Is There Really a Santa Claus? ProCon.org Investigates for the Holidays

ProCon.org Launches Its New Website on Whether Santa Claus Is Real

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Dec 19, 2014, 07:15 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ProCon.org, a nonpartisan research organization devoted to critical thinking on controversial topics, debuts its newest website just for the holidays, http://santa-claus.procon.org, and delves into debate over whether or not Santa Claus is real.

In response to the website's core question, "Is there really a Santa Claus?," ProCon.org presents pros and cons from the New York Sun (pro), Ebeneezer Scrooge (con), North American Aerospace Defense Command – NORAD (pro), Spy magazine (con), and more.

Santa proponents argue that he is commonly sighted at shopping malls, that the disappearance of milk and cookies left for him is evidence of his existence, and that, after all, those Christmas gifts have to come from somewhere.

Santa opponents argue that no one man could deliver presents to millions of households in one night, that his toy factory has never been located in the vicinity of the North Pole, and that Christmas presents are really purchased in secret by parents.

The website features a history and images of Santa Claus as well as "Did You Know?" information bits including:

The first time Santa appeared in his now-classic red and white outfit was in work by illustrator Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly in the 1860s.
Every Christmas, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (known as NORAD), tracks Santa's worldwide flight using radar and satellites.
Santa's ancestor, St. Nicholas, was a monk born around 280 AD in what is now known as Turkey.
The first time Santa was spotted in a department store was in 1890 in Brockton, Massachusetts.

ProCon.org CEO Jay Rakow said: "Just for fun this holiday season, we wanted to give our 20 million readers a treat and showcase pros and cons about Santa Claus. All year our research covers serious issues like the death penalty, immigration, and health care. Now that it's holiday time, we made an exception for old Saint Nick, and we hope that people will enjoy learning more about this jolly and mysterious man."

For pros, cons, and related research on Santa Claus, visit http://santa-claus.procon.org

About Us
ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, founded in 2004, whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship. ProCon.org has 20 million annual readers. Information is presented on 52 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from alternative energy, gay marriage, and medical marijuana to the death penalty, immigration, and Obamacare.

ProCon.org is free of charge and requires no registration. 21 international governments, 29 US state governments, and nine federal agencies have referenced ProCon.org.

ProCon.org has also been referenced by mainstream media more than 360 times in 2014, including: The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Denver Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, BBC, Slate, Daily Beast, Forbes, The Atlantic, USA Today, and International Business Times.