Shakespeare: The Myth

Michael D. Bristol,

Michael D. Bristol

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Michael D. Bristol,

Michael D. Bristol

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Book Editor(s):David Scott Kastan,

David Scott Kastan

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First published: 12 July 2012

https://doi.org/10.1111/b.9780631218784.1999.00030.x

Summary

Santa Claus is a myth. He serVes as the embodiment of a spirit of conviviality, expenditure, and gift eXchange that has been traditionally associated with Christmas and the winter solstice time out of mind. A department store Santa Claus is a concrete social institution, complete with tedious lines, tense parents, and cheery photographers. Realizing that the man in the Santa Claus suit is not the real Santa Claus is an important step in growing up. Understanding the sad fact that Santa Claus doesn't eXist at all is a further, and no doubt more difficult, achieVement in reaching maturity. In the long run, however, one does not go around muttering “bah humbug”; people discover that Santa Claus is an indispensable part of the Christmas holiday, even if he doesn't eXist for real. What's real about Santa Claus has nothing to do with the actual eXistence of a generous fat man with a fondness for children living at the North Pole. Teaching children to belieVe in Santa Claus is a way for people to eXpress an affiliation with the social institution of Christmas, and especially with the secular tradition of gift eXchange.

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A Companion to Shakespeare