HO HO HO

The battle cry of Christmas. Just where did Santa Claus come from? Why do most accounts have him living at the North Pole? Is there any truth to the stories of kind and generous souls who left gifts for children on Christmas Eve? Where did the reindeer come in, and why does he wear a red suit?

St. Nicholas, who was a Greek Orthodox bishop in the 4th century of what is now Turkey is one of the earliest ideas of what we now know as Santa Claus. He was a kind and generous soul who gave gifts and dowries to poor children. There is also the German god Odin, who led the hunt of the Yule in the sky on a large horse with eight legs… eventually giving birth to the concept of eight reindeer. Children would leave food for Odin’s horse in their shoes and be rewarded with gifts. When Christianity came to Germany, the gift giver was Christandl or “Christ Child”… also known as Kris Kringle.

Father Christmas

The idea of Santa Claus having assistants or “helpers” could possibly be taken from Odin’s two ravens who kept an eye on things, helping decide who was deserving of gifts. A less “politically correct” version has St. Nicholas freeing a slave known as Pitir who assisted him in delivering gifts. The name Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter is thought to mean the helpers have dirt covered faces from going down chimneys to deliver gifts.

In Britain, the giver of gifts became known as Father Christmas, who was based on St. Nicholas. This is where the more modern ideas of a cheerful, stout man started to form. His robes were green, rather than red, but he represented the good will and kindness associated with the Christmas season. Gold coins were one of the gifts he would give, and it is thought that when the windows of a home were locked, he would throw the coins down the chimney. Stockings were often hung on the hearth to dry, and it is thought that the coins would get caught in them, thus giving birth to hanging stockings to catch the gifts.

A majority of the original colonists were Puritans or “Saints”, and rejected the English idea of Father Christmas. It was only after the American Revolution that New York, in honor of it’s Dutch lineage, began to once again honor the tradition. The jolly figure we know today began to come to life in Washington Irving’s humorous “Knickerbockers History of New York” where he made several references to St. Nicholas as a colorful elf rather than a stern bishop. Indeed, even the name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch “Sinter Klaasen”.

Thomas Nast Santa Claus

The image of Santa Claus that would stick for all time was described in an anonymous poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas”, (also known as “The Night Before Christmas”). It was supposedly written in 1823 on Christmas Eve by a man named Clement Clark Moore, however, it has been suggested that a man named Henry Livingston, who wrote humorous children’s prose was the actual author. The poem describes a large jolly man delivering gifts while everyone slept on the night before Christmas. It inspired Thomas Nast to paint the image of what is now recognized as Santa Claus.

Coca Cola Santa

The soft drink Coca Cola would have its role as well in promoting Santa’s image as a large laughing man in a red suit and a full white beard. The early 1930′s saw a slew of advertising campaigns for Coca Cola started by Haddon Sundblom in 1931. There are those that would say that Santa was indeed created by the Coca Cola company… however it wasn’t the first soft drink to use Santa Claus as an advertising gimmick. That honor would go to White Rock Beverage who began selling the mineral water and later ginger ale using the image as early as 1915.

Today’s Christmas rituals, especially in the United States and Europe, involve many visits to Santa Claus in constructed winter villages or shopping malls. Children eagerly await to have their picture taken with Santa and tell him what they are wishing for, assuring the kindly old gentlemen that they had been “good” the previous year. On Christmas Eve it is a popular tradition to leave a snack on the mantel of the fireplace for Santa to enjoy as he makes the rounds all over the world delivering gifts… which can be related to leaving food for Odin’s horse in ancient Germany.

Letters to Santa are written annually, and most in the United States are directed to Alaska. He has many addresses where mail can be sent, and postal volunteers answer thousands of letters each year. Places such as Canada, England and Finland have special zip codes for letters to Santa… in Canada the zip code is H0H 0H0, and the address in Finland is in the Arctic Circle. Santa has also kept up with the times, and there are several websites where children can send Santa an email.

In recent times there has been talk of bringing back the more sedate, religious version of St. Nicholas into Christmas tradition. It doesn’t seem likely that will happen… the image of the roly-poly heavyset man in the red suit has become very much a part of the celebration of the holiday. While some may say that Santa is nothing but a marketing tool, he does have a history… and a place in the hearts of children everywhere.

Written by Angela Sangster, Copyright 2009 ChristmasChimney.com