It’s that time of year again when snow covers the ground in a powdery white, hot chocolate becomes a popular drink yet again and activities such as sledding and ice skating startup. It’s a time when snow forts and snowmen litter yards while houses are lit up and kids begin dreaming of a certain legend coming to town once more. This man goes by many names, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, or most commonly, Santa Claus. 

The legend of this jolly man in white and red actually goes back hundreds of years to a monk named Saint Nicholas. A fiery man who helped the poor he quickly became a popular figure and starred in many legends. The name Santa Claus evolved from the Dutch name for St. Nicholas, Sint Nikolaas, which was then shortened to Sinter Klaas and eventually became Santa Claus.

Eventually, the story of St. Nicholas made it to American popular culture around the end of the 18th century. Artists and writers gradually remade St. Nicholas, giving him a resemblance closer to that of which he has today through poems and portraits. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem “The Night Before Christmas” which was originally titled “A Visit From St. Nicholas”. The poem along with a picture created by Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist in that era, greatly influenced how we see Santa pictured today. 

The appearance of Santa Claus has gone through many changes throughout history from being depicted as a very short figure to being dressed in furs. Originally he wore Bishop robes then in Nast’s cartoon he was depicted wearing a brown coat with brown fur trim. He continued to go through many different colors of clothing, heights, weights, and general outward appearances until an advertisement artist hired by Coca-Cola created our modern image of him. 

However, St. Nicholas was not the only gift-bringer to be thought up. In other cultures, figures such as Christkind for Swiss and German children, Jultomten, an elf in Scandinavia, and La Befana, a kind witch in Italy, all rewarded good children by bringing them small gifts and treats. There were also accounts of scarier figures, threatening sidekicks who punished naughty children with consequences such as kidnapping or whipping. 

People have held onto their beliefs of Santa Claus throughout history and the tradition of this iconic figure continues today with songs and movies dedicated to him and his famous reindeer as well as toys, cards, candies, and so much more.