Where did 'Santa' come from?

The story of Santa Claus dates back to fourth-century Greece and has its origins in St. Nickolaos, a pious young priest who later became the Bishop of Myra. Known for his compassion and generosity to the poor, he was venerated as a saint after his death.

It's believed that 17th-century Dutch settlers to New Amsterdam, New York, who called St. Nikolaos by the name of Sinterklaas, brought the tradition of gift giving with them to America where Sinterklaas' name evolved into Santa Claus.

The modern physical description of Santa Claus owes much to writers Washington Irving, in his 1809 "History of New York," and to Clement Clarke Moore, when, in his 1823 book, "The Night Before Christmas," he generally described the impish bringer of gifts as "a right jolly old elf" and gave him reindeer that fly.

In the late 1800s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast (in Harper's magazine) elaborated on the physical depiction of Santa and provided him with a North Pole connection, while also inventing the naughty/nice list.

But the individual who most clearly defined the Santa for whom American children leave cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, was Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom. In the 1930s, he conceived a rotund and jolly fellow wearing a red suit, wide black belt and black boots. Haddon gave him sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks and a bottle of Coca-Cola. Yes, Santa was an ad for the beverage company. The color illustration appealed to so many families, that Haddon's Santa evolved into the one that the United States adopted. Rudolph came later in 1939, thanks to a Montgomery Ward advertising campaign.

Source : heraldtribune.com