All About Santa Claus

It's only fitting that, because Santa Claus has the magnificent capability to visit homes around the world in a single night, more than one place would claim to be his home. It is a common belief that Santa hails from the wintry North Pole, but folks in Finland will also tell you that Santa calls that country his home. To prove it, the Finns will even invite you to visit Santa in his workshop before Christmas, or during the year, and talk with Santa Claus as he and his elves busy themselves for their end-of-year Christmas expedition around the globe.

In America, the popularity of the image and legend of Santa Claus can be traced to the poem, “Twas the Night before Christmas,” which was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822. In that poem, Moore described St. Nicholas as a jolly fellow who flew from house to house in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and who waited for children to go to bed on Christmas Eve before he came down the chimney to deliver Christmas presents for them.

Following the distribution of that poem, between 1863 and 1886, the popular magazine Harper's Weekly published cartoons by Thomas Nast which depicted Santa as a cheerful fellow with a large, round belly and long, white beard who wore a bright red suit trimmed with white fur. In those cartoons, Santa also held a sack, which was filled with toys for boys and girls, over his shoulder. The cartoons also showed Santa reading letters from good boys and girls, working in his workshop with his elves, checking his list to make sure he had all the required toys, and even showed his wife, Mrs. Claus.

The tradition of Santa Claus was brought to America by Dutch colonists who settled in New York City, which was called New Amsterdam at the time. The real St. Nicholas is said to be a minor saint from the 4th Century with a reputation for generosity and kindness, who gave rise to legends of the many miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. One of the stories about St. Nicholas is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into a life of slavery or prostitution by their father. According to the legend, Santa Claus provided the girls with a dowry so they could get married.

The legend of St. Nicholas led hundreds of people to be devoted to him. Consequently, thousands of European churches became dedicated to him. After the Reformation period, however, widespread practice and worship of St. Nicholas disappeared in European countries that were Protestant, except in Holland where the legend of St. Nicholas continued. St. Nicholas was known as Sint Nikolaas, but that was later corrupted to Sinter Klaas.

Dutch colonists took this tradition of Sinter Klaas to New York City where it was adopted using the English translation of Santa Claus. Over time, the Dutch legend of the kindly saint was combined with old Nordic folktales about a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good ones with presents. This gave rise to the stories that now exist about Santa Claus.

The red and white-trimmed suit of Santa Claus is believed to be the colors that the original St. Nicholas wore because red and white were the colors of the robes worn by traditional bishops. It is also believed that the Coca Cola Company played a role in what is regarded as the popular look of Santa Claus today, through paintings by artist Haddon Sundblom, which were used in some of the company's advertisements between 1931 and 1964.