Santa Claus plays a vital role in the traditional Christmas
holiday and for some Americans, it wouldn’t be Christmas without him.
But, how safe is it to visit Santa these days? While Santa
does bring quite a bit of joy to kids of all ages, he can also be a source of
problems – especially with the Mall Santas. Sitting on Santa’s lap can be both
a physical and mental health concern.
The UGLY: In the
United Kingdom, this year marks the fourth year that children are banned from sitting
on Santa’s lap. The reason? The fear of sexual abuse. The move came in 2011
when holiday Santas were no longer required to pass a Criminal Records Bureau
check. As a result, schools reacted and imposed the ban so that there is no
room for potential sexual misconduct with children.
Apparently, the fear of inappropriate touching – intentional or
unintentional – has taken precedence over a child’s wish to tell Santa what
they want for Christmas.
The BAD: Besides
the potential for inappropriate sexual behavior on behalf of Father Christmas,
sitting on Santa’s lap may also pose a threat to viral exposures. While no
formal studies have proven this to be an issue, some people believe there may
be a risk of catching a cold or the flu from a sick Santa Claus. Furthermore,
if the suit is not cleaned regularly, it is hard to determine what germs could transfer
from one child to another.
Based on the potential of transferring germs from person to
person, those suffering from germophobia (i.e. mysophobia) may have a serious
problem with the Santa’s lap-sitting tradition.
The GOOD: Despite
the issues, there are many positives associated with the man in the red suit.
In fact, a study performed in the late 1980s showed that people’s social
interactions with Santa help to define, reinforce, and confirm their sense of
self. The sense of self was highly dependent upon the person’s age:
- Infants: no reaction
- Children ages 3-5: experienced fear but submitted to their parents’ wishes to sit on Santa’s lap.
- Preschool girls: conformed to the ideal of “good little girls” to please Santa
- School-age children: 1) some visited Santa mainly in order to please their parents; 2) some because they truly believed in Santa Claus; and 3) others to receive the free candy that was given away
- Teenage boys: ridiculed Santa in order to look tough in the eyes of their peers
- Teenage girls: validated and/or confirmed their status as young women by flirting with Santa
- Adult men: basically ignored Santa as they were far more interested in less social interactions
- Adult women: acknowledged Santa and often flirted as a simple gesture of participating in “just another social interaction”
- Elderly: considered the Mall Santa as cheap entertainment
The point of the study is that Santa Claus plays a key role
in psychological and social development of children and teens, and provides a
means of displaying appropriate social behavior for adults.
Good, Bad or Ugly, the lesson here is that Santa Claus is an
important and iconic figure in the holiday season. Sitting on Santa’s lap
should be a personal choice by each person, or parent if the child is a minor.
If you have young children, you need to decide the risk of sitting on Santa’s
lap: Are you risking sexual harassment? How about catching a cold?
I firmly believe that the positive social role that Santa
Claus plays far outweighs the potential risks mentioned above. However, if
those concerns are weighing you down, you may want to find a “known” Santa for
your child to visit – one who you know is not prone to sexual misconduct or
does not have a cold.
Either way, it should be a parental decision to include
Santa Claus and his ubiquitous lap in your holiday plans.
Works used for this article:
Hughes, M. (2011). Volunteer Father Christmases told children can no longer
sit on their knee
Thompson, W. E. and Hickey, J. V. (1989). Myths, identity
and social interaction: Encountering Santa Claus at the mall. Qualitative
Sociology, 12(4), 371-389.
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