Santa Claus: Equal to or Greater than St. Nick?

So Santa Claus is a Christian? I guess that’s right, but for some reason, I thought he was bigger than that.

It’s almost Christmas, and so NPR did a segment today to explain how Santa Claus is able to do what he does each and every year. The person doing the segment interviewed experts from Fed Ex and UPS, and using standard business methods, they determined that Santa Claus would need approximately X million employees to deliver 760 million gifts to all the good Christian boys and girls around the world.

Actually, the Fed Ex and UPS gentlemen were provided with the 760 million figure, which is apparently the number of Christian boys and girls around the world.

I have to admit I was a bit shocked at this point in the story. I realize that Christmas is a “Christian” holiday -- as if that matters to anyone -- but hasn’t Santa Claus moved beyond Christianity? Doesn't he give gifts to all the nice boys and girls around the world, regardless of a child's parents' religious affiliation or beliefs?

Maybe not. Maybe for millions of children around the world, December 25 is just another present-less day. It seems that Santa keeps more than “Naughty” and “Nice” lists; he also keeps a baptism list as well? Or, what about children in Christian families, who, according to their parents’ chosen religion, may be too young to be baptized? Are they counted as “Christian”? Or, are they included in a special ancillary category, such as: "Christians-in-training," or "apprentice Christians"?

My daughter mentions God every once in a while, mainly because her good Christian grandparents have mentioned God to her and have taken her to church. Surprisingly, she receives presents on Christmas; although I don’t consider her to be Christian, somehow Santa Claus has insider information? She’s just five years old. I simply consider her to be a little girl.

Comments

"Digging for the Truth" Experiment #4 -- The Federalist Radio Hour

I first heard of Sean Davis last week. He created an online magazine called The Federalist in 2011, and he currently has about 500,000 followers on X. It was about last week that he posted something amazing. He suggested if the Supreme Court doesn't rule the way they should, not only should Trump just ignore the ruling, if they keep obstructing the administration, he should just dissolve the Court altogether. And I thought, wow. This guy is saying outrageous stuff like that, and there's an audience for it. So, I decided I'd listen to an episode of The Federalist podcast: April 17, 2025 -- Deportation, Due Process, and Deference to the American People (40 minutes) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deportation-due-process-and-deference-to-the/id983782306?i=1000703904873 In the 40-minute conversation, the host and guest discussed why due process wasn't required for illegal immigrants. The case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was mentioned for a brief second, but...

"Digging for the Truth" Experiment #1 - Real Coffee with Scott Adams

I've been curious about how others perceive reality. What is "true" and "real" to me is not necessarily "true" and "real" to others. First stop: Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. He's currently 67, does a daily podcast called "Real Coffee with Scott Adams" which draws about 30,000 listeners on YouTube, with 172,000 total subscribers to the channel. Podcast is also available on all the usual places, with a 4.4 rating on Apple Podcasts. Each episode is about an hour long, or a little less. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15SFbr2vj8c 1. Basic format: Just runs through news articles that drew his interest. On the April 15 episode (link above), he ran through 28 articles. Often he'd laugh at something, sometimes to show his disbelief. 2. Adams is not a big fan of science. He's open to conspiracy theories. Believes that the government doesn't tell us the truth (although he seems to think the Trump administration is an e...

In Utero

In 1994, I wore my In Utero shirt to college. I’d walk down the hall, and people would look at the shirt. I still remember a professor looking at it, not apparently hip to the scene. She asked, “Bret, is there something you’re trying to tell us?” I had no idea what I was trying to say. Kurt Cobain had just shot his head off with a shotgun. Before that life-changing event, I hadn’t been the biggest fan of Nirvana, but I did recognize the immediate impact “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had on music, or at least on MTV. Nirvana had seemingly killed and buried Hair Metal, and they had done it single-handedly. What exactly was this “Alternative” sound? It was weird, because soon it felt like everything was “alternative,” and that didn’t make any sense. Once everything is the same, how can it be anything but standard, normal? Nirvana was okay, but at least at the time I was wearing the merch, I was much more into Offspring and Green Day and Tool. And that’s about as far as I went into...

The Writer's Poke

Search This Blog