Here are a few things the popular Saint is said to have done in his lifetime:
As an infant, he only nursed two days a week and fasted the other days.
He was said to have brought dead children back to life.
He obstructed an executioner to save the life of his prisoner.
His family was rich but he gave all of his money away to poor children.
He saved three sailors from drowning by stopping a storm.
He anonymously showered children with gifts by throwing them into their windows.
Along the way the myth and the legend of the gift-giving Saint was intertwined with other country’s versions and new names began to appear for St. Nicholas. Puritans in America during the 1600’s banned the mention of St. Nicholas along with gift-giving, candle-lighting and carol-singing. The Dutch ended that period when they brought Sinta Klass with them to New York in the 17th century. In 1773, his name appeared in print as St. A Claus. In 1809, Washington Irving, who wrote under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, painted a clearer picture of Santa Claus. This Santa rode on a horse, not a sleigh.
It was 1823 when Santa finally received his reindeer and sleigh in a poem entitled “The Night Before Christmas” written by Clement Clarke Moore. It’s no wonder that by the early 1800’s Santa Claus was pictured by Americans as a short, fat gnome-like fellow who smoked a pipe and rode a sleigh powered by reindeer. Santa’s beard had become white as snow, possibly because he was getting so far along in years.
Santa Claus’ reputation was somewhat tarnished in 1862 (at least in the eyes of the Confederate soldier) when he was caught, dressed in a fir-lined stars and stripes outfit, in the act of delivering goodies to Union soldiers.
Haddon Sundblom changed Santa’s image forever when, in 1931, he created the first Coca-Cola Santa for their advertising campaign. Santa’s new image caught on so well that every year Santa is seen in a new pose for Coca-Cola.
The longest serving Santa, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, is still active today. He is 84-year-old Dayton Fouts of Tucson, Arizona. This year he will serve as Santa for the 60th year in a row.
Christian, Pagan and the Catholic Religions all had a hand in shaping the folklore of Santa Claus as did the Scandinavian, Dutch, German, American and English people. Today each country has its own version of the Saint and gift-giving traditions.
The Finland Santa doesn’t drive a sleigh at all. He rides a goat made of straw named Ukko. Never fear — legend states the straw is strong enough to support his weight. His name is not Santa, either. It’s Joulupukki.
In Holland, Sinter Klass rides with his faithful servant, Black Peter, who’s job is to throw the children’s presents down the chimney. As a side note, Black Peter is also responsible for the punishment of bad boys and girls. He wraps them in bags and totes them to Spain.
Most children in Spain receive their presents from the Three Kings. Their shoes are placed under the tree on the night of January 5th and presents are found in their shoes the next morning. Some lucky children of Spain receive small presents from Papa Noel also on Christmas Eve.
Shirley Temple stopped believing in Santa Claus when she was six because Santa asked for her autograph in a shopping center. She should have read Francis Church’s 1897 editorial that appeared in the New York Sun, titled, “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”.
No one can dispute the physical evidence. Relics from our first Santa, Bishop Nicholas of Myra, exist and are being held in the Basilica de St. Nicola in Bari, Italy. It’s worth noting that the relics of this great Saint were originally stolen from their home in Myra, Turkey in 1087 AD.
So, yes, Virginia, there is and there was a great Santa Claus. His name is Saint Nicholas.
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