total war on Xmas : pope as "santa"

[tocqueville]

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/12/21/italy.pope.santa.reut/index.html

To keep warm against the bitter cold, the Pontiff wore a red velvet cap, trimmed with white fur which, together with his scarlet cape, gave him the look of Father Christmas.

The traditional hat, known as a camauro, was commonly worn by popes in the medieval period to keep their heads warm on cold days and it featured on many paintings at the time, but it has rarely been worn in modern times.

Benedict had already shown a taste for the garb of medieval popes, opting for delicate red slippers for daily wear rather than walking shoes favored by his predecessor John Paul II.