Santa Claus is overdue for a social transformation, one that will make him relevant in a diverse and inclusive society. One of the most beloved figures for children throughout history is Santa Claus - yet he has become highly controversial. Parents today wonder how to present him to their children, or if they should encourage their children to believe in Santa at all. Schools and communities experience conflict about whether he should appear at civic functions. Business, religious and political leaders use Santa to sway public opinion towards their own agendas. This isn't new - Abraham Lincoln used Santa Claus as a form of psychological warfare to advance the North agenda in the Civil War. Santa Claus is a mythical character that originates from a variety of winter solstice festivals and figures and actually has little to do with any religion or St. Nicholas, despite this commonly held assumption. The controversy around Santa Claus actually has little to do with him but speaks volumes about adult agenda-making in today's often conflictual social environment. This fascinating book by a mom-scholar provides a comprehensive, well-researched analysis of who Santa has been in the past, how he came to be who he is today, and who he could become tomorrow.

Yvonne Vissing, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Centre for Childhood and Youth Studies at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. Yvonne has worked in the area of child and youth advocacy for her entire career collaborating with different child rights groups in the USA. Her work is driven by the pursuit of human rights, community-building, resiliency, peace and justice. Yvonne has worked as a teacher, researcher, consultant, therapist, award-winning filmmaker, mediator, guardian-ad-litem, and helps organizations to decrease child abuse and improve child well-being. She is a former fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health, University of Connecticut Center for Democracy, and Whiting Foundation. Author/co-author of 15 books and hundreds of chapters, professional journal articles and other publications, including 'Children's Human Rights in the USA: Challenges and Opportunities' (Springer, forthcoming), 'The Rights of Unaccompanied Minors: Perspectives and Case Studies on Migrant Children' (Springer), 'Children's Human Rights as a Buffer to Extremism' (Springer); 'Changing the Paradigm of Homelessness' (Routledge) and 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children in Small Town America' (Lexington).