Monster Essays: Christmas and Holidays (Patreon)

Felt like wrapping this up while it's still the holiday. I'd established that Santa was real in a Stackers Christmas story, so felt like explaining what I could figure out of the details. Also cover some similar holidays in the same timespan, but didn't want to stretch it out with every race's religion and celebration details.

Whenever there's magic in a setting, I assume that means Santa's real. He's just the most magical thing and so many people believe in him for some part of their lives that I figure either A) he's some ancient spirit or been around since magic or B) somebody got access to magic and said "Why not make Santa real?"

I actually have an idea the next time I can play in a post-apocolypse game of a man who's just warped enough to either believe he is or must become this world's new Santa Claus. I have a real fascination with Christmas as a theme, if it hasn't been clear. Combining it with other things just sets such a strong tone that it's hard to resist. I even have a Christmas-based rpg half-baked somewhere about being the grim, hardened knights in Santa's service that serve as the guardians to every happy little village in Christmasland; the scar-faced elf with a reindeer mount drinking quietly in the corner, knowing that everyone had their merry Christmas because you sniped the mad snowman that was trying to attack the town before it got here.

Anyway, enjoy your holidays of choice!

Dylan Eywind

Interspecies Relations Masters Study

Christmas Elves. Winter Holidays Between the Races

A. You definitely found the focal point, but you could also mention the yeti Howler’s Day. The dark elf holiday of King’s Feast is also very similar, though with more layered history than perhaps the short paper should cover.

With the joining of so many established races in the public eye, there were many aspects to consider. Most traditions that were not harmful to others were acknowledged and permitted, with some cultural mingling throughout the years. Some were deemed unnecessary by the creators while others adapted to a human calendar, adjusting their time of celebration. As there are too many to recount in a short essay (especially including the various subraces and tribes of separate elves), I will be limiting this to the ones occurring in December. That is to say, particularly those coinciding with or alongside Christmas.

Christmas is itself an adaptation of pagan holidays, and the modern concept of Christmas had no issue marketing itself to include the new races. “Christmas for goblins” has become a staple section of gift cards and a new market in holiday specials was discovered in their presence. The term “Santa’s helpers” became extremely popular for one season to replace “Santa’s elves” before it was determined that actual elves were not offended by this depiction. In fact, the fairly isolated race of “snow elves” were very similar to these depictions as a more gnomish and crafting-centric species.

Many of the races lacked any similar holiday and were glad to latch onto the unavoidable excuse to celebrate. Goblins and demons, for example, had very few holidays that were consistently celebrated in any meaningful way. Fairies and elves had many, but their importance varied depending on their particular circles. Witches, it seemed, all held some important celebration somewhere between Christmas and Thanksgiving. The White Light, Deepfield, and Julix covens all hold Frost Night, a three-day holiday meant to focus on things lost, self reflection, then family and togetherness accordingly. Many other covens celebrate in some similar fashion.

Orcs do not have a particular day but used the most extreme parts of winter as the rare reason to settle rather than maintain their nomadic ways. These were known as Firepit, when orcs would compete in sports to vent their energies normally spent on travel and hunting.

Dwarves, gnomes and lizardfolk had a notable absence of holidays at this time of year. The underground races had little care for weather and seasons, though gnomes traditionally celebrated a similar holiday in Seepeak. This was a time when the power sources of their tools were strictly expected to be refreshed by their maintenance crews, which was celebrated as a time of luxury and comfort. Lizardfolk, normally living in their more tropical climates, were blissfully unaware of the holiday, though tended to grow more sluggish in the colder seasons anyway.

Halflings, of note, were quite aware and happily celebrated Christmas for roughly as long as humans. Their quiet observation and mimicry of humanity inevitably led the shut-in creatures to adore any excuse to eat and drink.

The most notable result of the evolution of Christmas was made clear shortly after the bulk-revelation of minotaurs, cyclops and centaurs. Newly installed magical home security footage found a strange figure appearing in a house in Mexico City. The installed spells tracked them to a diner later that evening, finding a bearded, aged but cheerful man eating a late-night breakfast. Police questioned the charismatic man who identified himself as Santa Claus.

Many details remain unclear, particularly about Santa’s origins. Santa claims to have existed for centuries, but his only actual recorded presence has been in the last few decades. All understandings point to him being a seemingly ageless human man, though with access to magical power beyond any but the most powerful wizards. Santa appears incapable or unwilling to commit any act of violence, though has been known to stop the occasional interloper or burglar by putting them to sleep or encasing them in magical ice. He reaches more and more homes every year, normally delivering some small token. Children wishing for simple toys appear to be visited most often, and Santa has been known to reach over 100,000 people in the last year with more assisted by outside companies and charities working in direct contact, not even including existing charities that predate public knowledge.

The most solid theory thus far has been described as The Miracle Theorem. Fairy magic expert Margaret Tussle proposed that Santa has existed as long as he claims, but as a latent magical force of generosity and good. Santa may have existed as a sense of giving, possessing random souls or creating small gifts for a small number of people every year well before we were aware of it. With humanity’s access to magic and the public understanding of Santa Claus may have given shape to that as mana flowed more freely in the world, granting him more power to reach more people every year.

A counter-theory that also deals in the awakening of magic is the Santa Risen Concept. Given that magic was made readily available to any who could learn it, the public concept of Santa was clear and believed in so intensely that a gifted but standard spellcaster stepped up to take on the mantle. This appears to be more believable, but no records have been found matching the description, nature or fingerprints of the individual.

What we do know is that Santa lives in a pocket dimension in the North Pole, which has long since been tracked as nearly impossible to navigate let alone live on its shifting ice. A small and loyal population of snow elves work within, creating as many gifts as they can under Santa’s supervision and magical resources. He lives with his wife, Mary Claus, and the two are known to travel the world during off seasons. Santa has been known to visit several locations, a welcome celebrity wherever he goes. This varies from toy stores and malls to the adult restaurant Stackers. While Santa seems incapable of violence, he and his wife appear to be in an open relationship given their activities while traveling together.

While Santa himself appears pure under any scrutiny, the government maintains a close eye on his activity. His immense magical power and ever-increasing stealth capabilities make him a potential threat in some eyes, wielding unmatched sorcery in the hands of an individual. Several copycat figures were found using his identity to steal presents or rob houses instead, but these were swiftly apprehended (some by Santa himself). Corporations make constant offers to work with Santa for ads or direct cooperation but in his sparse interviews, he remains intent on staying independent and philanthropic.

While parental ruses, costumed volunteers, and caricatures on soda cans appeared to be as far as Santa Claus went a century ago, his presence appears indisputable now. Civilization once again proved more than capable of recognizing and accepting a magical presence living among them, and having gotten a parent-surprising toy sword one young Christmas morning, I join the population in appreciating that he’s here.