Santa Clause vs. The Anatomy of a Joke

A Christmas joke:
What nationality are Santa and Mrs. Clause?
They're North-Polish.

I work at an international elementary school, and I've been looking forward to telling this joke as Christmas-time approaches.  I figured the joke, which hinges on the idea that everyone has a nationality, would be a big hit.  Boy, was I wrong!

Jokes are multi-layered things, balanced on a fragile combination of culture, subtleties within language, and shared assumptions.

When I tried telling this joke last year in Italy, it fell flat.  Italian children believe that Babo Natali lives at il Polo Nord, but it simply doesn't work to deliver the punchline: Sono Nord Polacchi!  Maybe it's because the words Polo and Polacchi aren't similar enough to come together as a pun the way they do in English, or maybe it's the stigma against eastern Europe that exists among some Italians, but the joke doesn't even elicit groans.

In Sweden, the joke faces the additional challenge that Santa isn't associated with the North Pole.  Nordic people possess an understanding of northern geography that wouldn't lead them believe a fellow as clever as Santa Clause would make his dwelling in the middle of the ocean.  Pinpointing Santa's home, however, is a source of debate among Scandinavians.



Swedish children believe that Santa lives just outside Mora, Sweden.  There is a Santa Clause theme park, but it's only at 61° north, and although the village's website lists a mailing address, they didn't seem particularly enthusiastic that folks should address their letters to Santa there.

Finnish children insist that Santa lives in Rovaniemi, Finland.  At 66° north, it touches the Arctic Circle, giving this location more of a Santa-territory feeling.  There is an entire Santa Clause village, including a rather busy post office.  Children are encouraged to send letters here if they'd like a response from Santa Clause.  Write to: Santa Claus / Santa Claus Main Post Office / FI-96930 / Arctic Circle / Finland.  I'm told that when St. Nicholas left Myra, Turkey in the 4th century he came north to live in Rovaniemi, and that the current Santa Clause answering letters to children is the many-times-great-grandson of the original.

Danish and Greenlandic children imagine Santa in his secret castle, just outside Uummannaq, Greenland.  At 70° north, one could walk over ice to the North Pole from Uummannaq, and see plenty of reindeer along the way.  There's no touristic village or theme park dedicated to Santa here, and the town's official website only briefly mentions their most notable resident.  I find the lack of Santa-hype to be a mark of authenticity, as well as the fact that mail sent to Santa will arrive to an enormous postbox here if addressed simply to Santa Claus / North Pole / Greenland.

I told my joke to a gathering of colleagues last night, and it received its share of laughs and groans.  I work with people who speak English fluently, and most of them are from America, Canada, Britain, and Australia, so there were no cultural or linguistic barriers to the humor.  However I was immediately warned not to tell this joke to the children at school.  This time of year is the student body's highest incidence of arguing and fist-fighting, and avoiding the topic of Santa Clause's nationality is a strategy for peace.