Was there really a Santa Claus?

Even though a small child might be scared of that bright red suit and the man staring at you from behind that white beard, eventually they learn to love Santa. They recognize and look forward to that time of year when he will steal into their home and leave presents and colourful gifts under the Christmas tree.

Let’s just look for a minute about where Santa came from, and what meaning he brings with him on his yearly, worldwide journey.

Santa goes by more than one name, in Europe he is often referred to as Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Father Christmas and Kris Kringle are other names. Most young children all over the world just call him, Santa.

In many countries Santa or Saint Nicholas actually delivers gifts on December 6 – St. Nicholas Day. There are many historical tales dating back hundreds of years of a huge man delivering gifts on St. Nicholas Day. At this time Saint Nicholas was depicted wearing bishops robes, now he is shown in his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, along with his sturdy black boots. He is always shown as having a moustache and a beard. This more modern day image of Santa appeared in the U.S. and Canada in the 19th Century, he was immortalized by cartoonist Thomas Nast.

In Britain Father Christmas dates back to the 17th Century and surviving pictures of him, show him as a jolly round figured man dressed in green robes. Today the British Father Christmas is depicted as the traditional American Santa.

With a fireplace, as the only source of heat in many homes, in the 19th Century it only made sense for the chimney tradition to appear. Santa would use the chimney as a way of entering someone’s home when the front door was locked. The hearth of a fireplace was believed at one time to be sacred. It was not just Santa that left gifts there, elves and fairies in many folklore tales also left gifts here for the family.

Even though Santa has become modernized today, there are still rituals which take place every December, in preparation for the arrival of the big, red man.

Many children today visit the department store to see Santa and remind him of what gifts they truly want for Christmas. Others leave cookies and milk out on Christmas Eve for him to eat. Stockings are still hung, if not on the fireplace mantle, on door knobs for him to find easily. The most modern ritual is the one of NORAD tracking Santa as he flies around the world on Christmas Eve delivering his gifts.

So there you have a history of Santa, from all accounts he was a real person that has taken on the personification of a large, happy, bearded man delivering gifts with his trusty reindeer to all the children of the world. So may be there really just is a Santa Claus after all?





More Resources for Simplifying Christmas

You can also save money and be unique, by making your own Christmas cards this year.

I have a brilliant pack of 1,500 Christmas royalty free images for only $5 that you can download and use year after year.

They are gorgeous and such fun to use on handmade cards and decorations.

Learning how to keep Christmas simple is a matter of making sure you are organized with your Christmas planning and budgeting every step of the way.

Please visit and enjoy all the great tips and ideas I have put on there to help you enjoy Christmas in a more relaxed way.

Giada's Family Christmas

Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 14: Festive holiday recipes, gifts and projects to make the season sparkle

Broadway Basketeers Gift Tower of Sweets, Gourmet Mini

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