Ok so I know that Santa is a guy because Saint Nicholas was a guy, but wouldn't it be nice if he were a woman? Then we wouldn't have another oppressed woman figure who is happy to spend all of her life at home taking care of her husband (Mrs Claus). I feel like this is a great example of how tradition dictates gender roles and it's so hard to break with tradition. Another Christmas-y example: in many families, the dad is the one who gets to carve the turkey at dinner and basically lead all of the celebrations. To be honest, I love traditions and I would hate to get rid of many of them. Maybe its ok to keep traditions as long as we recognize that they really show us the patriarchal history of our society and as long as we start to make new, less sexist ones.
Another reason why Santa should be a woman: The idea of a man coming into my house in the middle of the night freaks me out (Along with the watching me while I'm sleeping and knowing when I'm awake). Unfortunately, a large percentage of women have suffered or will suffer from sexual assault or rape in their lifetime. A surprising number of men have suffered or will suffer from this as well. The majority of perpetrators in these crimes are men. Yes, this seems like a ridiculous and sad point, but I feel like everyone would be more comfortable if it was a woman breaking in to the house at night.
The truth is, I love Christmas and I love Santa; but part of me really wishes he was a woman.
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