Only one more day to go until Santa Claus begins his travels, but how much do you know about how our modern Santa came to be?
Santa Claus appeared in records in Turkey by the 4th century A.D. – as a man named Nicholas who was canonized by the church and became St. Nicholas. Yes, that’s the beginning of Santa Claus.
Through the centuries, he has been known by many names, including Father Christmas, Sinterklaas and Kris Kringle.
His appearance and dress style has also changed through the ages. It wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that Santa began to gain to some weight and wear a red suit with white trim.
These vintage images (all in the U.S. public domain) tell his story:
As Santa Claus began his work in the 20th century, he definitely moved with the times:
As Christmas became more commercialized, Santa was pictured in his workshop:
and making his descent down chimneys:
Notice how slim and trim Santa was – otherwise, how would he ever get down that chimney?
Christmas trees were simply decorated, but very dangerous!
Those beautiful candles, lit for real on the tree, sadly burned down many homes.
It wasn’t until Coca Cola began its famous Santa Claus ads that he became the consistently rotund jolly soul that most of us recognize.
To learn more about Santa Claus’s history, check out the following websites:
A Pictorial History of Santa Claus
Santa Claus: Real Origins & Legends
The History of St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and Father Christmas
One more important event happened in the 1800s that cemented our vision of Santa Claus – the 1823 anonymous publication of Clement Clark Moore’s poem, republished in 1837 under his name:
A Visit from St. Nicholas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
That was my favorite story when the holiday season approached. Mom read that to me so many times that I could recite most of the poem with her as she read.
However, because of all the Christmas excitement that this story stirred up, it was a book that wasn’t to be opened until after Santa Claus appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade!
Tonight is an excellent night to start a new holiday tradition in your family by reading the story to your little ones.