Stalkerwas intrigued by some correspondence in The Guardian newspaper in early December.
The correspondence concerned the hallucinogenic effects of the fly agaric mushroom and the festival of Christmas.
Stalker vaguely remembers a connection being mooted before about reindeer eating magic mushrooms. The letter stated: " (the correspondent)...may be right to cite the hallucinogenic effects of fly agaric as the cause of shamans seeing flying reindeer. But its colouration is not responsible for the Santa Claus's mythological red suit.
Santa's apparel was originally green; Coca-Cola changed it to red in the 1930's to match its corporate colours for an ad campaign."
It does make one wonder about the power of advertising.
Although Stalker is not absolutely certain that this was the case. The next day another letter appeared in the letter pages:
" A red-suited Santa was first sighted on a Christmas card in 1885, and the New York Times reported on November 27 1927 that a 'standardized Santa Claus appears to New York Children. Height, Weight, stature are almost exactly standardized, as are the red garments, the hood and the white whiskers.'"
Wherever the truth may lie, Stalker likes the idea of our ancestors munching on the magic 'shrooms and dreaming up the whole idea of Santa in the first place - along with the little people and the Faeries.
