Santa Claus is a Necessary Part of American Culture

Santa, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Papa Noel...whatever you choose to call this holly, jolly joy-bringer, you can't deny that Santa and all of his gift-bringing glory are a definite part of what makes America so great.

Consider all that Santa has done for us. Santa's naughty-and-nice list has kept kids in check for the year (at least for the month of December) and his little "appearances" that he makes in seemingly every mall in the country always make kids' faces genuinely light up with excitement. Santa just makes people happy; odds are, if you grew up in the States, you have that beloved memory of Santa bringing you gifts every Christmas morning.

Imagine you're an eight-year-old and it's Christmas Eve. You're laying in your bed asleep, dreaming of whether you'll finally get that toy you wanted. You simply can't wait for the man of the hour to show up whenever he does, fly onto your rooftop, slide down your chimney and drop off all of your gifts. And don't forget, he'll also be coming for the cookies and milk you left on the table right in front of your extra-decorated light up Christmas tree, adorned with all the bells and whistles you picked out. Close your eyes for about ten seconds.

Remember that? Remember how you always felt? That little warm euphoria for the man?

So does every little American kid.

Honestly, Santa Claus is a hero in his own way. Now just imagine America without Santa Claus. How are we supposed to spend the month of December? What makes December fun like every other month? February has Valentine's Day. March has St. Patrick's. May has Mother's Day. July has fireworks. October has Halloween. Every month has something to make it special. That's what Santa is. He's the guy who makes December special.

But more importantly, he always made you special too. Remember those little lists you made with your little hands way back whenever? Santa always seemed to have you in mind. Those gifts under your tree with your name on them? Remember those? And (typically) whatever was in one of those boxes corresponded to something on your little list. Santa was always the guy who gets you what you ask for (assuming you could find that thing at Target.)

Santa has been making little American kids so happy for decades -- probably even a century or two. And regardless of how important Santa may be to you personally right now, every little American kid should believe in somebody like that. They deserve it too. You sure did.