The Stories of Santa

Most children the world over have heard of Santa Claus, or a variation of him. In America, he’s imagined to be an immortal old man who lives at the North Pole and makes toys to give to children each Christmas Eve. We see him in books and movies as a rotund, jolly old soul, his white beard flowing over a red suit trimmed with fur and gold buttons. And, of course, always chortling that merry greeting: “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

You may be surprised to learn that Santa Claus hasn’t always been Santa Claus. He has quite a history, beginning in present-day Turkey. But first, let’s start in the New World.

The legend of “Sinterklaas” (sounds a lot like “Santa Claus,” doesn’t it?) was brought to New York by Dutch settlers in the 1600s. The Dutch first called him “Sint Nicolaas,” which eventually evolved into Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas had a sidekick (companion) named Black Peter. Tall and lanky with dark hair and skin, he was the physical opposite of Sinterklaas in looks and was believed to give punishments to Dutch children who’d misbehaved. He also sported a large sack that many children were afraid of, believing he carried naughty little ones away in it. He was also said to hand out coal, which birthed the tradition of mischievous children finding coal in their stockings on Christmas morning. In a way, Sinterklaas and Black Peter were the “good cop/bad cop” of their time.

The Feast of Sinterklaas is celebrated in most Roman Catholic countries on December 6 and is primarily a celebration for young children. The Eve of the Feast of Sinterklaas, on December 5, is celebrated in lowland countries – such as The Netherlands – by all ages, including the religious and non-religious. People give gifts, poke fun at each other, and generally just have a good time on this day.  This story is bit hard for me as I don’t know how you couple a “good cop/bad cop” with Santa.

Saint Nicholas the man from whom the legend grew, began life simply as Nicholas in AD 271 on the southern coast of what is now Turkey (at the time, the land belonged to Greece). The son of wealthy parents who raised him to be a devout Christian, he found himself orphaned at a young age when they died in an epidemic. He became a priest and dedicated his life to using his wealth to help those less fortunate.  This story is my personal favorite.  Imagine dedicating your life to using your wealth to help those less fortunate.

One popular story tells how Nicholas saved three sisters from being sold into slavery. Their father couldn’t afford dowries for them, and without a dowry it was almost impossible to find a husband. It’s said that Nicholas, who was fond of throwing gifts through open windows, threw a bag of gold into their house on three separate occasions, landing in either the girls’ stockings or shoes. This kind and selfless act saved three sisters from the auction block, and also began the tradition of children putting out stockings for Saint Nicholas to fill.

Nicholas the priest eventually became the Archbishop of Myra (now Demre, Turkey, near Anatolia), making him the youngest archbishop of his day. He lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who began persecuting and locking up the clergy while robbers and murderers ran free. Nicholas was imprisoned for a time, but eventually released.

After his time in prison, he attended the famed Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died on December 6, 342 or 343 in Myra, but his remains were taken to Bari, Italy in AD 1087 after the region fell to Islamic forces. The day of his death was decreed by Rome to be his “name day,” on which the Feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated.

Popular American author Washington Irving was the first to write about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. He wrote of Saint Nicholas arriving on horseback every Christmas Eve, but not accompanied by Black Peter as in the Dutch story.

The combined Dutch American Saint Nicholas was “fleshed out” by Clement C. Moore in his classic poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” also known as “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” From Moore’s poem we were given the names of Saint Nick’s reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen), how he laughed, and even how he looked when he laughed. He was referred to as a “lively old elf” who entered and exited houses through the chimneys.

A famous American illustrator named Thomas Nast is the man we have to thank for the larger version of Saint Nick. Nast drew Santa for Harper’s magazine from the 1860s to the 1880s, and showed him to be rather round and filled out. His imaginative contributions of Santa working at a North Pole workshop and carrying lists of who was “naughty” and who was “nice” became staples of modern Santa lore. Santa’s girth grew again in the 1930s when ads for Coca Cola depicted him as a full-sized human rather than an elf.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  May “selfless acts” abound !!!!!!!