Santa Claus is believed to have been based on St. Nicholas, a 4th-century clergy in the Mediterranean port city of Myra, part of modern-day Turkey. It is said that St. Nicholas gave away all his wealth to help the poor and the sick. By the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, the Feast of Sinterklaas in early December featured a red-robed bishop who doled out gifts to kids. In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation put an end to the worship of saints and the birth of the Christ Child or Christkindl, a.k.a. “Kris Kringle” was celebrated instead. In the 18th century, Dutch immigrants brought the story of Saint Nikolaas and the tradition of gift-giving to New York City. The Dutch said his name very quickly. It sounded like “Sinterklaas.” When English speakers said this word, it sounded like Santa Claus.
The tales of Santa Claus we tell today are largely due to a poem written by minister Clement Clarke Moore in 1822, titled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” In this poem, Moore describes St. Nicholas as a chubby, old elf with magical abilities who travels in a sleigh led by flying reindeer who gives presents to boys and girls everywhere. In the mid-19th century the writer Thomas Nast first mentioned the North Pole and Mrs. Clause. Nast remembered that, when he was a little boy, a kind old man would give toys and cakes to the children on Christmas. So, when Nast painted Santa Claus, he looked like the old man from his childhood. Nast painted Santa as a short, fat, jolly old man with a long beard. He wore a red suit with white fur. He also gave Santa a North Pole workshop, elves, and a wife, Mrs. Claus. In the 1930s, the legend of jolly St. Nick was finalized when the Coca Cola company, portrayed him in their advertisements as Santa Claus: a full-sized adult man, with a red suit, white beard and red checks.
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