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Run, run, engine: Jamie Hook will defend the existence of Santa Claus, seen here visiting Marine Park on a day with no snow, during a lecture on Dec. 23. Photo by Steve Solomonson
A worthy Claus
Children’s show proves the existence of Saint Nick
COURIER LIFE, DEC. 13-19, 2019 45
YBy Rose Adams es, Brooklyn, there is a Santa
Claus!
A one-man theatrical
presentation will use philosophical
arguments and historical analysis to
convince skeptical children that Santa
Claus is coming to town. “Beyond
Belief: A Philosophical Proof of Santa
Claus” will drop down the chimney
into Greenpoint’s Park Church Co-op
on Dec. 23 and dive into the history
and ideology behind Christmas. The
lecture aims to restore holiday cheer to
Brooklyn’s non-believers, and to show
children that belief is an integral part of
the human experience, said its creator.
“The first 20 minutes of the show is a
deconstruction of all the elements that go
into Santa Claus,” explained Jamie Hook,
a Greenpoint filmmaker and theater
producer. “It helps us understand why we
believe in anything.”
The 90-minute SLED Talk includes a
slideshow outlining the holiday’s history,
an extravagant light display, and a
discussion with young audience members
that brings the beloved Christmas icon to
life, Hook said.
“We establish a unitarian version of
Santa Claus that works for everyone,” he
said, adding that most children leave the
presentation convinced that some version
of Santa exists.
Hook has led the show five times now,
first writing it after seeing how dejected
his friend’s son became after a classmate,
and later his father, told him that Santa
wasn’t real.
“That kid spiraled into a holiday
season depression,” Hook said.
The boy’s dispirited Christmas season
inspired Hook to devise an explanation
of Santa’s existence that hinges on a few
basic philosophical proofs often used to
prove the existence of God. Hook argues,
for example, that while people never see
Santa planting his gifts, they can see his
charitable and jolly traits reflected around
the world, and that the age-old Christmas
story is rooted in true historical events
and traditions.
“Because all this stuff exists, it has to
point to something more profound than
your parents buying you presents and
putting them under the tree,” he said.
More convincing, though, are the
children’s discussions about Santa during
the show, which help fill in each others’
doubts about the jolly old elf. According
to Hook, the youngest attendees often
re-convince their older siblings that Santa
Claus is real.
“I’ve often had it that older siblings
hear their younger brothers and sisters
profess this deep belief … A majority
tend to be persuaded back into believing,”
he said.
Hook is offering his simple phrases
to kids from 7 to 92. Tiny tots may not
be willing to sit still, but the whole
family might find their eyes all a-glow,
he said.
“It’s actually really fun for parents
because it brings us back to this space
where we ask ourselves, ‘Why do we do
this?’ ” said Hook.
“Beyond Belief: A Philosophical Proof
of Santa Claus” at The Park Church
Co-op 129 Russell St. between Nassau
and Driggs Avenues in Greenpoint,
(917) 426–1596, www.parkchurchcoop.
org. Dec. 23 at 7:30 pm. $15 suggested
donation.
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