SANTA CLAUS

PART OF SERIES, "PASKO 2025: DISCOVER THE CHRISTMAS"

Author: Ken Klark L. Flores

Photo: Bill Strachan / Pinterest

Introduction

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!", that a catchy phrase from Santa Claus. His gift was from North Pole that delivered to the whole world. However, who is he?

Who is Santa Claus?

The legend began with Nicholas of Myra, a Christian bishop born in Patara (modern-day Turkey) around 280 AD. He was famous for his piety and secret acts of charity, most notably providing gold dowries for three poor sisters by tossing bags of gold through their window—some of which supposedly landed in stockings drying by the fire. By the Renaissance, he was the most popular saint in Europe. (History. com Editors, 2010). After the Protestant Reformation, the veneration of saints was discouraged in most of Europe. However, the tradition survived in Holland as Sinterklaas, a Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. Dutch settlers brought these customs to New Amsterdam (now New York City) in the 17th century. English-speaking Americans eventually anglicized the name "Sinterklaas" into "Santa Claus".(Who is St. Nicholas and How Did He Become Santa Claus?, 2025;  The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018).

1800s to Popularization

In Washington Irving's 1809 book "A History of New York", he portrayed Nicholas as a jolly figure flying in a wagon to deliver presents. Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas"), introduced the sleigh, eight flying reindeer, and the description of Santa as a "chubby and plump" jolly old elf. Thomas Nast, a cartoonist who, beginning in the 1860s, drew Santa in a red suit with a white beard, living at the North Pole, and keeping a "naughty or nice" list (Moriarty, n.d.; STPL Reference Covington, 2020).

Illustrator Haddon Sundblom is widely credited with standardizing the modern image of Santa. Commissioned by Coca-Cola starting in 1931, Sundblom created a realistic, human-sized, and "jolly" Santa wearing a bright red suit with white fur trim (Messervy, 2017). While the red suit existed previously in 19th-century illustrations by Thomas Nast, Coca-Cola’s massive advertising reach solidified this specific look as the universal standard. The 20th century added key permanent elements to Santa's backstory. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by Robert L. May for a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign. Similarly, the character of Mrs. Claus was standardized in the popular imagination through songs and children's books in the 1950s and 60s (Santa Claus (Fictional Character) | Research Starters | EBSCO Research, 2022).

Reference

History.com Editors. (2010, February 16). Santa Claus: Real Origins & Legend | HISTORY. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/articles/santa-claus

‌Who is St. Nicholas and How Did He Become Santa Claus? (2025). Brtsite.com. https://ctc-www.brtsite.com/newsdetail/669441

‌The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). St. Nicholas | Biography, Facts, & Feast Day. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Nicholas

‌Moriarty, T. (n.d.). The History of Father Christmas. English Heritage. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-father-christmas/

‌STPL Reference Covington. (2020, December 10). The Legend of Santa Claus: Part 1. the Origin and History of a Christmas Legend. Www.sttammanylibrary.org. https://www.sttammanylibrary.org/blogs/post/the-legend-of-santa-claus-part-1-the-origin-and-history-of-a-christmas-legend/

‌Messervy, N. (2017, December 13). The Evolution of Santa Claus. Www.moas.org. https://www.moas.org/The-Evolution-of-Santa-Claus-1-36.html

‌Santa Claus (fictional character) | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. (2022). EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/santa-claus-fictional-character

‌Author: Ken Klark L. Flores, via Aksyon Apologia / The Filipino Apologia