Happy Friday Fun-Day, Scrap Binners! And happy last night of Hanukkah to those who celebrate! It’s hard to believe that we’re already reaching the end of those eight holy nights, six days away from Yule and the Winter Solstice, and ten days away from Christmas. With all these winter holidays going on, I think it’s time for another holiday-themed Friday Fun-Day writing prompt. This time, I want to turn the spotlight on the big man himself: Santa Claus.
We’ve seen a million different stories—especially movies and TV specials—starring Santa Claus: The Year Without a Santa Claus, Fred Claus, and Disney+’s latest streaming sensation, The Santa Clauses. Honestly, at this time of year, there is no shortage of the cookie-eating, gift-giving, home intruder. It can get a bit tedious to see so many different versions of the man in the red suit year after year, especially if you have children.
However, there is a plus side to this dilemma: his origins, as a character, remain an enigma. We do have the historical origins with Saint Nicholas, even if those are questionable as well. As a character, though, Santa Claus has a wide variety of origins. Whether he’s a mythical being, a man who became an immortal being because of his good deeds, or a man who picked up the mantel in a long line of red-suited gift-givers, Santa Claus’s roots are forever changing.
That’s what I want you to do with today’s writing prompt. Explore Santa Claus’s origins. All myths have their beginnings—what are Santa Claus’s?
Where was he born? Does he have a family? How did he start giving gifts to children? How did he start breaking into houses without facing any backlash? Who exactly are the elves, and how did Santa Claus fall in with them? Why did Santa Claus choose to go to the North Pole, and how does he survive up there?
The questions are limitless.
Since the questions are limitless, give yourself five minutes to jot down notes and let your imagination run wild. Then use these notes to create a short story about the origins of Santa Claus. The story can be a whimsical children’s story, like “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, or a hysterical yet sometimes tragic story of familial dysfunction, like Fred Claus. The only real limit here—beyond the five minutes for your notes—is your creativity.
I highly encourage you to make Santa Claus as well-rounded a character as possible. Remember, this is an exercise in seeing how well you can take an already flat character—a well-known one, at that—and make him into someone with a truly fleshed-out background. However, don’t forget to have fun with it. It is your story, your version of Christmas, after all.
Share your vision with the world!
Feel free to share your experience with this exercise and the resulting short story in the comments below. For an extra writing prompt, don’t forget to join my paid Patreon membership at this link.
Happy holidays to all!
