Does he exist? Yes, does Santa Claus really exist?

And if so, how do you know that he's anywhere but where you think he dwells?
Many people today think he's in your heart and minds this time each holiday season, but is he really? If so, share any remembrances that lead you to firmly believe he's for real.

And for cynics or firm believers in the opposite direction ... post your proof likewise.

Thank you. Oh! And for the female populace here... Accept the brief touch of my lips upon your facial cheek. And to the men... Ummm, well, here's a cyber hug as I wish you all the very best of this forthcoming 2003 Holiday Season.

Cheers!

I dont think Santa exists,if anything he'sthe devil

When I was 11 and 12 years old, my friends said that they believed Santa existed, but not physically. He existed in our minds and in our hearts. The idea of Santa was real and magical.

I never understood this. He's just a character that parents tell their children exists so they will be good because "Santa's watching." Kids believe anything, and if this doesn't proove it nothing will.

When they said that he was real, I just agreed with them and went on my merry way.

Hmmm..

Does ANYONE believe that Santa is REAL??
SERIOUSLY???

LOL!
I'm having a hard time thinking that someone ACTUALLY believes in Santa...

-Ruthie-

This is da story as I know it .. Santa clause must have conjured up from
somewhere right??...
Well most of my relatives who are dutch tell me that it was a dutch man
called... uhh, i forgot his name now... but anyways he would give gifts to
unprivelidged children on christmas with his helper, Piet, a black man. That's
why in Holland Sinter Klas (Santa Clause) is always mentioned with het
zwarte piet.

So the concensus thus far seems to be leaning to one side. Hmmm... the gentleman in the opening post picture surely has to believe he's Santa, or Saint Nick, to be as conclusive as he projects in his image and such. If we peeled off the layers of his clothing and skin, and could pour emotion from his being ... would we find that he is closer to the spirit than humanly possible? And if so, what and where did that spirit come from?

Further proof to substantiate that a force of good exists because a force of evil seeks to work through men (and stupid men and women) to dash the imaginations of youngsters.

http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_em...ews/1001146.asp

Discuss?

If a child was to ask me about Santa Claus, I'd tell them all about the reindeer and the chimney, and everything else that goes along with the story. But I am an adult now and don't believe in Santa anymore. I would like to hear another view of how Santa is real. I'm willing to listen.

I think there probally at one time back in the old country (Europe) a santa like figure (Khris Kringle) who probally did give kids toys on Jesus's birthday every year, until, because he was mortal, got too old or died. I think a story like that probally soparked the santa legend.

Well, here is the 'proof' that it is physically impossible for Santa to do what he does

"Proof That Santa Doesn't Exist - For Nerds!

There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total, or 378 million (according to the population reference bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming there is at least one good child in each.
Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get onto the next house.

Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we are not talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks.

This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second - 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a pokey 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour. The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized LEGO set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that flying reindeer can pull 10 times the normal amount, the job can't be done with eight or even nine of them -Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch).

A mass of nearly 600,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reaches the fifth house on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 m.p.s. in .001 seconds, would be subjected to acceleration forces of 17,000 g's.

A 250 pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim considering all the high calorie snacks he must have consumed over the years) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo. Therefore, if Santa did exist, he's dead now. MERRY CHISTMAS!!! "

Gosh, hope that's not too long, maybe I should have done a link...meh, oh well. But anyway -

But, as Hobgoblin said, there have been historical figures who preformed santa-like things.

Sinter Klaas
there's the history of the dutchman Hobgblin mentioned.

I guess, the debate really depends whether you mean, there is a snata that still exists, or there was a santta that actually exists, in which case, yes, santa was real

If he's fake then the photo in Daring Soul's post has GOT to be a photoshop. A pretty good one though, very little pixelation.

I can't tell whether you're joking or not, Coconino, but, um, don't you think it might possibly be picture of a man dressed up like santa... ?

This is tooooooo funny!

How is it people that might possibly believe in ghosts, spirits, UFO's, alien life on other planets in differing galaxies, life under our oceans and all kinds of other imaginary hoakum... can't take a few moments to really consider the strength of my questions?

"For nerds?" Who here is a self professed nerd? Not I!

The photo came from somewhere. It is a real photo. Look at the man's face, his garb, his demeanor ... does he not THINK he is Santa Claus? I think he does.

"Santa" might be nothing more than a accumulation of positive thought and brightened memories supported by vivid imaginations this time of year... but doesn't that make him real in many respects?

Think about it. And think about all those efforts underway to demean or remove the imagination factor from the young. And hey campers! There ARE adults that still believe in Santa, spirit and otherwise. That substantiates his reality in away ... because otherwise, who would care? Who?

Does anyone get my point or what?

These adults of which you speak that believe in Santa, how do they believe in him? Is it because children put so much time and effort into him that they believe, too? This is what I don't understand.

For example, if people believe that Elvis isn't dead (and for argument's sake, let's say that he really died when he was supposed to have) and if people keep having Elvis sightings, then that makes Elvis still alive? How is this different? It is people who want to believe in something so badly that they make it real to them. But, at the end of the day, Elvis has left the building.

Moe hopes that Santa exists. Someone has been placing presents under the tree for our children. And it wasnt Mr or Mrs. Moe.

I was one of those poor deprived children who stopped believing in santa when i was 3. but i belive that there once was a man who gave gifts to kids in his village and he just grew to fame.

Now calm down everybody take a deep breath , breath in breath out

If Santa didn't exsist who would feed Rudulph? There is nothing to eat at the North Pole but snow he and the other reindeer would starve ..

Besides I have this recent photo of Santa a.k.a. Chris Chringle . The red arrow points to the present I'm getting for Cristmas and the paler pieces are his sliegh. If you use your eyes in an analyticle manner, you'll be able to see that Santa was actually trying to slow down the reindeer so we could get a decent shot ..




















Ho Ho Ho

See? Santa must be real~
Kismit has the "spirit" and understands!

Not only does Santa exist, so does Mrs. Claus. Growing up, one of many traditions in my family was played out on Christmas Eve.

IF you had been 'extra' good all year, Mrs. Claus "magically" placed a small gift at your place at the dinner table, to be opened after the meal. For some reason? Everyone always received a gift from Mrs. Claus.

At the tender age of 7, I learned about "Santa" "The Easter Bunny" and graphic details on "Where babies come from and how they are made." My Mom sat me down and we had a little chat.

Yet? That didn't disuade me. I still believe Santa exists. Although Christmas has evolved into one global commerical plot to fill the bank accounts of retailers, in my heart, he has never left.

If nothing else, on Christmas Eve, I can close my eyes and drift back to happier, more simple glorious moments growing up. I can use my imagination to "see" my family once again, enjoy their antics and remember their love.

Santa may have been born in Europe centuries ago with a kind, gentle man making children smile, but he will stay in my heart and imagination...... forever.

@ Kismit

Hmmm
I don't think he is real.*Makes a present list*
Hope he brings me presents.

Kismit's photo looks like a scorched spot on a snow covered ground. Does this mean Santa's sleigh crashed? Oh my god, christmas is cancelled.