Socializing children into pop culture: A visit to Santa

Abstract

Investigating children's pop cultures that rely on myth-making provide understandings about how children are active agents in the socialization into cultural and moral practices in their everyday lives. An annual visit to Santa Claus is important in children's pop culture in the Western world, however, the social practices associated with the continuation of the myth are underreported. Drawing on the related methodologies of ethnomethodology, conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis, this article examines video-recordings of children talking to Santa at a North American shopping mall. An inherent problem for Santa across the interactions is how to talk about the children's wished-for item without actually promising the gift. Analyses show that Santa manages this problem through the design of his turn and responses, which allows him to mitigate and propose why certain items might not be delivered. Despite the infrequency of the interaction between Santa Claus and a child, a visit to Santa highlights the interplay between child, adult and societal agendas. Findings presented focus on how culture-inaction is produced through the resources of conversation and permeating cultural practices.

Children’s consumption culture development through Christmas myths: ethical implications

“…Our findings broaden the academic understanding of Christmas as a consumption vehicle by looking at its socialising forces, rather than describing and identifying behaviours as is the case with Theobald et al (2018), Ganassali (2019) and Tynan and McKechnie (2005).…”

“…Our findings broaden the academic understanding of Christmas as a consumption vehicle by looking at its socialising forces, rather than describing and identifying behaviours as is the case with Theobald et al (2018), Ganassali (2019) and Tynan and McKechnie (2005). We also go beyond the histories of Santa Claus and the focus on American Christmases of previous studies (Barnett, 1954; Belk, 1987) to look at the polysemic Christmas story of Central-Europe, its parts and socialising potential, beyond gift-giving (Caplow, 1982).…”

“…A confusingly related pair of mythemes is that of Rewards and Punishments, reflecting the moral work that children undertake (Theobald et al , 2018) through reconciling Christmas myths with their consumption cultures. Referring to the rewards and punishment mythemes in the letters, we find that there is really no mention of these in the letters directly though they can be inferred by statements such as the following:…”

“…Children’s Christmas letters are also cultural artefacts that provide an understanding of children that is hard to find through traditional methods (Otnes et al , 1994). Furthermore when writing letters there is usually no direct moral feedback, such as giving Christmas gift wishes to Santa at the mall (Theobald et al , 2018).…”

“…A confusingly related pair of mythemes is that of Rewards and Punishments, reflecting the moral work that children undertake (Theobald et al, 2018) through reconciling Christmas…”