient Pagan figure, was confused with Santa Claus, and today most think of them as one in the same. Actually "Santa Claus", as he is most commonly known, started out as a Christian Monk who died in 345 CE. and who eventually gained sainthood. Needless to say, he eventually became more popular than "the Christ" and was burned in effigy by the French clergy, in the middle part of the 20th century! Finally, in 1969 CE, Pope Paul VI demoted him in non-saint status! Today, the fat, jolly, red suited Old Man is actually an invention of the Coca-Cola Company. Strange, but true! In 1931, Coca-Cola hired an artist to redesign Santa Claus for their Winter advertising campaign.. Red and white are the official colours of Coca-Cola, hence the Old Man's new outfit. Since that time, the look of Santa Claus has been carved in stone. Years ago Father Christmas or Old Man Winter, would appear in green, purple, blue, blue-black or even brown, often trimmed with brown, black or white furs. Sometimes even covered head to toe in fur skins. But no more! True to Corporate America's goal's, now all see him as the fat jolly man in the red suit, with lots of goodies for everyone. Before Clement Moore write his famous poem in 1822, Father Christmas travelled by foot or by giant White horse (Sleiper? - Odin's eight legged horse). But Moore, a very learned man and professor of Literature, changed all of that forever when he introduced the idea of reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh. This was not done on a casual whim, but came from an ancient Finnish legend about "Old Man Winter". The Ancient Finns belied that Old Man Winter drove the reindeer down the mountains, into the lowlands each year with the coming of the cold (food source?). Moore grafted part of this Finnish legend onto the existing Farther Christmas. Why eight reindeer? Some scholars have speculated that the professor was having some fun with the general populace by perking up his tale with a scholarly reference to Odin, who rides an eight legged horse. As well known author, Desmond Morris has stated: "Odin's horse carried the god around when, clad in a large cloak and hat, he set out to meet his people, dispensing rewards and punishments as they were due. There are clearly elements there suggesting that Odin was a precursor of the Farther Christmas-Santa Claus figure, and it may have amused Moore to incorporate at least one Odin feature in his new creation". So again we find that much of what we consider to be strictly a Christian phenomenon... is again, based in Pagan reality --