Santa Claus: The Biography

Overview

Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa, or Klaus) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve. He is said to accomplish this with the aid of Christmas elves, who make the toys in his workshop, and with the aid of flying reindeer who pull his sleigh through the air. The popular conception of Santa Claus originates from folklore traditions surrounding the 4th-century Christian bishop Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Saint Nicholas became renowned for his reported generosity and secret gift-giving. This conception also shares similarities with the English figure of Father Christmas, and they are both now popularly regarded as the same person. Santa is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, a red hat trimmed with white fur, a black leather belt, and boots, carrying a bag full of gifts for children. He is popularly associated with a deep, hearty laugh, frequently rendered in Christmas literature as "ho, ho, ho!" This image originated in North America during the 19th century, influenced by Dutch immigrants who brought the legend of Sinterklaas ("Saint Nicholas") to New Amsterdam (present-day New York City), and has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, family Christmas traditions, films, and advertising.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Belk, Russell. 1989. "Materialism with the modern U.S. Christmas”. In Interpretive Consumer Research, ed. by Elizabeth C. Hirschman, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 75–104.Bowler, Gerry, Editor (2004). The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Limited. ISBN 978-0-7710-1535-9 (0-7710-1535-6)Bowler, Gerry, (2007). Santa Claus: A Biography, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Limited. ISBN 978-0-7710-1668-4 (0-7710-1668-9)Crump, William D. Editor (2006). The Christmas Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, ISBN 978-0-7864-2293-7Nissenbaum, Stephen (1997). The Battle for Christmas, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN 978-0-679-74038-4 (0-679-74038-4)

Recommended Media

Web Resources: Saint Nicholas of Bari

Saint Nicholas Shrine, World Trade Center, NYC
Saint Nicholas Shrine, Tallin, Estonia

Web Resources: Santa Claus

HISTORY: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_ClausHISTORY: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus HISTORY: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-story-of-santa-claus/7388292.html HISTORY (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLGkN6KYE5g SANTA CLAUS IN FILM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_in_filmSANTA CLAUS IN ART: https://www.sartle.com/blog/post/art-history-of-santa-claus SANTA CLAUS IN FICTION (links): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Santa_Claus_in_fiction MALL AND DEPARTMENT STORE SANTAS: https://brookhavencourier.com/109888/arts-culture/the-rich-history-of-mall-santas/HISTORY OF DEPARTMENT STORE SANTAS (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fzoE2ADDqA LETTERS TO SANTA: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-sending-letter-santa-180957441/LETTERS TO SANTA (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2ChVCmRjCI SANTA AND NORAD: https://www.norad.mil/NORAD-Tracks-Santa/