Christmas is a dreamy time ("I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas," for example.) But is the classic imagery nightmarish? We consulted an old book of dream symbolism,
The Gates of the Future Thrown Open by Carlotta de Barsy (1899):
Reindeer are auspicious:
However, sleigh-bells are inauspicious:
Santa being a stout person is auspicious:
That his beard is white is auspicious:
That he comes down the chimney is auspicious:
Receiving presents is inauspicious:
Snowflakes are auspicious:
The singing of carols or hymns is inauspicious:
A fire in the fireplace is auspicious:
With only three of these nine symbols being inauspicious, Christmas is two-thirds a sweet dream.
