Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Holy One

"The word Santa means holy. And Santa Claus is one of the true figures of imagination that we have left that children can really relate to. Adults can, too, but maybe not with the same sense of reality as children obviously. But I don't know if there are any other figures of imagination that have so much reality...I do think he embodies the real spirit of Christmas. And I'm speaking as someone who has really studied theology for a long time. I don't think we should give Christmas over to the theologians to discuss the intricacies of theology. I think that it's about a figure who understands what it means to give, to relate to children, to have a good spirit, create friendliness in the world, and bring the world together. He travels the whole world on Christmas Eve, it's not just one country. There's an awful lot in Santa Claus that I really love."

~ Thomas Moore, on Open Line with Fred Anderle (12.18.08)