A JOLLY, red-suited bearer of gifts for children, or an offensive, out-dated icon?

Santa Claus arrived in Australia this year to a storm of controversy over where he should - and should not - spread his festive cheer.

Some kindergartens and smaller shopping centres in Australia have banned Santa, deeming the festive philanthropist politically incorrect for religious reasons, potentially offensive to Muslims, hardline Christians and other minorities.

Santa - or at least one of his stand-in helpers - joined a growing band of leading politicians, child psychologists and retailers condemning the boycott as pure "bah humbug".

"What's next? Are we going to ban all things fun? The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy had better watch out," said John Wright, a department store Santa in Canberra for 18 years.

The Australian Federation of Childcare Associations said the ban began spreading after a Christian daycare centre decided that Santa was "taking the Christ out of Christmas".

For although Santa has Christian origins - beginning life as St Nicholas, a kind-hearted bishop in Turkey in the fourth century - some hardline Christians argue the modern do-gooder detracts from the real celebration, of the birth of Jesus Christ.

With such views, the Santa ban snowballed and over a period of weeks spread to dozens of day care centres around the country, as well as some shopping centres and schools.

Debunking the myth

Headmaster George Glanville of the Tyndale Christian School in Blacktown in Sydney made front-page headlines after he told his children - and their parents - that Santa was "pretend" as he spelt out the school's stand on the "fantasy" of Santa.

"At Tyndale we want our children to enjoy the pretend story of Santa Claus but most of all we want our children to enjoy the true story of Christmas, that is the story of Jesus," Glanville wrote in a newsletter to all students.

But spilling the beans on Santa sent Sydney's biggest selling newspaper into a frenzy.

"What kind of headmaster tells his primary school that Santa is not real?" read a front-page headline on The Daily Telegraph as it began its own Santa campaign, printing posters of Santa for readers to pin up, reading: "Santa, We Believe".

"We don't want his magic taken from our lives or the lives of our children," the newspaper said in an editorial. "Don't you dare take our Santa."

Leading Australians jumped on the bandwagon as the Santa ban spread, with radio talk-back shows abuzz with festive fury.

"I believed in Santa when I was a kid and Santa is for children therefore I believe in Santa," Prime Minister John Howard told reporters.

"Any childcare centre, any kindergarten that does (ban Santa) is being foolishly slavish to political correctness."

Major department stores nationwide also rushed to Santa's defence, vowing to never oust him from his in-store grotto.

"We have absolutely no intention of banning Santa. He's a very important part of our Christmas tradition," Jill Campbell, spokeswoman for department store chain David Jones said.

Death threats

The reaction of some other Australians was far more extreme, fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment that has run high in Australia even though it was a Christian centre that sparked the ban.

Australian Muslims have been increasingly victimized since last year's September 11 attacks on the United States and the October 12 bombings on the neighbouring Indonesian island of Bali that killed at least 190 people, including up to 90 Australians.

Police were called to investigate after a man telephoned a Santa-less daycare centre in Mt Gravatt in Brisbane with the threat: "I'm going to kill you and your Muslim buddies".

Mt Gravatt West Community Childcare Centre director Marilyn Beale said staff fielded about 40 calls, 85 per cent of them abusive, following publicity about the Santa boycott at the centre.

The childcare industry was horrified by the threats but said it was up to each of the estimated 4,200 childcare centres to decide how they celebrate religious and cultural festivals.

"Workers in the field are very experienced in how to handle different cultures in a centre," said Gwynn Bridge, president of the Australian Federation of Childcare Associations.

"A few years ago there was a debate about whether we should sing Christmas carols or not at daycare centres but it's poor old Santa that is in the limelight this year."

(Agencies via Xinhua)