Thread: Santa Claus

I would like to learn the stories about "Santa Claus" in your countries. In the U.S.A. the story goes that Santa lives at the North Pole, with elves and flying reindeer, and brings toys to good children on Christmas Eve. He is at every shopping mall, having his picture taken with kids between Thanksgiving and Christmas, children put out cookies and milk for him to snack on when he stops at your house (when you're asleep), I used to put out some carrots for his reindeer. He magically gets into your house by coming down the chimney, In a red suit with white fur cuffs and collar. Some of his reindeer have names, "Trivia question" - can you name them? He makes the trip delivering gifts all the way around the world in one night. What else am I forgetting? What are the stories in your country? And, Merry Christmas everybody!

In the UK it's pretty much the same as America. Although often he is said to live in Lapland*, and not the North Pole. We usually leave Sherry and Biscuits* for Santa. Although some people leave Milk and a Carrot (for the Raindear), or some shite like that. Also I think we may equally, or even more so call him Father Christmas.

*For Americans, Lapland is mostly in Northern Finland, but I believe it also is partly in Russia.

*Biscuits is the proper English word for what Americans call Cookies.

I remember when I asked my mum how Santa brings me presents if we don't have a chimney. She told me he has a special key.

I'm not German but the "significant other" is.

He said this:
Dec. 6 is called Nikolaus where the kids have to clean their shoes and put them outside their door. At night Nikolaus puts candy in them if the kid is good or a Rute (a stick) if they are bad so the parents can beat them with it lol.


Santa also brings all the presents Christmans eve and they open them all that night.

Btw Christmas lasts 2 days there the 25th and the 26th

Originally Posted by TATY

We usually leave Sherry and Biscuits* for Santa.

Reading about the sherry reminded me of an old Calvin & Hobbes strip:
http://www.larsonsworld.com/comics/c...s/ch881225.gif

And my country isn't Russia, but the Russian equivalent to Santa is Ded Moroz -- Grandfather Frost (Дед Мороз).
Wikification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ded_Moroz

In Russia, as you may know, there's no Santa Claus. It's believed that there's Ded Moroz. The story also goes that Ded Moroz lives at the North Pole with flying reindeer. I don't know if they have names like Santa's reindeer. Russian kids don't put out cookies (=biscuits) and milk for Ded Moroz's reindeer. I read a book about Ded Moroz (or maybe Santa Claus) when I was a kid and it said that Santa (or Ded Moroz) lived in Lapland. If I had kids I'd tell them it's true I don't remember where Lapland is. Since there are no chimneys in most Russian aparment buildings, it's hard to say how Ded Moroz brings presents to kids. Presents are brought on the first night of the New Year.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Originally Posted by TATY

We usually leave Sherry and Biscuits* for Santa.

Reading about the sherry reminded me of an old Calvin & Hobbes strip:
http://www.larsonsworld.com/comics/c...s/ch881225.gif

And my country isn't Russia, but the Russian equivalent to Santa is Ded Moroz -- Grandfather Frost (Дед Мороз).
Wikification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ded_Moroz

And Snegurochka is his ""granddaughter"".

Originally Posted by TATY

And Snegurochka is his ""granddaughter"".

For one period when I was a little girl I thought that Snegurochka was Ded Moroz's wife. (probably because most Snegurochkas I saw were played by grown up women and "granddaughter" was associated with a little girl in my mind)

Originally Posted by Haksaw

Some of his reindeer have names, "Trivia question" - can you name them?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen..., Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen..., Rudolph

In my country (France) we call the guy in red P

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by Haksaw

Some of his reindeer have names, "Trivia question" - can you name them?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen..., Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen..., Rudolph

Ah, but are they(Dunder and Blixem?)? A bit of lore: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/donner.asp

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by Haksaw

Some of his reindeer have names, "Trivia question" - can you name them?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen..., Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen..., Rudolph

Ah, but are they(Dunder and Blixem?)? A bit of lore: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/donner.asp

And the capital of the US is Philadelphia. The largest city in the US is New Amsterdam.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

And the capital of the US is Philadelphia. The largest city in the US is New Amsterdam.

Ah, but then George W. would be president. Oh, wait...
Just trying to spike the egg-nog a bit... No need to call out the minutemen...Boy, that's alot of ellipses...

I can confirm that Santa Claus lives in Lapland, more specifically in Korvatunturi (literally translated, Ear Mountain), a little mountain right on the border between Finland and Russia. Santa Claus is called Joulupukki in Finnish. He brings us presents on Christmas eve, in the evening. When I was a kid he used to come in and give the presents personally (and he sounded kind of like the man who lives next door), but nowadays he just leaves the sack of presents at the door.

Theres only one jolly fat man in our house, and his name ain't santa.

ReDSanchous, these days kids are told that Дед Мороз lives in Великий Устюг town.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Originally Posted by BlackMage

And the capital of the US is Philadelphia. The largest city in the US is New Amsterdam.

Ah, but then George W. would be president. Oh, wait...
Just trying to spike the egg-nog a bit... No need to call out the minutemen...Boy, that's alot of ellipses...

That doesn't make any sense.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Originally Posted by BlackMage

And the capital of the US is Philadelphia. The largest city in the US is New Amsterdam.

Just trying to spike the egg-nog a bit... No need to call out the minutemen...Boy, that's alot of ellipses...

That doesn't make any sense.

Broken down, line by line:

Ah, but then George W. would be president. Oh, wait... [A reference to your above comments suggesting that the snopes.com posting was essentially irrelevant due to the outdated names. George W. could be Washington, or what the current president is sometimes called]

Just trying to spike the egg-nog a bit [A seasonal reference, meant to convey a sense of adding something -- in this case a historical tidbit regarding the names of reindeer]

No need to call out the minutemen [Again, a historical reference indicating that there is no need to become defensive -- the article I posted isn't supposed to deprive you of getting the trivia question right, but simply to provide some background]

Boy, that's alot of ellipses[Should be self-explanatory but ...=ellipsis. I, in all of my typing fury, ended every "sentence" with ellipses.]

So there you have it. An attempt at a humorous rebuttal and a plea to not take reindeer naming seriously. Obviously, it failed miserably -- but I swear that beneath that incoherent veneer there is most definitely a coherent meaning.

But, you see, New Amsterdam hasn't existed since 1664, 68 years before Mr. Washington was born.

Originally Posted by BlackMage

But, you see, New Amsterdam hasn't existed since 1664, 68 years before Mr. Washington was born.

To continue this senseless debate (although apparently an enthralling one, since you and I keep going back and forth), the way I see it, you took some artistic license with your New Amsterdam/Philly statement, as the said reindeer in question were initally written about 1823 -- some 159 years after New Amsterdam's name faded away. At that point Philly was just another city and as you said New Amsterdam was the oh-so-lovely city of New York. Don't I get the same license to propogate my heretical reindeer stories?

Dunno if its an ancient joke... Just heard it and liked it anyways, so here goes

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

"In honor of this holy season," Saint Peter said, "you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven."

The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle," he said.

"You may pass through the pearly gates," Saint Peter said.

The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells".

Saint Peter said, "Good enough for me."

The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.

St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?"

"Umm... They're Carol's".