So many older people today joke about how Santa isn't real, & how he's fake, & how he just isn't possible, etc. But what many people don't know that WAY back in the day, there actually WAS a real life Santa Claus. So, I've took the liberty of searching for the story & I've compiled the facts into a good, easy to understand blog for anyone who might be interested. I hope you enjoy.

---

---

---

Santa, he wasn't always the big fat, jolly man with a red beard, dressed all in white. Like many American traditions, This Santa Claus is the product of the 1 thing America is so famous for: the blending of many different cultures & customs, into 1. Making 1 jolly, fat, red-dressed, bearded man, we all know & love today. His earliest ancestors actually date back to pre-christian days, when the sky-riding god actually ruled the earth. They mythological characters Odin, Thor, & Saturn gave us the basis for many of Santa Claus's characteristics. But, the most influential basis on Santa's generous & loving attitude, was believe it or not, a real man. His name was St. Nicholas, & he was from Myra (Now Turkey). He was a 4th century bishop. He was legendary for his generosity & his kindness, & was considered a champion among children of the needy.

---

In a well known story, illustrating St. Nicholas' kindness, we find 2 of the basic meanings of the holiday spirit...giving to others, & helping others that are less fortunate. Also, the tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace.
According to legend, there were 3 Italian young women, who had fallen on hard times, their father could not afford the dowries that were needed for all 3 of them to get married, so he was considering the idea of selling 1 of his daughter into slavery so his other 2 daughters could get married. When St. Nicholas heard of this family's dilemma, he went to their home, late one night & tossed 3 bags of gold down the chimney. Remarkably, a bag fell into each of the sisters stockings, which were hanging y the fireplace to dry. His kindhearted gift made it possible for all 3 sisters to get married.
There is a variation that goes: As each girl was ready to get married, St. Nicholas came in the middle of the night, when no one would see him, & tossed a bag of gold through the window, making it into her stocking. It's the idea of the gifts being delivered through an open window that was used as the explanation for people who did not have a chimney.

---

Many groups claimed St. Nicholas as their patron saint, because of his wisdom & his sensitivity. Children, orphans, sailors, & even thieves often prayed to the compassionate, kindhearted saint for guidance & protection. Entire countries, including Russia, & Greece, adopted him as their patron saint. As did students & pawn brokers.
For his entire life, St. Nicholas tried to help others & attempted to inspire others to imitate his virtues. Legends of his unselfish giving eventually spread clear throughout Northern Europe, & account of his heroic, kindhearted deeds eventually blended with regional folklore. Eventually, the image of this stately saint was transformed into an almost mystical being. A being that today is known for rewarding the good, & punishing the bad.
On the date of St. Nicholas' death, December 6, people commemorated it with an annual feast, which over time, gradually came the mark of the beginning of the Medieval Christmas Season. On St. Nicholas' Eve, children would set out food for the saint, straw for his horses, & schnapps for his attendant. The next morning, if the children had been obedient, they would awake to find their gifts replaced with sweets & toys. If the children were disobedient, their gifts were found untouched, along with a rod or bundle switched. In many countries, St. Nicholas' Day is still observed & celerated, & gifts are exchanged in honor of brotherhood & charity that he embodied while alive.

---

After the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the feasting and veneration of Catholic saints were banned. But people had become accustomed to the annual visit from their gift-giving saint & didn't want to forget the purpose of the holiday. So in some countries, the festivities of St. Nicholas' Day were merged with Christmas celebrations, & although the gift-bearer took on new, non-religious forms, he still reflected the saints generous spirit.
In Germany, he appeared as Weihnachtsmann, in England as Father Christmas, & in France, as Pere Noel, who left small gifts in the children's shoes.
In the areas where St. Nicholas was still portrayed as the gift-bearer, Many other characters have developed to be his assistant. Two of his most well-known helpers were Knecht Ruprecht and the Belsnickle. Depending on the local tradition, they were either attendants to St. Nicholas or gift-bears themselves, but in all cases, both were quite fearsome characters, holding rods and switches. It was not only their duty to reward good children but also to punish children who were naughty & couldn't recite their prayers.
Knecht Ruprecht (meaning Servant Rupert) was also by other names such as Black Peter (he was called this because he delivered the presents down the chimney for St. Nicholas & became blackened with soot).
In some places, the images of Knecht Ruprecht and St. Nicholas merged to form Ru Klaus (meaning Rough Nicholas-named because of his rugged appearance), Aschen Klaus (meaning Ash Nicholas-because he carried a sack of ashes as well as a bundle of switches), & Pelznickle (this means Furry Nicholas & it refers to his fur clad appearance).
Not all of St. Nicholas' companions were as frightening. In fact, the Christkindl (meaning Christ Child) was thought to accompany him in many countries. Often pictured as a fair-haired young girl, this angelic figure was also sometimes the gift-bearer.

---

Immigrants to the New World brought along their various beliefs when they crossed the Atlantic. The Scandinavians introduced gift-giving elves, the Germans brought not only their Belsnickle and Chistkindle but also their decorated trees & the Irish contributed the ancient Gaelic custom of placing a lighted candle in the window.
In the 1600's, the Dutch showed Sinterklaas (meaning St. Nicholas) to the colonies. In their excitement, many English-speaking children uttered the name so quickly that Sinterklaas sounded like Santy Claus. After years of mispronunciation, the name evolved into Santa Claus.
In 1808, American author Washington Irving created a new version of old St. Nick. This one rode over the treetops in a horse drawn wagon 'dropping gifts down the chimneys of his favorites.' In his satire, Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, Irving described Santa as a jolly Dutchman who smoked a long stemmed clay pipe & wore baggy breeches & a broad brimmed hat. Also, the familiar phrase, '...laying his finger beside his nose...,' first appeared in Irving's story.
That phrase was used again in 1822 in the now-classic poem by Dr. Clement Clarke Moore, 'A Visit from St. Nicholas,' more commonly know as 'The Night Before Christmas.' His verse gave an Arctic flavor to Santa's image when he exchanged 8 tiny reindeer & a sleigh for Irving's horse and wagon. It is Moore's description of Santa that we most often think of today: 'He had a broad face, and a little round belly, that shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.'
Up to this point, Santa's physical appearance and the color of his suit were open to individual interpretation. Then in 1863, Thomas Nast, a German immigrant, gave us a visual image of the cheerful giver that was to later become widely accepted.
When Nast was asked to illustrate Moore's charming verse for a book of children's poems, he gave us a softer, kinder Santa who was still old but appeared less stern than the parochial St. Nicholas. He dressed his elfin figure in red and endowed him with human features. Most important of all, Nast gave Santa a home at the North Pole. For twenty-three years, his annual drawings in Harpers Weekly magazine allowed Americans to peek into the magical world of Santa Claus and set the stage for the shaping of today's merry gentleman.
Artist Haddon Sundblom added the final touches to Santa's modern image. Beginning in 1931, his billboard and other advertisements for Coca Cola-Cola featured a portly, grandfatherly Santa with human capacity & a ruddy complexion. Sunblom's animated, twinkle-eyed Santa firmly fixed the gift-giver's image in the public mind.
St. Nicholas' evolution into today's happy, larger-than-life Santa Claus is a wonderful example of the blending of countless beliefs & practices from around the world. This kind, compassionate figure encompasses all the goodness and innocence of childhood. And because goodness is his very essence, in every kindness we do, Santa will always be remembered.