November 21, 200718 yr School replaces red Father Christmas with Eastern European green Santa - because it reminds pupils of Coca-Cola Last updated at 18:18pm on 21st November 2007 Comments (42) Santa Claus is being forced to wear a green suit when visiting a school this year, after teachers decided the traditional red outfit would remind pupils of Coca-Cola. Education chiefs have also banned the annual Christmas grotto - favouring an eastern European version of the festive season instead. Staff at the Steiner School in Brighton, East Sussex, claim the red-suited Santa is a symbol of "modern commercialism" and reminds children of Coca-Cola adverts. Scroll down for more... Father Christmas and Coca-Cola have long been linked via Coke's advertising campaigns They want its 200 pupils - aged from three to 16 - to experience more traditional values and customs, and have arranged for a Santa wearing a green outfit and slippers to visit them instead. School spokesman Sarah James said visitors hoping to find the traditional jolly white-bearded fellow will be disappointed. She added: "The red-suited Santa was created as a marketing tool by Coca-Cola, it is a symbol of commercialism. "The school want to give the children a different view of things." Scroll down for more... The Steiner School in Brighton has taken a tough stance on Santa Santa's grotto will be abandoned with kids instead visiting a gnome's home which they can crawl inside. They will then be told a moral story and given fake rocks to break open with mini-hammers - to reveal crystals. Mrs James added: "The school isn't trying to be a spoilsport or anything like that. "The children are bound to come across Santa Claus plenty of times in the run up to Christmas and we're happy for them to. "We just want the bazaar to give them a different experience. No place for Santa: The poster for the Christmas bazaar advertises a 'GNOMES' grotto "There will also be a craft market, candle dipping and choir performances as well as gingerbread decorating, homemade food and live music - in accordance with eastern European traditions." But mum-of-two Cheryl Williams, 24, from Hove, said: "What a load of nonsense! "What are they going to ban next - snow? "Once again the PC brigade have clamped down on everyone's fun." And amateur historian David Baker, from Brighton, said: "There are images of a red-suited santa going back to before the creation of Coca-Cola. "Thomas Nast drew images of Merry Old Santa Claus that shows Santa in his red suit. "If my research is correct, Coca-Cola wasn't even invented until 1886."
November 21, 200718 yr Fact of the day: Father Christmas was originally "green" until Cola changed the image to red.
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