Have you ever been to a mall Santa?
You wait in line, you sit on their lap, tell them what you want for Christmas. They ask if you’ve been good and you say yes if you don’t think you have.
Switzerland has Samichlaus (different from Germany’s St. Nikolaus). Pronounced: sahm-ee-klowss.
Like the mall Santa you go visit Santa Claus and you sit on his lap.
The difference is your parents have talked to Santa before you went up there and so he knows what you’ve been doing well and what you’ve been struggling with. He knows if you scored the winning goal in your soccer game. He knows if you didn’t quite pass that test. He knows if you’ve been helping your siblings. It all very much adds to the all knowing Santa he sees you when you’re sleeping.
Then he gives you a little treat just like the mall Santa and off you go with a reminder to be good.
Samichlaus for My Boys
I had a pleasure pre-Covid with my oldest to witness this tradition firsthand with a Swiss group in our area.
They had one of the dads dress up as Samichlaus and all the little kids sat down in front of him and waited for their name to be called.
He had his massive list with their names and probably notes on what to talk to them about. He had his sack full of treats.
My oldest was only six months at the time so we didn’t fill out what he needed to work on because it was mostly just letting mommy sleep.
But most of the other children were old enough to have things to talk about so Samichlaus spent about five minutes with each of the children.
Unfortunately we’ve been sick so we all missed it this year.
The Tradition of Samichlaus
Samichlaus, like the German tradition of St. Nikolaus, is based on the real life Saint Nicholaus.
Saint Nicholaus loved to give gifts, especially to children.
He did wear red but not like we expect Santa to, but robes appropriate for a member of the clergy.
He comes at the beginning of December, usually the 6th, leaving the 25th for the coming of Baby Jesus.
He gives presents, but more like stocking stuffers with nuts, chocolate, tangerine oranges, cookies (especially gingerbread), or smaller gifts.
The children will hear a small bell grow louder outside the home, and see Samichlaus.
He will be welcomed into the home, sit on a prominent chair and open a ginormous book.
He will search for the children’s names and then read off what they were good at and what they need to improve.
Then the children, who behaved get a burlap bag of goodies.
After all the children in the house stood before Samichlaus, he and Schmuzli head back out into the cold night and the small bell slowly fades.
A darker part of the tradition is ‘Schmutzli’
Literally translated as dirty, Schmutzli travels with Samichlaus as a warning for misbehavior. As we have the tradition of coal in stockings, they have Schmutzli.
He carries a broom or switch as a threat of punishment like spanking but that only happened once to my husband, he said. And the history is filled with kidnapping bad children, though that is not shared much today.
The focus is on Samichlaus, and Schmutzli has become like the coal in a stocking, a Christmas tradition warning but no more.
Overview of the Tradition in Switzerland
Just like Santa can look different for families here in the United States, Samichlaus can look different in Switzerland.
Some families go to an event like we did, others just see him at Christkindlmarkts, while others employ someone (usually close friend or family) to dress up and talk to the kids.
Children memorize a poem to perform for Samichlaus and then he talks with them about their behavior.
I prefer this tradition of Santa Claus, as it feels more personal for kids than an unknown mall Santa. In addition the time spent talking to Samichlaus is more so they are less likely to be scared of him which makes for better pictures!
If you enjoyed learning about Samichlaus, check out my post on St. Nikolaustag!
