Original photo by avid_creative/ iStock
Deck the halls and roast some chestnuts, because ’tis the season for merriment and mistletoe. Although December 25 is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (whose birthday might actually be in the spring), to many children, Christmas means one thing: a visit from Santa Claus. And right now, surrogate Santas are everywhere — posing for photos, ringing bells for charity, and bar-hopping through downtowns. Here are seven fantastic facts about the jolly old elf himself.
He Has Saintly Origins
Santa Claus (or Father Christmas in the U.K.) has his origins in the fourth-century Turkish bishop who, once canonized, became St. Nicholas. The patron saint of children and sailors, Nicholas was venerated for his generosity and kindness and became the patron saint of children, sailors, and unmarried girls, as well as of Greece and Russia. The sailors, in particular, spread stories of him throughout Europe, and thousands of churches bear his name.
The Dutch Saved (and Spread) Protestant Santa Claus
After the Reformation, the prominence of St. Nicholas receded in Protestant countries — except for Holland. The Dutch continued to revere their Sinterklaas and brought the tradition of Santa Claus with them when they began colonizing New Amsterdam (we now call it New York) in the 17th century. Although the dour Puritans waged war on all Christmas merriment, actually banning it in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1659, other Americans embraced Santa Claus, and eventually the holiday took hold in the New World.
Santa Claus Started on a Donkey
Before he had reindeer, St. Nicholas was said to deliver gifts via donkey. One of the most famous legends told of him dropping gold coins through a window to provide dowries for three poor sisters. On the evening before his feast day (December 6), children in northern Europe leave their shoes out — sometimes filled with a carrot or twist of hay for the donkey — in hopes of waking to find them filled with small gifts.
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A Poem Made Modern Santa Claus
Depictions of Santa varied, but that all changed on December 23, 1823, when a newspaper in Troy, New York, published an anonymous poem titled “A Visit From St. Nicholas.” We know that poem as “The Night Before Christmas,” and the author’s description of a red-suited, white-bearded, big-bellied “jolly old elf” still informs our visions of Santa. The poem also introduced his first eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen (although the last two are often listed as “Dunder and Blixem” in the original poem — Dutch for “thunder and lightning” and a popular expression among Dutch Americans of the day). Fan favorite Rudolph, meanwhile, didn’t make an appearance until 1939.
But “The Night Before Christmas” May Have Been Plagiarized
After the poem was published, its origins remained anonymous for decades before New York scholar Clement C. Moore claimed authorship in 1844, including it in a collection of his poems. But descendants of Poughkeepsie poet and farmer Henry Livingston Jr. — and a growing number of academics — contend that linguistic analysis confirms Livingston was the true author of the beloved holiday saga.
Santa Has an Evil Twin
Well, an evil Austrian counterpart, anyway. While St. Nicholas is busy passing out presents to good boys and girls, kids on the naughty list should keep an eye out for Krampus. This half-man, half-goat doesn’t only bring coal and switches to the naughty — particularly bratty kids might be kidnapped or even taken straight to hell.
Santa Gets a Lot of Mail
The big man has millions of fans, and they want to keep in touch. You can visit Santa at a department store near you (the first was in Philadelphia, in 1841), or catch him atop his sleigh at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A lot of children prefer to put their lists in writing: French children send perhaps the most per capita, addressing more than a million envelopes a year to Père Noël. Canadian kids can write to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada, and elves help out with American mail sent to Santa Claus, Indiana. Children can also send letters and wish lists to Santa via the USPS Operation Santa program by addressing them to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888.
Cynthia Barnes has written for the Boston Globe, National Geographic, the Toronto Star and the Discoverer. After loving life in Bangkok, she happily calls Colorado home.
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