See SHARING page 2‘Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the

children.’

Lou Knezevich

WHO?

SANTA AMERICA‘Navy Seals of the Santas’Santa America is expanding services and looking for more good Santas to visit with some very special children. Pg. 12

Santa America information Pg. 18

Volume 2, Issue 1 March-May 2011

ATLANTA 2011East, West coasts team up for celebration

‘T’was the Night Before Christmas

Al Horton explores the questions of who really may have written thisfamous poem. Pg. 3

COURTEOUS E-MAIL CHRISTMAS MEMORIES CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

Suggestions for e-mail

which helps reduce SPAM

Pg. 11

Advice on working with petsGlimpses from Santa’s journeys during Christmas 2010; and a Santa seeks information on workingwith animals. Pg. 17

Old and new Santa art and postcards Pg. 6, 10, 13In addition to these full page works, other artwork isscattered thououghout the issue.

More Images From the PastHarmony Among the Chaos

Merry Christmas from us,every day of the year

More than 130 gather in Southeast for food, fun, tours and sharing. The Red Suit Roundtable brought toghether Santa organizations for betterment of all. Pg. 7

A long-time Santa looks back, and forward

By Bill McKeeDAMASCUS, Va. -

It was 1954. I was four years old. The Geneva Accords ended the war in Vietnam, for the time being. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the nation’s first atomic-powered submarine, the “Nau-tilus.” Senator Joe McCarthy finally went too far in his Com-munist witch–hunt. A team from Harvard Medical School suc-cessfully completed the first kidney transplant operation, and the US Supreme Court, in the

case of Brown v. the Board of Education, ruled that segregation was unconstitutional.

Damascus, Va., needed to find Santa Claus.

Vernon Waters an-swered the call. Born Wesley Vernon Arthur Waters, Sr., 4 April, 1923, he invested 44-years bringing joy to the hearts of

children of all ages throughout Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. Vernon, as he is known, ac-cepted, understood and still lives ‘The Santa Clause.’(1) His life was, and is, an investment in children everywhere.

When he began, he and his wife, Sarah Gladys Forrester Wa-

ters, whom he lovingly calls Gladys, had two young boys. At first she did not understand why he was investing so much time in this Santa endeavor, espe-cially with children so young at home. Soon, she began to under-stand, supporting him “110%,” said Waters. “She always helped me get dressed and made sure I was where I needed to be, and on

A Sharing of Knowledge

contributed photo

Santa arrives in Damascus, Va., on a beautiful December day, pulled by one of his reindeer.

This story was first published in the Bristol Herald Courier. It is the story of one Santa who wore the suit for 44 years and came to know the true heart of Santa Claus.

COMING NEXT ISSUEGetting ready for Christmas in JulySaying thank you and farewell to mentors, friends, Santas and teachers

time,” he went on to say.However, having the two

young boys at home, he had to be very careful and just ‘appear.’ They will have been married for more than 60 years and have two sons, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

People began to ask him every year if he was going to play Santa? His answer was always the same. “I told people that I don’t ‘play’ Santa,” he said, “when I am in the suit and children see me, I am Santa. If you stop and think about who you are, you realize, I’ve got to be the best I can possibly be.”

As the official Santa for Damascus, Waters, dressed in Santa’s finest regalia, en-tered town the first Saturday each December. He usu-ally appeared on one of the town’s fire trucks. There were a couple of years when he arrived in a sleigh pulled by real reindeer. What a treat this must have been for the entire town. He also began the tradition in Damascus of Santa coming to town

every Saturday following the parade, visiting businesses, the elderly, sick and those in special need, leading into Christmas Day.

For Vernon (and many other Santas) it is not just a suit he put on during the holidays. Santa permeated every aspect of his life, every day throughout the year. “You can’t be a part-time Santa,” said Waters.

When asked what Santa meant to him, he said, “A child is the most innocent of anything, and they never

forget their first experiences.” “When I saw the joy and the sparkle in the eyes of the children, I began to under-stand the heart of Santa Claus,” said Waters. “When children get excited it shows all over. They can’t help it,” he said. “Santa should never disappoint a child, because children carry disappoint-ment with them all their lives.” “And they never forget their first experiences with Santa,” said Waters.

When he was very young an uncle came to visit one Christmas and no one knew he was coming. “He had acquired a suit from some-where and walked in the door shortly after supper time, as Santa,” said Wa-ters. “Of course, I had never imagined Santa coming when I was awake, and I was very surprised,” he said. “He walked straight in and grabbed me. It absolutely scared me to death,” Waters said.

Being Santa brought its own rewards, and sometimes even physical pain. Waters recalled one incident when a very large lady came to see Santa. “She weighed at least

350 lbs.,” he said, “and of course Santa can never refuse a request for a photo on his knee.” “Well, she hugged me, she told me stories, she rambled on and on, and was bound and determined I was going home with her,” said Waters. “About an hour later, when she finally left, my legs were numb,” he said, “I couldn’t move my legs or even stand up.” On another occasion, a very good friend of Santa’s, Rev. Bill Hinton, had called and asked if Santa could possibly make it to Pulaski, Va., that coming Sunday. “It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life,” said Waters.

“The children were so excited that Santa had made a very unexpected visit. The parents were so happy to see their children so happy. All of the adults began to pick up on their excitement and before I knew it, everyone was laughing, talking, having their photo made with Santa and almost literally dancing in the Spirit of Christmas,” he said. “I am so grateful to have been part of that experience.” “It was not me, but every single person there became a part of everything that was going on,” Waters said. How do you explain this phenomena, I asked. “Being Santa is about giving without any need or want of return,” he said. “It is impos-sible to give more than you receive, if you give it with a free heart.” “What I re-ceived, just by being a part of that day, goes beyond words,” he said. “I can’t explain it, because unless you have been Santa, there are not words for it,” Waters said.

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SHARING from Page 1

See SHARING pg 5

contributed photo

Vernon Waters pauses while helping his neighbor, Mrs. Harr, hang her Christmas decorations one recent December.

By Al Horton

Those who have published this poem has been giving credit to Clement Clarke Moore for many years. The problem is that for at least fifteen years before the poem saw the light of a Troy New York day, a group of children had been listening to Major Henry Beekman Livings-ton Jr. read them this poem. That is almost 7 years before Clement Moore claimed to have written it. All four of the Major’s children - Charles, the oldest, and his next-door-neighbor bride Eliza, second son Sidney, and third son Edwin - all remembered the readings and their pleasure in hearing the poem.

The original handwritten version was destroyed in a Wisconsin fire at the home of one of his grand children. Though all the children remember it well and have told everyone they know about it, it is not very well documented.

A literary detective who could trace the origin of writing styles, Mr. Don Foster, discovered that around 1806 or 1807, Major Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. was reading this poem to his children. One account goes back to 1805 when this tradition first started.

Reading the styles of both

men, I find it obvious that this poem is more than likely written by the Major than by Moore. The Major was fun loving, outgoing and always writing to give humor to everyone and especially children. On the other hand, Moore’s writing was very sarcastic, and gloomy. Talk-ing about bawdy women and that children do not need to play but need books so they

can be educated.Reading about the views

of both men was amazing. I recommend that anyone who wants to know the truth be-hind the poem read some of the history and background on both men. Then read both works. Major Henry Beek-man Livingston Jr. passed away in 1826 leaving the way for Clement Clarke Moore to accept the role of the au-

thor of this poem. It appears that a nanny who knew the Major and privileged to his writings and readings went to work for the Moore’s and brought the poem with her to the new household.

Did you know that the names for the reindeer came from Major Livingston’s stable? Yep, he named the reindeer after his horses. No how is that for an 1805 coincidence?

Now in this delightful jingling poem there is not a touch of religion. The ‘jolly old elf ’ has not the slightest resemblance to a reverend saint. And there is no sug-gestion, except in the word Christmas, of any connec-tion in thought or spirit with what is, excepting possibly Easter, the most sacred day in the whole Christian year. And similarly we may observe in our time many a Christmas party runs its course without any partici-pants giving a thought to a birth in a manager from which our year is dated. So Santa Claus is strangely dif-ferent from his pious name-sake and also in some places and among some people estranged from the very religious occasion to which he is attached. This is one of the reasons that I claim that Santa Claus has no religion.

Religion belongs to the

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See WHO Pg. 4

Who really wrote

“ ‘T’was The Nite Before Christmas”?

Page 4

WHO from Pg. 3

holiday and not the legend. This is also the reason I feel that Clement Moore (a min-ister in the church) did not write this poem.

The modern image of Santa Claus is an amalgama-tion of several traditions. The figure of the Christmastime gift-giver is found in many cultures, showing up in the person of the “Christkind-lein” (from which we get the name “Kris Kringle”), which was superseded by “Pere Noel” in France and “Pel-snickle” elsewhere in Europe. But the introduction of Santa Claus into American mythology stems from Saint Nicholas himself.

Now where did Santa Claus get his reindeer? There are no reindeer in Germany and probably never were, certainly not the kind that are broken to harness like horses. And oddly enough the reindeer does not ap-pear in any of the surviv-ing Christmas legends and customs in old Germany. The reindeer first paws the roof of American houses. But of course, he cannot be an American animal.

There are reindeer in northern Scandinavia where they have been domesticated from time immemorial. Scandinavian and German legends and mythology are closely related. The old Ger-man gods come from the north and many German folk-tales are of Scandina-vian origin. The reindeer of our Santa Claus certainly came from Lapland (now called Norway), and Santa is an arctic explorer, explor-ing the other way: Major Livingston, with true poetic

imagination, describes him as “dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot” not in the red flannel with which we are accustomed to seeing him clothed. Among the Germans or Dutch who

came to this country there must have been a legend of a Scandinavian Santa and in Germany the reindeer inexplicably got lost. Perhaps their bones will be found in a German forest by one of the literary archaeologists who dig into such matters. But no, the bones will never be found, for the reindeer are still alive and fly over the house-tops.

Although a staple Christ-mas story for nearly two centuries, the full sig-nificance of Major Henry Livingston’s poem is often forgotten. Major Livingston was considered very learned and was called a walking encyclopedia.

Published first in 1822, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ crystallized for many what would become the widely understood depic-tion of Santa Claus. This particular incarnation would later become intertwined with the European Father Christmas, creating the international figure we know today.

In fact, the author re-mained anonymous until Moore first claimed writ-ing it. He worried that the secular nature of the poem could cause controversy for his position as a Baptist Minister. Once the popular-ity of the poem was assured though, Moore’s name be-came known and he forever became famous as the man who designed a central part of our modern day Christ-mas.

In writing this poem for his grandchildren, we assume that Livingston drew upon his knowledge of anthropol-ogy and his fascination for ancient traditions at this time of the year. In weaving some of these traditions into his tale, many took on a new significance. This is just my opinion of how he may have thought, but since there is no record, we will not know the truth of what was going through Major Livingston’s mind as he wrote down this poem.

There are so many Christ-mas traditions and concepts that find their beginning in this poem that it seems appropriate, particularly on this Christmas Eve, to pick through the verses and il-lustrate just how much our modern day Christmas owes

contributed photo

Santa Al Horton

See WHO Pg.16

Page 5

Never having met a strang-er and having seen much of life, in and out of the suit, he understands something of the imperfection of human beings. “Of course you are going to make mistakes,” he said, “but a mistake ceases to be a mistake if you learn from it. It then becomes a stepping stone.”

Following Christmas 1997, he knew he might not be able to continue in his life’s work as Santa. Having brought joy, laughter, love and kindness to untold num-bers of children of all ages; visiting the sick and shut-in, his body would not allow him to go on. “The hardest thing I have ever done in my life was to give up putting on

the suit as Santa,” said Wa-ters. “Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about it.” “I will be 88-years-old this coming April (2011) and I still believe in Santa Claus,” he said. “Santa Claus lives in your heart.”

When asked what he wanted for Christmas this year, he replied simply, “Just to be here.” “I just want to be here to see my children, my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren.”

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He can some-

times be spotted, if you watch closely, as he passes by on his way to and fro traveling through Damascus, where he still lives. Though his body can sometimes slow his journey, his heart is as big as the world. And he knows the hearts of children everywhere.

Believe In ChristmasBill McKeeSanta@TheSantaClaus.com

YOU SHOULD KNOW:Vernon’s physical health is

not so good, but he is as sharp as ever. He would appreciate hearing from any Santas who don’t mind post-ing a card. He does not have email. Cards and letters are always welcome. They will reach him at:

Santa Vernon WatersBox 311Damascus, VA 24236

(1) The Santa Claus: ”In put-ting on this suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all rights to previ-ous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus until such time that wearer becomes unable to do so either by accident or design.”

SHARING from Pg. 2

Page 6

Page 7

By Lou Knezevich

Phillip Morgan /Maverick Marketing and Design

A group photo in front of the Park Tavern at Piedmont Park.

Red Suit Roundtable

ATLANTA, Ga. - More than 120 Santa’s and guests filled to capacity the Park Tavern at Pied-mont Park. Springtime filled the air as all had a respite from the North Pole temperatures this winter.

A delicious dinner of herb crusted prime rib and glazed tenderloin satisfied the appetite of the most discriminating Santa. Ice cream with peppermint candy combined with chocolate brownies was the desert of preference.

The opening ceremony was performed by Santas Drill Team, sponsored by Santa America, formed from the Palm Tree San-tas, aka “Florida Sandie Clauses.” They are a “must see group” so don’t miss

them if they appear in your area. They brought laughter to all as they per-formed “present cookies and got milk.” They also preformed The Story of The Star Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Alle-giance.

Their presentation was so inspiring and patriotic that a number of people

in attendance had a tear in their eye.

Santa J.R. Arthur played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes while all stood in silence to honor our fallen friends in Red. The Rev. Rob Figley, FORBS Director from Oregon/Washington gave an inspiring invocation which embodied peace and the

love for our brothers and sisters.

Santa America was represented by its founder and president, Ernest Berger. Santa America has launched a number of new programs involv-ing children and health related issues. Volunteers are needed and Santa Bob Elkin is the contact at santa@santatb.com.

Also represented was the Hudson Family Foun-dation who help needy children with financial support, books for reading programs and outings at the Atlanta Braves games. Tim Hudson is an out-standing pitcher with the Atlanta Braves and along with his wife are instru-mental in the charitable activities.

The large audience

Phillip Morgan /Maverick Marketing and Design

Santa Bob Elkin leads in “Santa’s Drill Team” during the opening ceremony in Atlanta, Ga.

See ROUNDTABLE pg. 8

welcomed Santa Ron Rob-ertson from Los Angeles, Ca., who is Director of the Board and president of FORBS. The Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santa’s is the largest Santa social organization in the US and growing. Santa Ron explained the mission and goals of FORBS and answered questions from the audience.

Santa Tom Irving, a founding member of The Direct Descendants of Santa joined Santa Ron at the podium, each joining the other as a show of Santa solidarity between organiza-tions.

Everyone shared a special treat listening to the his-tory and the background of “Elf on the Shelf ” by coauthor Carol Aebersold. Carol offered some insight on how the tradition was developed and continues to grow. There was laughter and lots of chuckles as she

related some of the situa-tions The Elf on the Shelf has been placed in.

Capping off the day was a Ho, ho ho contest won by Tommy Usury from Niceville, Fla., and the fashion contest which was won by Lou and Monica Bertone from Cleveland, Ga. Congratulations to the winners.

What better memory than a photograph taken in front of the Park Tavern of those in attendance. Many new friendships were made with those in attendance and the many vendors who brought their wares for Santa to see.

Page 8

See ROUNDTABLE pg 9

ROUNDTABLE from pg. 7

Santas, Mrs. Claus’ and all attendees enjoy the afternoon festivities.

Carol Aebersold talks with the capacity crowd at the 2011 Red Suit Roundtable about the book she co-authored with her daughter, Chanda A. Bell.

Co-author of the‘Elf on the Shelf ’ shares story,insight on tradition’s beginnings

“Santa’s Drill Team,” representing the Palm Tree Santas.

All Photos By Phillip Morgan /Maverick Marketing and Design

Santa Lou‘Georgia’s Premier Santa’santalou@bellsouth.netwww.santa-lou.com “It’s all about the Children”

Santa Lou Knezevich, emcee

Page 9

Photos By Phillip Morgan/Maverick Marketing and Design(unless otherwise noted)

Santa J.R. Arthur, top left, plays the bagpipes dur-ing the event. Top right, the Fashion Show winners were Lou and Monike Bertone, first place, center; Mike and Debra Medley, second place, right; and J.R. Arthur, third place, left. Center, left, Santa Ron Robertson from Los Angeles, Ca., Director of the Board and president of FORBS, the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santa’s, talks with atendees. In the bottom left photo, Santas and Mrs. Claus’ enjoy selections from the chef at the Park Tavern.

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Courteous e-mailRecently I received a

mass ‘reply all’ e-mail, com-plaining about something over which I have and had no control. It came from someone who was complaining to the sender about being included in a mass ‘CC’ forward mailing. (As was my e-mail address, just as his was.) How-ever, by sending out a mass ‘reply all,’ I saw the replyer commiting the same of-fense as he was complain-ing about to the original forwarder. (Confused yet?)

I consider mass ‘forward’ e-mail’s with all the e-mail addresses in the ‘CC’ field splattered across the inter-net SPAM, which I filter and check later. I also see this mass use of the ‘CC’ field as contributing to the ever-increasing SPAM e-mail.

Have I ever sent e-mail to several people? Abso-lutely. I always place all e-mail addresses in the ‘BCC’ field, which hides them from public and (hope-fully) spambot view, and simply send the e-mail to myself in the ‘To’ field. It is a simple courtesy I think. I also consider who I am sending the mail to and pretty much know the few recipients will already have an interest in what I for-ward. Spambots infest the internet, harvesting every

byte of information they can, including every e-mail address they can gobble up. Placing e-mail addresses in the ‘CC’ field makes it easier for them to harvest a moderate to large number of valid e-mail addresses by the hundreds of thousands in the blink of an eye.

I do not know how may people I have asked to remove my e-mail from their mailings. However, it doesn’t take long before someone else decides that I need to see something and puts my e-mail address (along with numerous oth-ers) in the ‘CC’ field. And I usually get these from someone I don’t know who has harvested my e-mail address from previous such mailings. I have seen a

number of such forwarded e-mails, with list after list of forwarded headers, still including numerous ad-dresses in each sucessive forward. I received one such e-mail which literally had a couple of hundred addresses. (And yes, I counted them.)

I do have some very powerful SPAM tools on my server (pair.com), along with more filter-ing on downloaded mail to my computer before it reaches my in box. I don’t see many of them anymore, nor does much SPAM mail reach my in box. I do periodically check the SPAM caught on the server, check to make sure I am not missing something I should have received, and

then delete them all.Other than the origi-

nal ‘To,’ (which can, and should be to yourself ), all addresses should always be in the ‘BCC’ field.

There are exceptions, of course. One good example is when people are work-ing together on a mutual project. Everyone certainly need to be aware of all persons participating in the project and have access to the shared knowledge.

If for no other reason than simple courtesy, place your addresses on small or large mass mailings in the ‘BCC’ field. I cannot prevent SPAM, but it can help slow the bots down, and it shows you respect the privacy of your friends and associates’ addresses.

It is what Santa would do, I believe.

Bill McKeeeditor

A note on the e-mail no-tifications I send out for the North Pole Oberver

I use a secure mailing software feature on pair.com which is designed to send out mass mailings for newsletters, announcements and the like.

These addresses cannot be harvested by spambots and I do not share the addresses, much less sell them.

Helping reduce SPAM, maintain civility and promote harmony among the chaos

Page 12

Santa-America NewsMarch 2010By Santa Bob Elkin

Thanks to the support of so many of you, Santa-America reported a banner year in visiting more chil-dren in every one of our major initiatives under the new “Team Management” concept initiated in 2010. This month we will focus on the progress of our Military Support Programs!

Our Military Support Programs led the way in ac-complishments under the guidance of National Director Santa JR “Jack” Arthur, Lieutenant Commander, USN, Retired. Over 15 separate Santa visits were recorded at 11 of the 23 Army Garrisons contacted. Santa Jack reports all Army Garrisons receiving visits sent very favorable reports and those contacted who were not participating in 2010 are anxious to be involved with Santa-America in 2011.

Santa Jack already has plans underway to not only expand to more Army Garrisons in 2011, but also to the Navy, Marines, Air Force and National Guard programs. Santa Jack’s goal for 2011 is to exceed 60 Military Bases being provided with Santa-America Santa Visits!

In addition, Santa Jack plans to engage Santa-Amer-ica’s Drill Team (aka Palm Tree Santa’s Drill Team) to participate in “Welcome Home The Troops” ceremonies at various Military Bases during the ensuing year.

Santa Jack is a proud participating member of Santas Drill Team. Santa Jack will be assisted in developing our Military Support Programs with the recent announce-ment that Lieutenant General Steven Whitcomb, USA, Retired, has accepted a position with Santa America as a member of the Board of Directors.

If you are interested in joining our Military Support Program Initiative or would like to learn more, please contact Santa-America.

Santa-America, Inc.www.Santa-America.orgSanta Jack Arthur (santajack@santa-america.org)Santa Bob Elkin (santabob@santa-america.org)

Bring Love, Hope and Joyto Special Children

24/7/365Children with Autism - Pediatric Obesity

Chronic Pediatric IllnessesChildren of Wounded Warriors

Hospice Grief & Bereavement - Public Health

Contact:Santa Bob ElkinNational Director Santa Relations,Santa Americasanta@santatb.comToy Shoppe: 727-491-0533Sleigh: 813-230-9254

Santa America expanding ,seeking special Santas

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Winter Wonderland Lane

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WHO from Pg. 4

to these 56 lines.

“ ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouseThe stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

(Actually, the hanging of stockings had been around for some time by this point and is linked to the original tales of Saint Nicholas.)

Not surprisingly, Saint Nicholas was a very popu-lar historical figure for his tendency for generosity to the disadvantaged. One such story tells of how he was passing through a poor village when he overheard the troubles of one family. A father had three daughters, but unable to afford a dowry to secure a suitable husband for each of them, it was becoming increasingly likely that they would be forced into prostitution. Therefore, as each girl reached the ap-propriate age, Saint Nicholas passed by and dropped a bag of gold through their bed-room window. Each time, the family was able to use the gold as a dowry and the girl was able to marry.

One variation on the tale has it that Saint Nicho-las tossed the bags of gold through the window and they landed in the girl’s stocking, which had been hung out to dry. It is from this that we developed the tradition of hanging a stock-ing for Saint Nicholas to demonstrate his generosity.

Another variation comes

from Knickerbocker’s stories about the history of New York where he changed the tradition of placing wooden shoes out to collect the goodies, to those of stockings hung by the fireplace. This was further embellished by Nast with his artistry.

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.”

Sugarplums was the treat of the day. As children of today dream of candy canes, sugarplums was the treat of the earlier days.

“And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.”

Night caps and kerchiefs were worn to bed along with long night shirts. Unlike the pajamas of today.

“When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.”

When the days turned cold, the shutters were brought closed. This helped to keep the wind and cold out. One could still look out

of the shutters to see the outside but only through small openings with limited visibility. If you wanted to look outside, most of the time you had to muscle the shutters open.

“The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave the luster of mid-day to objects below.”

It was stated by a grand-daughter of several gen-erations after the Major as she stood on the staircase gazing out the front door at the snow on the ground. This must have been exactly where Grandfather Henry got his inspiration for the poem. It is beautiful outside and the new fallen snow is bright with the full moon tonight.

I would love to stand on those steps and look at the door at such a wonderful winter scene. My mind is already picturing this beauti-ful sight.

“When, what to my wonder-ing eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.”

This is the first ever mention of St Nick us-ing reindeer as a mode of transport, but it was not a random choice. Firstly, Livingston was familiar with the Northern European Christmas celebrations and their Christmas gift-givers such as Father Christmas

See WHO Pg.17

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WHO from Pg. 16

and Old Man Winter. He probably drew many of his inspirations from Lapland, as a suitably wintery climate, and therefore included the traditional use of a sleigh with reindeer to reflect how a mythical figure from that part of the world would travel.

Also Knickerbocker wrote in his chronicles of New York that St. Nick was a Dutch creation who was small and elf-like. The Major just may have borrowed this idea. “More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Dunder and Blixem!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

Some people may be surprised to see Rudolph is not included amongst Santa’s roll-call of reindeer. In fact, Rudolph was a commercial creation that came about approximately a century later as part of an advertising campaign for a department store. Once the song became popular, Rudolph cemented himself as the most famous of Santa’s reindeer, despite never appearing in the ‘of-ficial’ line-up.

The choice of eight rein-deer is also significant. Actually, eight reindeer would be incredibly im-practical in pulling a sleigh,

but Livingston was slipping in an obscure reference to another Northern European Christmas tradition. That was Oden’s horse he road had eight legs. He also had eight horses in his stable that he used (but not at the same time.) Their names hap-pen to match the reindeer’s names.

Before Christ, the Norse winter festival of Yule took place at the winter Solstice and is responsible for provid-ing many of our modern traditions. One of them, and a precursor to the idea of the Christmas Eve visitor, is that the God Odin would ride around the world at night on the festival, deciding who deserves good or bad luck for their crops for the year ahead. Bestowing prosperity or hardship on the people he visits, the Odin tradition can be seen as a possible origin for the idea of Santa draw-

ing up a list of who has been naughty or nice. The Major was able to slip in a refer-ence to one of the original Christmas gift-givers. “As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,When they meet with an ob-stacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof.”

So why the roof? Is there any significance to this? If we return to Lapland again and Northern climates, many traditional dwellings were built into the ground, with a covering of skins and other materials to keep out the ele-

ments. This meant that the roof rose out of the ground and it was therefore possible for a visiting sleigh to arrive on your roof, although what damage that would do, I am unsure. “As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicho-las came with a bound.”

The chimney is one of the more bizarre aspects of the Santa Claus myth. Why would anyone choose this method to gain entry? Again, Livingston was show-ing his knowledge of Lap-land housing. With Lapland dwellings built low into the ground, there was only one opening in the middle of the roof that served as entry and exit, as well as the chimney for the fire. So by entering a Lapland house, you were actually bounding down the chimney. A clue to this is contained in the poem as St. Nicholas doesn’t climb down the chimney, but enters with one bound. “He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tar-nished with ashes and soot.”

At this period in history, there was no single image of how Santa Claus looked. He was just as likely to be depicted as a wine-soaked party-goer on a sled pulled by turkeys than he was a bearded old man in a cloak, and hundreds of other variations besides. Since Major Henry Livingston Jr. so loved children, he made the likeness after what he

See WHO Pg.18

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WHO from Pg. 17

thought the children might enjoy.

Continuing his theme of borrowing from the Lapland tradition, Saint Nicholas is dressed as you would expect someone from that part of the world. Notably, the Major does not describe the colors of Santa’s outfit, and the images inspired from this poem were free to use any colors they felt appro-priate. It wasn’t until Coca-Cola adopted Santa Claus for their annual Christmas advertising campaigns in the 1930s that he became commonly associated with the red and white outfit we know today, selected to reflect the Coca-Cola brand. This is yet another example of commercial advertising shaping Christmas. “A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled, his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.”

Commonly, Father Christ-mas or Santa was depicted actually wearing a wreath about his head, made of holly or other Christmas greenery. He had a white beard and the Dutch depict-

ed him with a long clay pipe. This could explain the smoke that encircled his head like a wreath. “He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.”

Although Livingston describes Saint Nicholas as a ‘right jolly old elf ’, this has been taken to mean that Santa is actually a magi-cal elf. This is most likely the origination of the idea of elves assisting Santa at Christmas Eve as well as the other-worldly nature of the

big man himself, but this is definitely an extreme extrap-olation from this poem. It is quite clear that the Major is not necessarily defining Santa as an elf but is liken-ing him to one due to his jolly nature. Also, this poem does not provide any other background for its creation – no North Pole refuge for example. All of these magical elements were later added by modern commercial depic-tions and Hollywood. “A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.”

Santa’s exit up the chimney is also more interesting when put into the context of the Lapland dwelling. Although the poem implies magic has taken place in Santa rising back up the chimney, in Lap-land, rising up the chimney means no more than leaving through the front door, as they are one and the same. “He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

And with that, Major Henry Livingston shaped our Christmas Eve celebra-tions forever. Don’t forget to pull down a copy of the poem to read to your chil-dren in bed tonight and when you do, reflect on how different Christmas would be if the Major hadn’t decided to favor his children on this occasion with his fascination for ancient traditions and true Christmas spirit.

By Kris KringleSanta Al Hortonfunwithsanta@gmail.com

Page 17

I appeared as Santa at my local PetSmart for the first time this year, and will be do-ing the same thing, again. I was surprised to find how frightened most dogs become when their owners place them on Santa’s lap to have their pictures taken.I love animals (sometimes more than most adult people that I have met) and I would loveto do this PetSmart-thing more often in the future. But, I would love to hear from other Santas as to how they have been able to help the dogsrelax more and enjoy the experience more. In the meantime, I will do some experimenting on my own to try to find a way to calm them down on my own.

Thanks,Santa Dan “Danta” Myers dmyers@pebtf.org

Santa seeks advice working with animals

Riding in the sleigh, creating a little magic making my roundsHi!

The finger and nose prints are still on my dinning room window from when the children watched you drive away. I can’t bringmyself to wash them off! We can’t thank you enough for yourwonderful visit.

(From a grandmother)I received the above from one of the many home visits I made this year,

one that was a very special stop for me, also. It was a wonderful gift to receive it as it gave me a view from the perspective of the children, their faces plastered up against the cold window watching me depart.

In another wonderful moment from this past Christmas, I was pass-ing through downtown Abingdon, Va., one early evening just before dark. Christmas was only a few days away and I had just left one stop headed for another.

As I neared a light on main street, just east of the heart of downtown,I saw a family walking in the same direction that I was traveling on the left sidewalk, just a short way ahead of me. They had their backs to me and did not see me slowly approach. It was a family of four; man, wife and two young children.

Both children were walking hand-in-hand with their parents. They were out for a walk downtown just before Christmas, perhaps having just left a store or eatery on their Christmas walk.

I grinned as I saw the light was just turning green, which would allow me to continue right on through without stopping. Just before I reached them, with my window down, I began ringing my set of real sleigh bells I have handy in the sleigh (Mrs. Claus taught me this). I put my left arm out the window and began waving, continuing to ring the sleigh bells the entire time, giving the effect of the sound nearing, passing and going away. Just as/after I passed even with the family, I began a big boisterous “HO, HO, HO.” All they could see was an arm clad in red and trimmed with fur, ending in a hand wearing a white glove, waving.

Behind me now, I could hear squeals of Santa! Santa! Santa! I think I was still laughing with pure joy as I past the Barter Theatre, headed up courthouse hill a number of blocks down the street!

I know they have a special family Christmas memory from that eve-nings’ walk during Christmas 2010.

So do I.

Bill McKeeSanta@theSantaClaus.comwww.NorthPoleObserver.com

Page 18

Love, Hope & JoyWrapped in a Warm Santa Hugfor Special Children & Their Families

365 Days A Year!For nine months, the nine-year-old Hurricane Katrina sur-vivor did not speak. He and his mother rode out the killer storm in the attic of their home. His next-door neigh-bors were not so lucky and the young boy heard their screams as Katrina took the lives of his best friend and his friend’s mother. When the mother and son moved to Mobile, they sought help for the boy’s post traumatic stress. Week after week, month after month, the boy was silent during therapy sessions. A professional in the medical community called Santa-America for help. When Daphne, Ala-bama resident Santa Ernest Berger walked into the coun-selor’s office, the young boy jumped up, flew across the room and hurled himself into Santa Ernest’s embrace shouting, “Santa, I thought you were dead.” The boy’s mother and counselor wept as the boy told Santa Ernest about his nightmare experiences.

Santa-America Changes Families’ Lives!Founded in 2003 by Daphne, Alabama resident Santa Ernest Berger, Santa-America is a national non-profit volunteer service organization that offers Santa visits to children and families in crisis…365 days a year! Santa nurtures children and their families by giving compassion during an emotion-ally stressful time of their life. Following the initial visit, the same Santa will continue to visit the family year after year, helping in their grief and bereavement. Santa’s visits with children come from the medical community, hospice, and special needs educators. We build relationships with medical societies and alliances. As one of our initiatives, Santa America is conducting a clinical pilot study to reveal the value of Santa’s love on chronically ill children.

Caring For Our Children

Santa-America is the leader inadvancing the highest standards for its volunteers. We conduct rigorous national background checks and intensive training … the same background check as a doctor or nurse.

How We Build Community

Santa-America volunteers unite generations and work together to build community through service to our children. The gifts

of Love, Hope & Joy transcend politics, culture, race and religion. These gifts are treasured universal values.

When we visit our special children, Santa-America gives gifts that symbolize Love, Hope and Joy. Our signature Santa Hugs™, sleigh bells, and our special book, An Angel in the Sky, continue to remind children and their families of their special visit with Santa.

Gifts forOurChildren

For more information about Santa-America, visit Santa-America online at www.Santa-Amer-ica.org or contact our President, Santa Ernest Berger, at SantaErnest@santa-america.org.Don’t miss the Santa America Blog on the Web site at http://www.santa-america.org/santa-blog.Any Santa interested in becoming a Santa-America Santa please contact Bob Elkinat santa@santatb.com

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth McGonagleGraham, Lasting Memories Photography

Page 19

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1/4 PageCONTACT: Bill McKee bill@earthdancer.org Workshop & Sleigh: 276-429-2181

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CONTACT: Bill McKee bill@earthdancer.org Workshop & Sleigh: 276-429-2181

Text Block

Full Page (outlined in green)

Advertising space is available at reasonable costs. Submissions need to be page-ready,complete with any art, and in high resolution for best reproduction. Please contact me,bill@earthdancer.org, for pricing, information and publication deadlines. CONTACT: Bill McKee bill@earthdancer.org Workshop & Sleigh: 276-429-2181

CONTACT: Bill McKee bill@earthdancer.org Workshop & Sleigh: 276-429-2181

Page 20Classified

North Pole Observer ©Copyright 2010, 2011 ©®™

Masthead Artwork by Earthdancer Imaging ©

The North Pole Observer© is published by Brothers Claus Press. Issues are published in PDF format and available for viewing or down-load at http://www.NorthPoleOb-server.com. An archive of the issues is readily available online at http://www.NorthPoleObserver.com. The publication is edited and produced independently by Bill McKee, a long-time Santa. All contents © are the sole property of the authors, pro-tected under U.S. and International copyright laws and trademarks. Written permission must be obtained from the author of any article before reproducing any of the written con-tent, or images in any form.

All rights reserved.

http://www.theSantaClaus.com

CONTACT: Bill McKee bill@earthdancer.org www.NorthPoleObserver.com Workshop & Sleigh 276-429-2181

These sand cast, solid Brass bells can be found online at Cat’s Paw Web site. The bells pictured above are recent additions to Perry’s inventory. For our readers who are familiar with my story ‘The Bell on Christmas Eve,’ this is my source of the small acorn bells which are very special to me.

I have purchased numerous bells from Perry and I can recommend his service, honesty and products very highly, without hesitation.

Contact Perry at: Cat’s Pawhttp://www.catspawdb.com/accessories.htmldonnajo@aye.net

Brass Bells, PolarExpressStyle Bells& more

“In putting on this suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all rights to previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus until such time that wearer becomes unable to do so either by accident or design.”

The “Santa Clause”from the movie The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause