Learned something interesting in church today.
When do you think Santa first appearted in his current form - big fat guy with a red suit and a white beard ?
I figured several hundred or more years ago based on the Story of St Nicalaus.
Church today included the annual sunday school play. Normally an excrusiating presentation of badly planned, boring, un rehersed gibberish presented by kids who can't read and that goes on way too long. How bad can it be? I just can't describe how much I look forward to this particular sunday each year - not. Well this year. A very pleasant change. Light and funny. instead of reading from scrappy paper they read from a video projecting on the back wall. This kept their heads up and I think this helped their voices up.
The sermon (As interpreted by Frank)
Stories shape our lives and our We have several versions of the creatuon story - Gen 1 Genesis 2 for example and 4 versions of Jesus's life in the Gospels. These stories were passed on verbally before they were written down. Stories are re told depending on the audience and the teller. People remember different things depending on what they want to hear.
We think the story we hear today is the same story that has been heard through the generations and actually I suspect that many people think of bible stories as like reading from a scientists note book.
So when do you think the fat red man with a white beard came into being?
Would you believe 1931 coca cola commercial.
Check this out
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-santa-claus
mind you, in the other corner, wikipedia suggest not so cut and dry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus
This video on ted.com is interesting in therms of the way eye witnesses remember crimes.
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