Top 10 Characters of Christmas: 5-1

Two days until Christmas! TWO!!! I truly think this is the most wonderful time of the year, and I am unabashadly a Halloween girl. Time with friends and family, the best food, a time of gift giving and consicious reflection all in preparation for a brand new year ahead. It doesn't seem like there is enough time to get everything done, but it is still wonderful. I can keep reading and watching Christmas stories after the holiday is officially over. That way I can make sure to get a taste of each character on the Top 10 list.

Just as a reminder, here are numbers 10-6

#10 - Jack Frost
#9 - Jack Skellington
#8 - The Coca-Cola Polar Bear
#7 - Mrs. Claus
#6 - The Nutcracker

Without further ado, here are numbers 5-1:

#5 - Ebeneezer Scrooge

Introduced in Charles Dickens' 1843 A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge is a household name. In fact, he is so popular that he has become an adverb--someone being Scroogey--as well as a descriptor for a person--someone being a Scrooge. I don't know of many other characters who have that particular accolade (though one might come to mind...). He has been the subject of so many film and stage adaptations as well as a few spinoff books. Even the Barbie film franchise made A Christmas Carol. Scrooge's story is meant to inspire others to have a charitable heart year round and it is done through a system of warnings sent by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. If you read the original or watch a version of the story that is based strictly on the book, it is not like many of the Christmas stories of modern times. There is an air of horror to it that is not present in today's holiday tales. I think that its place as a classic, and Scrooge's iconic status, proves that Christmas is not free of trials, but it is a time of reflection and hope for the future.

#4 - Frosty the Snowman

While our other characters are certainly present in numerous holiday season songs, none have had their beginnings in a song. Enter: Frosty the Snowman. Written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, their hit song about a snowman come to life via a magical silk hat hit the Christmas scene in 1950. It was an immediate classic and their title character became an iconic presence in Christmas pop-culture. "Frosty the Snowman" is one of the first Christmas songs taught to many children and I do not personally know an adult who cannot at least hum the tune even if they may not know all the words (most know every single one, however). He has found himself in countless films and stage productions, he has been the Grand Marshall of plenty of Christmas parades, and the song that brought him to life is still just as popular as it was over half a century ago. I mean, to his credit, it is written into the song that he will be back again and he has never not shown up.

#3 - Rudolph

It may be a sad or cold origin for our poor little reindeer friend, but Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created as a marketing story for Montgomery Ward department store. The goal was to save money by writing their own Christmas book instead of buying and then selling books. Robert L. May created the story for the department store in 1939. Millions of copies later, it was 1940. Ten years after its release, the story was adapted into the much beloved song and recorded by the one and only Gene Autry. Then there were the countless movies and clips that feature the deer with the glowing nose. Rudolph's song may be even more popular than Frosty's, but that is a debate for another time. The important thing to note is, Rudolph has become so indespensible that the 8 tiny reindeer from Twas the Night Before Christmas have permanently become 9 reindeer. There is not a sleigh that has been pulled in over 80 years that hasn't had Rudolph at its head.

#2 - The Grinch

Like Scrooge, Grinch has come to mean something completely beyond its original intent (possibly). One can be a Grinch, one can be Grinchy, and one can read or watch the Grinch all over the world. Dr. Seuss pubished his book How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1957. It was first turned into a film in 1966, where Boris Karloff provided his amazing voice skills to the character. It has since had quite a round with new films, musicals, and podcasts. Stores have entire aisles dedicated to the Grinch, and Cindy Lou Who and Max are right there with him. However, without the Grinch, none of the other characters would mean much. If Dr. Seuss anticipated the reach of his character when he wrote him, I don't know, but his success was and is legendary. The thing about iconic Christmas characters is how far they reach, who they influence, and what their influence truly does. It is hard to imagine Christmas without the opposing force of the Grinch. Even more so than Ebeneezer Scrooge, the Grinch shows that the warmth of Christmas can melt even the hardest of hearts--or make the smallest grow 3 sizes.

#1 - Santa Claus

If I was going for a surprise, this wasn't the post to do it on. On no Top 10 list of Christmas characters would Santa Claus not be #1. There is no one more legendary, no one with so far reaching a life, and no one with quite so many names. He is Santa, Kris Kringle, Papa Noel, Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, Belsnickel...the list goes on and on. His origin has been the topic of many books, movies, and plays and is not entirely clear. St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th century. Myra is in modern Turkey and is now part of the Eastern Catholic Church, not the Roman Catholic Church though he is still a saint in both. After the Protestant Reformation, reverence to St. Nicholas died out in most Western European countries except for Holland. There he was known as Sinterklaas who later became, you guessed it, Santa Claus. It is important to note that St. Nicholas was known for his kindness and generosity, and this is the basis of the legends of Santa Claus. He has become synonymous with the spirit of Christmas and is a teacher for children that just rewards will come for your behavior. Kindness, love, and generosity make up the magic of Christmas. Santa Claus is the embodiment of that magic.

So, what do you think? How did we do? If we left out someone you think is most definitely a Top 10 Christmas character, let me know! If you think our order is incorrect, let me know that too. There are certainly arguements for different characters and placements. Narrowing our list down to 10 was quite the challenge. For that reason, I have a Runners-Up list!

Runners-Up (in no particular order):

Cindy Lou Who (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Ralphie (A Christmas Story), Buddy the Elf (Elf), The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (A Christmas Carol), Elf on the Shelf

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and rest of your holiday season!

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