1. Santa Claus is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve.
38 Facts About Santa Claus
1. 2.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, a red hat trimmed with white fur, a black leather belt and boots, carrying a bag full of gifts for children.
3.
The poem laid the foundation for modern depictions of Santa Claus, strengthening the association between Santa Claus and Christmas.
4.
Santa Claus was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity.
5.
Santa Claus is the patron saint of both Amsterdam and Moscow.
6.
Santa Claus typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry.
7.
Santa Claus is known as de Kerstman in Dutch and Pere Noel in French.
8.
Odin, transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild, became a leading player on the Christmas stage.
9.
For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York, Sinterklaas was Anglicized into "Santa Claus" but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat.
10.
Some modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the anonymous publication of the poem A Visit From St Nicholas in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on 23 December 1823; Clement Clarke Moore later claimed authorship, though some scholars argue that Henry Livingston, Jr.
11.
One of the first artists to define the modern image of the modern image of Santa Claus was Thomas Nast, a German-born American cartoonist of the 19th century who immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the 3 January 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly in which Santa was dressed in an American flag, and had a puppet with the name "Jeff" written on it, reflecting its Civil War context.
12.
Images of Santa Claus were conveyed through Haddon Sundblom's depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising in the 1930s.
13.
The image spawned urban legends that Santa Claus was invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that Santa wears red and white because they are the colours used to promote the Coca-Cola brand.
14.
Volunteers dressed as Santa Claus typically became part of fundraising drives to aid needy families at Christmas time.
15.
In some images from the early 20th century, Santa Claus was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman.
16.
Santa Claus has been described as a positive male cultural icon:.
17.
Santa Claus is really the only cultural icon we have who's male, does not carry a gun, and is all about peace, joy, giving, and caring for other people.
18.
Santa Claus is much more organic, integral, connected to the past, and therefore connected to the future.
19.
Many television commercials, comic strips and other media depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa Claus's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on their boss.
20.
For instance, a Bloom County story from 15 December 1981 through 24 December 1981 has Santa Claus rejecting the demands of PETCO for higher wages, a hot tub in the locker room, and "Aggressive recruitment of a wider gender spectrum of employee", with the elves then going on strike.
21.
The tradition of Santa Claus being said to enter dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers.
22.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red outfit consisting of jacket, trousers and hat all trimmed with white fur, accessorized with black leather belt and boots, and carrying a bag full of gifts for children.
23.
The laughter of Santa Claus has long been an important attribute by which the character is identified, but it does not appear in many non-English-speaking countries.
24.
Santa Claus is traditionally said to live at the North Pole, which according to Canada Post lies within Canadian jurisdiction in postal code H0H 0H0.
25.
The United States Postal Service recommends mail to Santa Claus's workshop be sent to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888.
26.
In France, Santa Claus is believed to reside in 1 Chemin des Nuages, Pole Nord.
27.
Actors portraying Santa Claus are present at various venues in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
28.
For example, children's television producer Jonathan Meath studied at the International School of Santa Claus and earned the degree Master of Santa Claus in 2006.
29.
NORAD Tracks Santa Claus originated in 1955 when a Sears-Roebuck ad incorrectly printed the number for their Santa Claus hotline and the Continental Air Defense Command received the calls intended for the Sears hotline.
30.
Currently, most local television stations in the United States and Canada rely upon outside established "Santa Claus tracking" efforts, such as NORAD Tracks Santa Claus.
31.
Santa Claus has partial Christian roots in Saint Nicholas, particularly in the high church denominations that practice the veneration of him and other saints.
32.
Various Christian denominations have differing opinions of Santa Claus, ranging from acceptance to denouncement.
33.
Jeremy Seal, author of the 2005 book Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus, said in an interview that Santa's 19th-century elements, like reindeer, a sleigh, and bells, were reminiscent of the real world.
34.
Santa Claus had been portrayed in a red suit in the 19th century by Thomas Nast among others.
35.
Imaginative play, in which children know that Santa Claus is only a character in a story, but pretend that he is real, just like they pretend that superheroes or other fictional characters are real, is valuable.
36.
The prevalence of belief in Santa Claus is high at age five, and declines precipitously when children are seven or eight years old.
37.
Age-inappropriate belief in Santa Claus is seen in some older children and teenagers who have autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
38.
Some have argued that Santa Claus prioritizes parents' short-term happiness in seeing children excited about Santa Claus, and their nostalgic willingness to prolong the age of magical thinking, over children.