A Little Geography of Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a figure that has become emblematic of Christmas, a holiday that has recently become globalized. This globalization may not only be due to Christianity but also to this character with a fabulous destiny... Let’s journey with Santa Claus through time and space.

The Four Realms of Santa Claus

Christmas, and the mythical figure associated with it, are not just the results of a cultural history. Christmas is the product of spatial shifts of the holiday and its figures: first, the initial shift from the eastern Mediterranean basin to Western and Northern Europe, then, a crossing of the English Channel and two crossings of the Atlantic.

The founding spaces of Christmas often share the same characteristics: relatively wealthy, open to other global spaces, and capable of innovation. Christmas only adorns itself with the cloak of tradition to better hide its successive modernizations.