8 min read · Dec 23, 2017
Summary
The year without a Santa chronicles the story of the year Santa was ill, and decided to cancel Christmas. He is also deterred by the lack of Christmas spirit. So Mrs. Claus, and the elves Jingle and Jangle set out to get Santa his mojo back. The elves and Vixen, their ride, land in Southtown, USA. Accidentally, after another one of Heat Miser and Cold Miser’s fights steers them off course.
Even though Vixen gets taken by the dog catcher, they get a ticket, the mayor and court don’t believe them, they meet some school children. One of which Santa also runs into, while trying to rescue the elves and Vixen. His name is Ignatius and he and his friends are un-phased by Christmas being cancelled. When he runs into Santa, and sees him fly off on Dasher, he has a change of heart.
He goes on to aid Mrs. Claus and the elves in their quest to make it snow in Southtown. Which is unsuccessful- until Mother Nature, Heat Miser and Cold Miser’s mom, makes them reach an agreement. It will snow in Southtown, and there will be spring in the North Pole.
Meanwhile, the children of the world agree to give Santa a holiday, let him get better- all except for a few. Whose love and belief in him revive him, bringing Christmas back. There is a parade in Southtown
Setting, Location
“The Year Without a Santa Claus takes place in a town in the Southern United Sates, between 1918–1920. One of the first clues is going the wrong way down the street that had official road markings. If cars and drivers exist, why would there be road markings, and rules of the road?
The lack of cars also supports this timeline, Model T-s started to be mass produced, on an everyday consumer scale, in 1914. Then WWI broke out and that interrupted production, and getting the resources to make one, increasing prices and availability- all decreasing scales. The army had vehicles, and priority to have vehicles. Also, where are all the young adult men?
This also explains the lack of abundant toys, real soldiers needed metal, rubber, wood, and other useful resources- not toy ones. The children are sharing one ball, and no more toys show up until Santa shows up. Cars or toy wise, it would have taken time to return back to pre-war consumerism and production.
The fashion of the characters also support this timeline. Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the other adults, still wear clothes from the late 19th century. But the men and children’s attire is inching more towards the 1920s, especially the drop waist dresses, play clothes, and sailor suit.
Older people tend to wear clothes familiar to them, plus during WWI fashion didn’t change as quickly as often as it does today, fabric was for uniforms. But if it was the 1920’s, flappers? Flappers were a fringe movement, they were the rich, celebutont hipsters. Some of their style was incorporated into everyday fashion- but no one went to work dressed for the speakeasy. But shoes got more elaborate and hemlines shorter.
The color is also important- notice that, although bright, the tones are pretty natural, not artificial. Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Jingle and Jangle are the exception- because their clothing dye supply wasn’t affected by WWI. Germany was the epicenter of clothing dye, and with it being involved in a war, and blockades and, clothes colors took a darker, more natural turn.
But that doesn’t mean Santa didn’t keep up with the times. His bowler hat is very chic, and his manly pocket watch. Before and during WWI pocket watched were for men, wrist watched were for women. Men only adopted them because of practicality- you could check the time much more quickly, and without having your hand shot off. Santa didn’t have this problem, but the good boys fighting against the Germans and Germany’s allies, not so much.
The glasses also differ in style, most apparently, no one holds them on a stick anymore. Also consider the other non-fashion clues.
There are electric, street lights, first seen in the North in the 1880s but eventually mad either way to a now slightly electrified south. Parts of the south weren’t electrified until the 1930s by the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority).
Electric Christmas lights are also common, and came out around the same time. They were fist sold in the early 20th century, and began to be widely used. And given the fact that the South was generally less industrialized, and still just recovering from Reconstruction & Civil War destruction at this time, and WWI affecting supply and demand, again, between 1918 and 1920, Southtown might have gotten Christmas lights.
But they were hip with one thing- wrapping paper. By 1918, decorative wrapping paper wasn’t just for the insides of envelopes anymore, you could wrap presents with it. There were no wrapped presents in “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.
And what was wrapped also indicates the timeframe. Ignatius’s bike looks a lot like a children’s safety bicycle by Schwinn, which came out in the 1890s. Schwinn was founded by a German, and also considering supply shortages- it wouldn’t have been the best present, or most available present to give.
But by the end of the war, or by at least 1920, when the first Macy’s Holiday Parade, with Santa parading down the street, much like in this movie, took place, it could have been cool. And the Southern Railway, established in 1894, could have gotten that hip electricity and wrapping paper to them, and the infrastructure, and people to make all that happen. After the wartime supply shortages of course, which would have affected old and young railways alike, and the availability of qualified- war is bad.
And given this information, and the fact that if Vixen was a baby between 1918–1920, not to mention Donner (Rudolph’s Dad) who would have been in the womb or born by then, and making her about 6–7 months old sometimes after Thanksgiving but before Christmas (Foals are born between June and July), and in captivity live 10–15 years, and assuming she was still alive when Rudolph was born (she’s mentioned in the song)- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer would have taken place between 1928 and 1933, around another war and catastrophe- WWII and the Great Depression.
Characters
Ignatius Thistlewhite, a unique, old school name, why is he named this? Ignatius means fiery one- and Ignatius has red hair, along with his mom, and several other- Rankin and Bass had a thing for Redheads. Santa and Mrs. Claus also have red hair.
Jingle and Jangle are their good intentioned, bumbling comic relief. Their shenanigans, and the need to rescue Vixen, is the first thing that gets Santa out of his funk. Vixen serves as the metaphorical Belgium, given the time period, that inspires and mobilizes Santa.
Vixen is the innocent victim, vixen is rallied behind, made better once rescued- and the only reason she got sick with what appears just to be pneumonia, is the Miser brothers- Heat and Cold, who are symbolic of conflict, eternal war, in this case, the warring sides of WWI. Heat Miser does bear a resemblance to Georges Clemenceau, the aggressive and vindictive Prime Minister of France at the time. Who made the sanctions worse against Germany, which did not help, at all.
Cold Miser could be compared to Kaiser Wilhemlm II in personality, aggressive, territorial, starter of things- in the Miser Brothers Christmas Special he is the one who sabotages Santa so he can take his place.
Appearance wise though, he more resembles an elderly George V, who was related to Kaiser Wilhelm II through Queen Victoria. Every side in WWI was somehow related to each other, through the short stout, hat wearing, ruler of most of the earth Queen Victoria. Who was pretty traditional, husbandless, but in charge, domineering over her children- much like Mother Earth.
Santa’s Illness
Santa claims just to have a cold, he feels fine, despite it persisting. Vixen also starts to show similar symptoms. Disease outbreaks and war go hand in hand, and during WWI Spanish Flu and TB were major problems.
Reindeer and humans can get TB, and aches are the only Spanish Flu symptom that Santa is suffering from. But luckily, it’s latent, non-infectious. And Santa’s castle up North, up high, and visit to a warm Southtown seems to help. Illness could also explain the empty streets, and how often that cold of his is mentioned.
Symptoms of Latent TB include involuntary weight loss- which is mentioned twice regarding Santa in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Suffering from TB from 1917, 1918 or 1919, through 1928–1933 would also induce stress, general ill feelings, which could result in a personality change. The Pre-TB Kris Kringle that comes to town is very different from the Hardass, demeaning Santa that tells Rudolph he’s a freak and will never work for him.
Other Historical Connections
Heat Miser and Cold Miser eventually reach a truce- a Christmas truce, quite reminiscent of the one day truce, on Dec. 25th, 1914 on the Western Front. Heat Miser’s and Cold Miser’s truce is officially, official, but sharing a date, and the element of going over to the other’s side, is uncanny.
America’s position during WWI is also touched upon. Americans were officially indifferent, but personally some wanted to help, stay out of a European war, or were completely indifferent. America was only accidentally dragged into the war in 1917, didn’t plan to be steered off course. Much like a certain young baby reindeer, not as old, experienced, wise, or mettle as the other reindeer.
Ennui and despair are also major themes- the North Pole, Southtown, that is until a willful, empowered Mrs. Claus (unlike her appearance in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) decides to take action. She even puts on Santa, a man’s suit, shocking Jingle and Jangle, while singing, and realizing that she could be Santa Claus. During WWI, women were thrust into men’s roles, while the men were fighting. They temporarily received power, influence.
Which of course went right out the window for most, unless you were one of those rising feminists complaining that you still couldn’t vote. Mrs. Claus’s moxie and taking the reigns of Christmas are very reminiscent of these actions, the attitude of women during and post WWI. She isn’t admonished, in fact she narrates the story, tells you the narrative, a woman.
And after all, despite her staying home during the parade, she is the reason that parade even happened. And why faith and hope, and Santa Claus, even make a comeback, girl power!
And also, children power- Santa only gets a holiday because the united children of the world throw him a bone. Help him with his job, some want him back, but they all contribute to give Santa a holiday, volunteer for the cause, contribute. How very patriotic and noble of them, fighting TB’s war on Christmas.
It’s literally downright inspiring. Any country would appreciate those efforts, especially during a war. Also, any country might at least let Mrs. Claus try on Santa’s jacket.
Although on the surface “The Year Without a Santa” is just another stop motion Christmas special, it has deep historical and political significance. Why fright, cause so much suffering, help Christmas- a time of faith, hope, and joy, get cancelled?
Why can’t we all come together, have a little faith and hope? Maye a parade, and also, a cure for TB, Latent and Active?
