The Flying Santa: Christmas and Lighthouses

 

 

 

We all know that Santa Claus can fly, of course, with the help of his trusty reindeer. But the Flying Santa is a different tradition, bringing joy and comfort to the lonely lighthouse keepers and their families along the East Coast. A tradition that continues today, bringing Christmas to the families of Coast Guard Stations across the US.

It started back in 1929. A pilot named Bill Wincapaw, a native of Maine, made frequent flights around the Penobscot Bay area. He often flew in the most miserable of weather, providing medical transport for isolated people in rural communities. In those days before GPS, Wincapaw often found himself relying on the beams of lighthouses to guide him through the dark nights. The lighthouse keepers watched him too, communicating back to the airfield his location. Sometimes, if he had some free time and the weather was good, he would land his floatplane at a lighthouse to go in and chat with the keepers. 

(Bill Wincapaw)
 

On December 25^th, 1929, Wincapaw decided to give something back to these keepers. He put together some packages with newspapers, magazines, coffee, candy, and other small items. Items that were hard to come by for lighthouse keepers out at their lonely stations. He flew over lighthouses in the area and dropped the packages, before returning home to his family.

In the days that followed, Wincapaw heard that the Lighthouse keepers and their families were overjoyed that someone had remembered them and thought to bring them gifts for the holiday. Then and there, he resolved to expand his Christmas gift-giving, and make it an annual tradition.

Each year, the trips expanded to include more states and Lighthouses. When Wincapaw heard that the keepers had started referring to him as the “Flying Santa” he started to dress up for the role, fake beard and all. By 1933, he was going to as many as 91 lighthouses. 

(1936 airdrop)

The Flying Santa was supported by business sponsors and donations from locals, helping offset the costs of the flights and the presents. Bill Wincapaw was joined by his son, Bill Jr. At 17, the boy was the youngest licensed pilot in the region. Bill Jr also introduced his dad to one of his teachers at high school, a historian named Edward Rowe Snow. Though not a pilot, Snow was an enthusiastic supporter of the Flying Santa tradition. With Father and Son flying different routes, they could hit more lighthouses than ever. 

(Santa over Boston Harbor Light in 1947)
 

In 1938, the elder Wincapaw was busy with war efforts in Bolivia, so he asked his son and Snow to fly Christmas for him. In 1939, it was arranged for him to return to the US to fulfill the role himself.

As the US fully entered World War II, both Wincapaws were kept busy, so it fell to Snow to take over as Santa. He was not a pilot, but instead chartered aircraft for the flights. With all eyes on the skies for enemy aircraft, the Navy had to give special permission for the Flying Santa to go ahead so that Lighthouse Keepers and Coast Guard families would still get their gifts. “CHRISTMAS SEAL PLANE” was written boldly across the aircraft so that it would not be mistaken for an enemy plane. 

(Wartime flight of 1941)
 

Of course, dropping boxes out of a moving airplane was not an exact science. Sometimes, packages missed their target, or the contents did not survive the impact. In 1945, a doll intended for a young girl at Cuttyhunk Lighthouse shattered. The next year, Snow chartered a helicopter so that he could land at the lighthouse and hand over a new doll in person. 

(The package parachute system worked most of the time)

In 1947, the elder Wincapaw suffered a heart attack during a flight, causing his plane to crash. He was 62 years old. During his memorial service, all of the lighthouses in the area sounded their foghorns in his honor.

Edward Rowe Snow fully took over the duties of the Flying Santa, and was able to visit 175 lighthouses along the east coast that December. 

Packages for lighthouse keepers still contained a mix of staples and fun extras, like Coffee, Tea, razor blades, art supplies, dolls, and gum, as well as a copy of Snow’s latest history book. There was also a return card, pre-addressed, so that Keepers could return word of whether they had successfully received their gift. 

(Edward Rowe Snow and his wife load packages aboard the plane)
 

About 90% of dropped packages hit their target, though there was the occasional errant smashed car windshield or skylight. Leaning out the window of an airplane in flight had it’s own hazards, and Snow’s Santa beard was lost more than once. One year, his beard was returned to him along with a letter “Here are your whiskers, where is our package?”

In some years, with the support of the Coast Guard, the Flying Santa was even able to reach some lighthouses on the Great Lakes and the West Coast, along with far flung ones off Nova Scotia.

Unfortunately, by the late 1970’s, increasing insurance costs and ever-tightening FAA regulations threatened to end the Flying Santa tradition. Lighthouses were also increasingly being automated or extinguished, reducing the number of Keepers and Families to visit. A few more years saw flights by helicopter instead of airplane, until Snow had a stroke in 1981. 

(Santa arrives by helicopter at Goat Island Light in 1978)
 

The Hull Lifesaving Museum, which was founded in 1982 to preserve the maritime heritage of Boston harbor, decided that the Flying Santa tradition couldn’t stop. They took over the logistics and found a new Santa, getting sponsors to provide helicopters and gift packages. Now, Santa could step out of the helicopter and greet the children at light stations personally, handing out their gifts. It was a cherished visit for every Lightkeeper family.

In 1997, the Friends of Flying Santa non-profit was formed to take over the gift runs. Currently, the Christmas Flights visit light stations and coast guard bases, bringing gifts and good cheer to the families everywhere they go.

(Flying Santa waves to those gathered for his annual visit in Rockland, Maine.)
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
 

You can help them in their mission by visiting their website here. https://www.flyingsanta.org/

Gift Givers of Winter (Who aren't Saint Nick)

 

 

Although Santa Claus is the most well known mid-winter gift giver, he does not have a monopoly on the act. There’s a whole host of characters who bring presents to children around the winter solstice. Let’s meet some of them!

Over in Russia and other Slavic countries, you might see an old man with a long white beard out around the winter solstice. He wears long red or blue robes with white fur trim, but this isn’t Santa Claus. It’s Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost). He and his granddaughter Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) bring gifts to good children around New Years. 

(Ded Moroz and Snegurochka)
 

Though both figures have roots in ancient Slavic Mythology, they assumed their current forms in the days of the Soviet Union. After the Communist Revolution, Christmas was banned as a bourgeois and religious symbol. But, as we’ve seen time and time again, popular holidays are hard to eliminate. So, instead, the holiday Novy God was created as a secular New Year’s celebration with Ded Moroz and Snegurochka at the helm.

Traveling around in a troika (Russian sleigh pulled by three horses) the pair make appearances throughout the winter season. Ded Moroz also often participates in a “Santa Summit” of sorts, in which winter figures from around the area (Such as the Estonian Jouluvana, the Finnish Joulupukki, and winter figures of ethnic minorities in Russia) get together to discuss important matters. Many countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union also still have their versions of Grandfather Frost, with the name translated into their own language. 

(The summit of original Santas.
"Santas" of Northern Russia: on very left, Yamal Iri, the "White Elder" of the Yamal Peninsula, belonging to the indigenous Nentsi people; Second from the left is Russian Ded Moroz himself; Third from the left Chyskhaan, the "Bull Man" of the Sakha people of Yakutia, in Northern Siberia; next one, the lady, is Tugeni Eneken, "Mother Winter", of the Evenki and other tundra nomads; after her is the visiting official Santa Claus of Finland; and then Pokkaine, the youngish "Santa" of the ethnic Karelian people.
Photo: Vladimir Sevrinovski )
 

Over in Iceland, there’s not one, but 13 winter gift-givers. Known as the Yule Lads, these pranksters are the sons of the trolls Grýla and Leppalúði. They used to kidnap misbehaving children around the Yule, but these days, they mostly just play pranks. In fact, each one has a signature prank, as indicated by their name. They show up, one by one, on the 13 days before Christmas. Children put out their shoes, and the Yule lads will leave a gift in the shoes of nice children. Naughty children get a potato. In order of appearance, the Yule Lads are:

Sheepcote Clod, Gully Gawk, Stubby, Spoon Licker, Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler, Sausage Swiper, Window Peeper, Doorway Sniffer, Meat Hook, and Candle Beggar. 

(Stamps featuring the Icelandic Yule Lads)

Though the Yule Lads are (mostly) harmless, you still have to watch out for their mother Grýla, who won’t hesitate to take naughty children and cook them in her stew. You also need to be careful of her pet, the monstrous Yule Cat who roams the countryside eating anyone who did not get new clothes for Christmas.

In much of Europe, after the Protestant revolution, there was a strong movement to eliminate Saint Nicholas and his feast day. So, as a replacement, it was suggested to make the Christ Child into a winter gift giver who comes on Christmas Eve. Operating under names like Christkindl, Gesù Bambino, Niño Jesús, and more, the Christ Child is meant to be a representation of the baby Jesus.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine a literal infant Jesus carting about loads of toys for children, so the Christkindl is more often depicted as a blonde haired ángel. There are contests for young women to be chosen as that year’s Christkindl, which is considered a great honor. 

(German Christkindl with two helpers)
 

While Christkindl most often works alone, there are some places that have given them a dark companion or bodyguard, of sorts, much like Saint Nick.

In Spain and Portugal, as well as their former colonies, it’s the Three Wise Men who bring gifts to the children. After bringing gifts to the baby Jesus, now they spread that good cheer to all other children as well. Rather than arrive on Christmas or New Years, they show up on Epiphany (January 6th). According to Catholic Lore, their names are Melchior (a European King), Caspar (an Asian King), and Balthazar (and African King). They arrive on their camels to great fanfare, accompanied by pages who pass out the gifts. Recently, the custom of using blackface to represent Balthazar and his servants has been greatly criticized. 

 (The Three Wise Men wave to onlookers during their annual parade)

One of the most interesting gift givers is La Befana, found in Italian speaking regions of Europe. She matches the traditional portrayal of a witch or old hag, La Befana is an old woman with a long, hooked nose with a wart on it and no teeth who flies around on a broomstick. Her habit of coming down the chimney means her face is often sooty. She wears a headscarf and ragged dress, and carries a basket full of toys and gifts. On Epiphany Eve (January 5th) she comes in the night to leave gifts for the good children.

The explanation for this character is that Befana was an old woman who was invited to accompany the Three Wise Men to visit the baby Jesus in Bethleham. She refused, as she had too much housework to do, but later regretted it and now travels the world (or, at least, Italy) giving out gifts to children. It is likely this is just a back-explanation to Christianize an earlier, pagan goddess similar to the Germanic Berchta, though her exact origins are no longer known. 

(Befana dolls are a common sight at Italian Christmas Markets Photo credit: Only Fabrizio / Shutterstock.com. )

The prize for most unique gift-giver, however, probably belongs to the Christmas Poop Log. 

The Poop Log, also known as Caga Tió, or Tió de Nadal, is a custom found in the Catalonian region of Spain. In pre-Christian times, the Winter Solstice was a time to burn a large log and honor it as  Tió de Nadal, but at some point, it turned into. Well, the pooping log. 

At the start of December, logs with smiley faces and red hats pop up at market, though many families choose to go out into the woods to get their log. Bringing it home, children "feed" the log every day by leaving food in front of it, which inevitably disappears. Finally, on Christmas Eve, a blanket is placed over the log and the children beat it with sticks while singing a song. The song differs from family to family, so here is one example.

Caga tió, (Poop log)
tió de Nadal, (Log of Christmas)
no caguis arengades (Don't poop salted herring)
que són massa salads (They are too salty)
caga torrons (Poop turróns)
que són més bons! (They are much better!)

Then the blanket is removed to reveal that the log has "pooped" a pile of sweets and small presents! (Turrons, a popular type of nougat, is traditional, but any sweet may be used.)
 

(Caga tio, ready to go)
 

So don’t let all the media coverage of Santa Claus fool you, there’s a whole host of Gift Givers active around this time of year!