Santa Claus

Santa hasn't always been the jolly figure that we know today. Like so many of our holiday traditions, he is the result of the blending of many different cultures and customs.

A 4th century bishop named Nicholas of Myra (what is now Turkey), was probably the most influential person in the shaping of today's Santa Claus. St. Nicholas, as he was later known, was legendary for his kindness and generosity, and he was adopted by many groups as their patron saint.

December 6, the date of his death marked the beginning of the early Christmas season. On St. Nicholas Eve, children would set out food for the saint and straw for his horse and in the morning the good children would find these items replaced with sweets and toys.

St. Nicholas went through many changes throughout the centuries. The Germans had Weihnachtsmann, the English had Father Christmas, the French had Pere Noel and the Dutch had Sinter Klass.

In the 1600's the Dutch brought Sinter Klass to the American colonies. English speaking children pronounced his name "Sainty Claus," and over the years it evolved into Santa Claus.

In 1809, American writer Washington Irving created a new version of the old Saint Nicholas. Irving described Santa as a jolly Dutchman who smoked a pipe, wore baggy pants, and rode over the treetops in a horse drawn wagon dropping gifts down chimneys.

Then in 1823, Clement C. Moore wrote the famous poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas," now known as "The Night Before Christmas." Moore wrote the poem for his children and traded in Santa's horse and wagon for a sleigh and reindeer.

Until Moore's famous poem, Santa's description was open to personal interpretation. Moore described Santa the way we think of him today -- jolly. Then in 1863, illustrator Thomas Nast solidified this new visual image of Santa Claus by drawing him as Moore had described him.

Nast drew Santa dressed in red and gave him a home in the North Pole. For 23 years Nast drew Christmas pictures for Harpers Weekly magazine -- helping to shape the image of Santa that we have today.

Coca-Cola hired German artist Haddon Sundblom to draw Santa for an advertising campaign in 1931. Sundblom's rendition of Santa -- a grandfatherly man with twinkling eyes - further fixed the public's image of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus has evolved over the centuries into the kind, loving figure we know today. He stands for all the goodness and innocence of childhood.

History of the Town of
Santa Claus, Indiana
The naming of the town of Santa Claus, Indiana.