Emile Durkheim believed that things sacred,God and society all came from the same roots. It takes society to believe in something added to and above the real to become sacred. Things or ideas become sacred through beliefs, rituals and church. This was from his sociology of religion and knowledge. I think his idea held true then and now.
Santa Claus is a good example of how someone becomes sacred even when the idea of him is above the real. Santa is known by children around the world. He is a big joyful man who wears a red suit and delivers presents and candy to the 'nice' children on Christmas Eve. His image is reinforced through movies, books and posters throughout the world.
The Santa tradition of today can be traced by to the 1820's. He lives at the North Pole, has magical elves who help him build the toys, and flying reindeer who carry him around the world in a night dropping off goodies.
The idea of Santa came from earlier figures from all around the world such as Saint Nicholas in the 4th century and Father Christmas in the 16th century. Both are usually depicted by long white beards and the giving of gifts to the poor.
I have already reminded my children that Santa has been reviewing his list of the nice and naughty children. This website I have used for my children. After you put in some information such as their name and how they have been behaving, Santa sends the children a email with a video that sends the child a personal message. This reinforces the idea of Santa in a society that completely accepts this myth.
http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/g-VrZG9DVxTRskr8X3iWeXg?fb_action_ids=4638570798534&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582
I think your example of Santa was a great one to use. Durkheim was big on things being sacred, and Santa is definitely sacred to all the little boys and girls in our culture. Mostly every single little kid believes in Santa Claus because of a myth that has been carried out for generations in our country. As we know all too well that Santa is just a made up image, children all over the US get so excited when it gets close to Christmas because of the presents that they are going to get from Santa. I think that the story of Santa isn't hurting any of the kids, they may be upset when they find out that he isn't real, but I've never heard of a child seriously getting hurt over finding out that Santa is fake. I love the website that you use. I think it is a very cute idea, and it is something that can add a little more fun to your family around the holiday season.
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