Some parents think believing in Santa Claus hinders critical thinking

Some believe telling children about Santa Claus is immoral

David Kyle Johnson, a professor of philosophy, thinks telling kids that Santa is real is psychologically damaging and sets them up for being more easily conned as adults.

The myth of Santa Claus has partially caused a consumption-oriented holiday season

Yahoo pulled together a humorous collection of social media posts from people who seem to have forgotten that the holidays aren’t only about getting presents. The article is a sobering reminder to spend time with loved ones and show gratitude during the special season.

Santa Claus originally wrote Christmas letters instead of receiving them

Parents originally used the letters as an opportunity to help discipline their children. Gifts eventually took on a more central role in the holiday, turning the letters into chances for kids to write Christmas wish lists.

Hundreds of thousands of children still write handwritten letters to Santa

Children have been writing letters to Santa Claus for centuries, but in the early 1900s, Santa started writing back. That’s when the United States Postal Service began Operation Santa, allowing its employees to help answer St. Nick's mail. In 2017, the USPS started accepting digital letters to Santa.

Santa Claus is the result of centuries of evolving traditions

Originating from Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop celebrated for his generosity, Santa's story merged with European folk legends like Sinterklaas and Father Christmas. By the 1800s, American culture redefined him, thanks to Clement Clarke Moore’s poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and Thomas Nast’s illustrations.

Christmas elves evolved from Norse mythology to Santa’s workshop

Elves originated as powerful human-sized beings in Norse mythology, closely tied to nature and fertility. In the 1800s, American writers reimagined them as tiny, toy-making assistants for Santa Claus, with later visual depictions by Norman Rockwell and Disney solidifying their role in Christmas folklore.

The Slavic Ded Moroz is a more secular version of Santa Claus

Atheism was long a central part of Soviet politics. One facet was an attempt to wipe out religious holidays, Christmas (and Santa) included. Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, is the Soviet version of Santa, who also travels by carriage and has a long white beard.

Leaving cookies for Santa became popular in America during the Great Depression.

There are psychological benefits to believing in spirits

A number of psychologists believe religion helps subdue our fears of death by giving us a sense of what’s to come and, therefore, a sense of control over how to ensure the best possible outcome.

There’s a solid argument to be made that Macy’s was the inventor of the retail Santa

The Macy’s website claims that retail Santas—the Christmas icons who invite children to meet them at department stores and malls around the holidays—have been visiting the store since the 1860s.

Father Christmas was originally associated with decadent parties

The English figure of Father Christmas is another component of the character that would become Santa Claus. Father Christmas was depicted as eating and drinking to excess until the more austere Victorian era. He morphed into a figure dedicated to children and charity, eventually blending into the modern Santa Claus.

Mall Santas became a widespread tradition beginning in the 1900s

Santa Claus and commercialism are inextricable. In the early 1900s, department stores started putting “live” Santa Claus displays in their windows to help sell goods.

Dutch immigrants to America brought 'Sinterklaas,' a tradition of gift-giving to children

Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas—their tradition of celebrating Saint Nicholas on Dec. 6 with gifts for children—to 17th-century New Amsterdam (now New York), where American culture eventually reimagined the bishop into our modern portrayal of Santa Claus.

Two Americans solidified the modern conception of Santa Claus in the 1800s

Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem, now known as “The Night Before Christmas,” envisioned Santa riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer, making nighttime visits to provide gifts. Thomas Nast’s Harper’s Weekly illustrations in the 1860s–1880s established his distinctive appearance—large, bearded, and clad in an (often) red suit.

According to Bill Nye, science is under threat from an erosion in critical thinking

He states that conducting research online cannot replace consulting with scientific experts who have spent their entire lives intimately studying a field. The former science education show host argues that deepening cynicism towards scientific institutions has been fueled by leaders embracing debunked and unsupported claims.

Track Santa and his industrious elves

Starting in December, you can follow along with Santa’s trek across the globe. Spend time on the map, play games, and even translate your holiday messages into other languages.

Hear the story of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for modern Santa Claus

A fourth-century Greek bishop in Turkey, Nicholas was known for his generosity and gift-giving. Legend holds that he secretly tossed gold bags through a window to save three sisters from slavery, which landed in stockings drying by the fire.

Saint Nicholas was a Turkish bishop from the third century

The Christian clergyman didn’t ride in a flying sleigh or have a workshop full of elves, but he was known for his generosity and anonymous good deeds, which became the basis for the story of Santa Claus.

SantaCon went from an anarchist protest to a rowdy bar crawl

Now known mainly as a costumed, Christmas-themed bar crawl, SantaCon began in San Francisco in 1994 as an anarchist protest against Christmas overconsumption inspired by a Danish event in 1974. It spread to Portland and Seattle before the event went worldwide and lost its radical roots in the process.

Working as a mall elf is not always merry

Humorist David Sedaris’s classic radio piece on his time working as Crumpet the Elf at Santaland in a Macy’s revealed a darker side of Christmas, filled with tantrums and fights. First broadcast in 1992, Santaland Diaries was Sedaris’s breakout story, and NPR has annually aired the story ever since.

More than half of American adults believe in the afterlife

It’s hard to find actual data regarding ghosts, but a survey conducted by Pew Research Group in 2023, revealed that around half of the US adult population believes ghosts can interact with the living, with most thinking that spirits can help rather than harm us.

Parents criticized 'Dungeons & Dragons' during the 'Satanic Panic'

The role-playing game became popular enough to attract the ire of special interest groups, like Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (or BADD) during the so-called "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s and 1990s, when parents believed the game was corrupting children.

Mall Santas can make five-figures for just six weeks of work

The annual gig requires more dedication than most would expect. Mall Santas undergo training at Santa University, receive a bodyguard, and must stay in character.

Danish folklore suggests families should treat mischievous elves to some porridge

The “nisse” is a small, demonic figure who was said to creep into barns, sometimes killing livestock. Over time, the character evolved into a friendlier Christmas elf that families could satisfy with a bowl of porridge.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of 'The Anxious Generation,' contends that children are losing the ability to pay attention as they spend half their lives perusing social media content designed to hook them.

An illustrator named Thomas Nast helped create the Santa Claus we know today

Older depictions of Saint Nicholas present a tall and thin bishop, while 19th-century illustrations from Thomas Nast gave the world Santa’s iconic white beard, big belly, jolly smile, and red suit.

One man in Germany answers a large amount of Santa's mail

There are a few places in the world where much of Santa Claus's mail ends up, often because their name includes the jolly man's moniker. One of those places is Nikolausdorf, Germany, where Hubert Weddehage, a local government employee, has responded to Santa's mail for over 50 years.

The 1974 anarchist protest in Denmark that later inspired SantaCon

An interview with one of the participants explains what the performance art group that planned the event was hoping to achieve. Hordes of Santas walking down the street with a giant goose, attacking buildings with backhoes and pickaxes, handing out “presents” stolen from department stores, and eventually being arrested.

Americans are divided over Christian prayer in public schools

A 2024 Pew survey found that over half (52%) of US adults favor allowing teachers in the public school system to lead their classes in prayers that mention Jesus, though results vary widely by state.

Miracles versus magic: How early Christians distinguished their beliefs from pagan ones

This in-depth article describes how early Christians attempted to differentiate their beliefs and rituals from those that came before. One major difference? Demons. For pagans, demons could be good or bad, occupying the middle ground between gods...

Krampus is known in Central Europe as Santa's scary counterpart

If you live in Austria or Germany, you've likely heard of the Krampus—a horned, half-goat demon who punishes bad children, sometimes by kidnapping them, sometimes by hitting them with birch switches, and occasionally by bringing them back with him to Hell.

UNICEF collects donations for children at Halloween

For generations, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has been one of the main ways American children are introduced to the work of the United Nations. The Halloween campaign encourages them to collect donations for children in need—instead of just candy.

The science behind ghosts, explored

Every culture has them—restless spirits, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night. But why do we believe in ghosts? Psychologist and skeptic Dr. Chris French joins host Sony Kassam to explore the science behind the supernatural, from sleep paralysis and hallucinations to the brain’s pattern-making instincts.

Some parents have objected to yoga in schools

Yoga has been introduced in some public schools as a form of exercise and emotional regulation. Some parents, however, have objected to its inclusion, arguing that it promotes the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Note that this resource will be paywalled for some readers.

Rockwell helped define the American Christmas

Rockwell painted 30 Christmas covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Drawing on his love of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Rockwell placed the holiday’s unofficial traditions in an American context, with images of eager children, snow-covered small towns, and warm family meals.

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

Examples of the phenomenon, known as Nobelitis or Nobel disease, include promoting psychic research, harmful practices like eugenics, and seeing talking raccoons. Increased external pressures after a win and a greater spotlight may contribute to developing or exposing these beliefs.

Watch a Yale University psychologist explain his new supportive parenting anxiety therapy.

Charles Dickens transformed Christmas into an important family-centric holiday

When Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, its story of an old man's redemption helped reshape the holiday, popularizing themes of generosity, reflection, and family that transformed the Christmas season.

The origins of Iceland's child-eating Yule Cat legend

Iceland is a cold place, and wool production has long been a key means of surviving the climate's severity. For those Icelanders who failed to get new Christmas clothing before the holiday, their lurked a vicious, hungry cat to consume them. The centuries-old folklore is a fascinating story of social control through the tales we tell. For a dose of Christmas fear, read this wild article.

Science communicator Bill Nye (1955 - ) on science

"Science is the key to our future, and if you don’t believe in science, then you’re holding everybody back."

Christmas was briefly banned in 17th-century England

In the 1640s, Puritans outlawed Christmas, deeming it wasteful and unbiblical. For nearly two decades, celebrations were suppressed and violators fined, though many ignored the ban. The law was repealed in 1660.

Thirty weird facts about Christmas trees

From its fascinating origin to how yours is grown today, these incredible Christmas tree facts will add a little bit more wonder to your holiday season.

Red and green became Christmas colors thanks to holly—and Coca-Cola

Holly's green leaves and bright red berries linked the colors to winter festivals for centuries, but Coca-Cola's 1931 Santa—painted by Haddon Sundblom in Coke-red robes—helped cement red and green as the modern Christmas palette.

Thomas Edison, eager to communicate with ghosts, tinkered with an apparatus called the 'spirit phone.'

Krampus is the evil counterpart to St. Nick in Alpine folklore

In Austrian and Bavarian tradition, Krampus is a horned, demonic figure who punishes naughty children with switches and chains. He is celebrated with parades and costumes around the holiday season.

35% of Americans have moved on from their childhood religion

A new Pew Research analysis finds that most Americans still identify with their childhood religion, but 35% have switched or left entirely—often due to lost belief or drifting away.

Many Christians observe a different theme for each week of Advent

Many churches structure Advent around weekly themes—often hope, peace, joy, and love—which shape sermons, prayers, Scripture readings, and the lighting of candles on the Advent wreath. The specific themes vary widely across denominations and communities.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes published a book claiming fairies were real

In 1917, two young girls took photos of one another appearing to interact with fairies and a gnome. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books and a fervent believer in spiritualism, published the photos in a magazine and asked the girls to recreate them, which they did. Conan Doyle went on to write a book about the fairies. In 1983, decades after his death, the girls admitted the photos had been faked.

A brief history of Christmas tree design

A celebration of the Christmas tree in all its festive glory. Get a glimpse into its intriguing background and the lore that accompanies it.

A 2020 poll found around 50% of Americans believe ghosts and demons are real

Ghosts are typically represented as sad and still retaining some of their humanity. Demons are more associated with evil and the devil, without any connection to being human.