For someone who hates Christmas as much as I do, having Santa Claus in my family tree is a real burden. I am just about the Scrinchiest (combo of Scrooge and Grinch) person to ever walk this earth, so Santa is probably very disappointed in me.
How am I related to Santa? Let me explain. It all begins in Scandinavia...
The Sami (Lapps) are the indigenous people of the northern part of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia (Sapmi or Lapland)--basically, north of the Arctic Circle. Traditionally, the Sami have been the people who are reindeer herders, and in some countries, they are the ONLY people who can raise reindeer. At least one branch of my family is Sami.
Santa Claus is from the North Pole, north of the Arctic Circle. He also owns and raises reindeer. So, if Sami live north of the Arctic Circle and are the only people who own reindeer, then it stands to reason that Santa Claus is Sami. One of the most famous Santa Claus villages is in Rovaniemi, Finland--which happens to be where some of my 'people' come from. (It stands to reason that he is from someplace in Sapmi--the North Pole doesn't have reindeer.)
Now, let's put this all together. We see that Santa Claus is Sami. I definitely have Sami blood. Santa very possibly comes from Rovaniemi--my people come from there, too. The only conclusion I can come up with is that Santa and I are related. He probably is one of my great-great-great-etc-uncles. Cool.
How can someone who is related to Santa Claus hate Christmas as much as I do? I guess the answer to that would include enough hours in a psychiatrist's office that s/he could build a summer home, so we won't exactly go there. And even though I barely can make it through the season, I am proud to claim Santa as a relative. Jealous, aren't ya? ;)
***I did almost this exact same post a few years ago, but for the one or two new people to this blog, I thought I would do it again. Sorry to bore the ones who have read this before. :)***
But I don't believe in Santa... ;)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
ReplyDeleteBut I think if you went to Rovaniemi, you might HAVE to--they really go all out there, don't they?
Scrinchiest = my new favorite word.
ReplyDeleteAnd if it makes you feel any better - I'm not really a HUGE fan of Christmas. But, I love Christmas Eve, because it's my father's birthday!
I always loved Christmas Eve--going to church, hearing the sermon, and singing carols by candlelight. Such a beautiful, peaceful, spiritually-healing time. The problem is, though, the people of the C&E Club--those that only show up at church for Easter and Christmas. Now, I'm not going to try and say they have no business being there only for those two days, but it really makes it difficult for those who go every single Sunday, as our church was always 'standing room only' for those holidays. When we quit be 'regulars,' I didn't want to be one of the people who took up 'prime space' from one of the regulars, so I don't get to have the Christmas Eve experience anymore. MY fault, not anyone else's. :)
ReplyDeleteStill, we have a tradition going back quite a few years where we spend the early part of the evening at the house of friends of ours. We exchange gifts, have adult beverages, and have a nice long visit. And we always have a wonderful time--I look forward to it every year.