# Santa Claus is Gandalf in disguise! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747 "2005-12-08T20:21:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/1 "2005-12-08T20:21:23Z")
The Facts: 1. Santa and Gandalf both have long white beards and wear pointy hats. 2. Santa works with elves, Gandalf works with elves. 3. Hi Opal! 4. Santa loves giving out toys, Gandalf loves giving out toys. 5. It’s a little known fact that the next level after white wizard is red. Objections: 1. Santa is fat, Gandalf is skinny: After eating all those cookies for all those years you’d be fat too. 2. Gandalf loves fireworks: Santa/ Gandalf waits until New years to set off his fireworks so that no one will suspect him. 3. 1920’s style death rays: Have nothing to do with this thread. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/2 "2005-12-08T20:24:00Z")
Most important of all: Have you ever seen the two of them together? Proof that I’m right! ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/3 "2005-12-08T20:27:30Z")
Wrong Wrong Wrong. Santa is really the Jolly Green Giant. The Facts: 1. Both have the same catchphrase, “Ho Ho Ho”. 2. Santa works in the winter. The JGG works in the spring, summer, and autumn. 3. Hi Opal! 4. How does Santa get around the world in one night? He’s a giant! 5. What do reindeer have to eat in the cold, frozen north? Why, sweetcorn! Objections: 1. Santa wears red. The JGG wears green: Both red and green are christmas colours! 2. Santa is fat, the JGG is muscular: Same reason as furryman’s. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/4 "2005-12-08T21:21:29Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > 1. Santa works with elves, Gandalf works with elves. Your logic is flawed. Galadriel. Bernard. Need I say more? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/5 "2005-12-08T21:34:23Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Objections: > > 1. Santa is fat, Gandalf is skinny: > After eating all those cookies for all those years you’d be fat too. Actually, St. Nicholas started out a very skinny man, as evidenced by the ikons of him from when he was Bishop of Myra. It’s only after he moved North that he put on weight, perhaps as insulat ion against the cold? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/6 "2005-12-08T21:35:41Z")
So close and yet so wrong. [Father Christmas is Gandalf in disguise!](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/061800937X/qid=1134077643/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9379335-7612667?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) And this thread is just begging for a Transformers joke. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/7 "2005-12-09T19:18:17Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Your logic is flawed. > > Galadriel. Bernard. Need I say more? All the **cool** elves sailed into the west. I remembered _The Father Christmas Letters_ after I wrote this post. Really cute book. Yet more proof that I’m right. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/8 "2005-12-09T19:21:03Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > So close and yet so wrong. [Father Christmas is Gandalf in disguise!](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/061800937X/qid=1134077643/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9379335-7612667?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) > > And this thread is just begging for a Transformers joke. Santa, Gandalf in disguise fighting 'gainst the evil forces of the Scroogacons ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/9 "2005-12-09T19:31:30Z")
They’re both my husband in disguise. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/10 "2005-12-09T20:00:26Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > So close and yet so wrong. [Father Christmas is Gandalf in disguise!](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/061800937X/qid=1134077643/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9379335-7612667?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) > > And this thread is just begging for a Transformers joke. I have that book and you and Furryman are correct. Gandalf = Father Christmas = Santa. It’s true. BTW: I think Gimli actually is in charge of supervising the Toy Making. Noldorians of course do the bulk of the work. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/11 "2005-12-09T20:34:48Z")
Are the Noldorin the Red Elves, the Green Elves, or the White Elves? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/12 "2005-12-09T20:44:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are the Noldorin the Red Elves, the Green Elves, or the White Elves? I am not familiar with the Red, Green & White Elves. If you give me a little more information I will attempt to answer. 😉 Jim ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/13 "2005-12-09T22:43:44Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve read the Father Christmas Letters… Weren’t the elves there divided into Red, Green, and White? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/14 "2005-12-09T22:58:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s been a while since I’ve read the Father Christmas Letters… Weren’t the elves there divided into Red, Green, and White? I don’t recall. I shall look it up and report back my findings. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus-is-gandalf-in-disguise/334747/15 "2005-12-09T23:14:16Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > I don’t recall. I shall look it up and report back my findings. I have scanned back through the letters and there is no mention of colored Elves. I did find it interesting that Father Christmas used the word Xmas in a letter back in 1926. Jim