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The History of Santa Claus

by Anna Wood  
12/05/2008 / Holidays


Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle or Father Christmas, is known to deliver Christmas presents all over the Christianized world on December 24th using nine reindeer, a large red sleigh, help from elves and cookies and milk to increase energy. The modern description of Santa (who has really seen him?) is of a round, jolly man with red cheeks, a red coat and trousers lined with white fir at the cuffs, collar and ankles, wearing black leather gloves, belt and boots, smoking a pipe, with a long white beard, white hair and a deep and joyful laugh. This image comes from various people who claim that they are in the know. Santa is said to live at the North Pole (Father Christmas is said to live in Lapland--double residency, perhaps?).

Santa is reported to be married, but, nobody seems to know his wife's name. Unfortunately it seems that they have no children of their own. Santa is very loving and giving, however, and, in order to honor his Christian background and beliefs, he pours himself into making little children the world over happy by delivering presents to them on Christmas Eve. No one seems to really know how it is that he manages to travel all over the world on one night, making stops at each house where children live, and passing out well-chosen presents while refueling on milk and cookies. Despite efforts to find out his secrets, he is a quiet man and lives a hermit-like life most of the year and thus will not divulge his secrets. Although Santa loves doing what he does, he is worried that families seem to be getting farther and farther away from the reason for Christmas and sincerely wishes that it was he, and not Jesus, who was forgotten. Santa's elves are his constant companions and his earnest and devoted helpers. They, like Santa, love nothing more than to make toys, paint toys, repair toys and give gifts of toys but they, too, also wish that children wanted the Giver of gifts rather than just the gifts themselves.

Through the years, some people have claimed to have special knowledge of Santa Claus. One of the persons who claimed to know intimate details about the life of St. Nick was the writer, Clement Clark Moore, who, in a poem written for his sick little girl, described in great detail the names of Santa's reindeer, Santa's physical characteristics and his penchant for smoking a pipe (while delivering toys and goodies); he detailed the way that Santa nods, winks and laughs, explaining that Santa was an "elf"; he told of how Santa got back up the chimney (leaving out how he got down it in the first place)--"lays his finger aside his nose and giving a nod"; part of his description came from another man who apparently was also in the know, Washington Irving, who declared to us that Kris Kringle's Americanized name is, indeed, Santa Claus.

In the 1880's, illustrator Thomas Nast, also laid claim to intimate knowledge about Santa Claus by drawing detailed pictures of him. It was he who first told us of Santa's Workshop at the North Pole and explained that Santa keeps a list of all of the good and naughty children in the world.

Apparently, through the years Santa grew (or, perhaps, graduated from an elf into being human?) because, in advertisements in the 1930's for Coca-Cola (incidentally, not the first beverage to use Santa's likeness to sell it--that distinction goes to White Rock Beverages which claimed, first, that Santa liked their mineral water and, second, that he also loved their Ginger Ale), Santa is depicted as a full-grown man, tubby, bearded, joyful, dressed all in red, white and black and just loving his Coca-Cola. Apparently, the Coke company knew better than most what size Santa really was because every depiction of him since (and everybody who dresses up, claiming to be imitating him) is a full-grown man.

Unlike our modern Santa, whose origins, descriptions and legends are a bit fuzzy sometimes, the original St. Nick was very real. He was Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna (Turkey) and he lived during the fourth century, A.D. He was a generous hearted man who delighted in giving to children. He is the Catholic patron Saint of children and seafarers; his feast day is December 6th.

This Christmas, when you are out and about, give a good look around for Santa Claus....He might be feeding reindeer, drinking a coke or delivering the toys that his elves have made...or maybe, just maybe, he might be serving in a soup kitchen, or passing out warm blankets to those in need or worshipping His Savior, Jesus, waiting and hoping to see if someone, anyone, can look beyond the image and beyond him and remember just what Christmas is supposed to be about anyway.

Anna Wood is a Christian wife, mother of 9 children, homeschooler and writer. Her desire is to know, love, and obey God and bring Him glory and help others to do the same. Her website is called The Apples of Gold and is at http://theapplesofgold.com

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