As a child, on a freezing winter night, bundled up in your bed, your excitement fights off the urge to sleep. Your friend’s voice echoes in your head ‘How can Santa deliver toys to every child all around the world in one night?’ or ‘How come his workshop has never been seen at the North Pole?’ Your mind is overcome with your own question, ‘does Santa exist?’
As a bard, I know there what the difference between facts and truth is. As a demon, I know Santa is real. When I answer the question, ‘How does Santa deliver toys all in one night,’ with ‘he doesn’t,’ it isn’t because I am denying his existence. Humans assume much about things they don’t understand. How much do you know about the being you call Santa Claus? A nice guy in red that brings you presents on Christmas? How much do you know about Christmas? Is it a Christian holiday? Like the Festivals of the Dead, the Festivals of Light can be seen around the world and celebrated in many ways.
Around the winter solstice, it is commonly referred to as the holiday season. It would seem nearly every culture has some kind of holiday going on at the same time. Christmas, Noel, Advent, and Nativity, seem like all the same holidays, but there is also Yule, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Tazaungdaing. Many of these holidays come with gift giving and a gift giver. Common names of this gift giver are Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Papa Noel, Father Winter, Babbo Natale, Deb Moroz, and St. Nicholas who is depicted in the company of kings and children.
Most of these names mean Father Christmas. Some will say the real Santa was the generous Saint Nicholas. Historians will even claim the origins of Santa come from Norse mythology of Odin playing fun tricks by leaving candies in socks drying by the fireplace. Santa goes much deeper than that. The secret to this gift bringer is in the name of Santa Claus. Because he is such an international symbol I will use several languages. Anyone familiar with Italian or Spanish will be familiar that Santa means Holy. Claus is an alternate version of the name Klaus, which has origins in German, Dutch, Scandinavian, and even Greek. Though Klaus is short for Nicholas or Nikolaus, it means Victory of the People. Santa Claus is the Holy Victory of the People. There is no victory more sacred for the people than to exercise their humanity.
What is the meaning of Christmas? If it is a Christian holiday why is it celebrated in non-Christian countries? Why is it holiday such a universal concept? The holidays that can be considered Festivals of Light are found around the darkest time of the year. Whether it is Santa or secret Santa you get a gift from or one you give to, remember, this is the season for the holy victory of the people. So as long as humanity is alive Santa Claus is real.
Bard Note 
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