Happy Holidays from all of us with love,
My Pop-Pop, Grandmother, Mommy, & Me!
The tradition of Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, is celebrated throughout the world. Children are told that Santa brings them presents on December 24, the night before Christmas (or in some countries on December 6, St. Nicholas' Day). In most countries, it is said that Santa lives at the North Pole and flies through the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Late at night, Santa comes down the chimney and leaves presents by the Christmas tree for children, also filling their stockings hung from the mantel.
Santa Claus, which comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas, is based on a real person, St. Nicholas. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4 century A.D. A very shy man, he wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. Legend tells that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire, thus beginning the tradition of hanging stockings for Santa.
The jolly, red-suited Santa of today has changed much from the early images of him. Santa was orginally depicted as a man in a long brown robe and furs, carrying a cross and wine flask with a holly crown on his head. Then in 1885, a Boston printer, Louis Prang, first devised the red-suited Santa. In the 1930's an advertising artist took the image further, leading to the modern image of a jolly character in a red suit trimmed with white fur. Through his love for children and gift giving, Santa Claus is an integral part of the spirit of Christmas.
Excerpt from the book "Christmas Traditions From Around The Globe"
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