Santa Claus lives in hearts and minds
Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas. All of these names conjure up one image — Santa Claus.
Some believe Santa's image was based on the life of Saint Nicholas. Others believe Saint Nicholas only is a legend and was not a real person.
For those who believe Saint Nicholas existed, they believe Santa's image was based on his life and that he lived in Myra, now Turkey, in the fourth century A.D.
The story goes, Nicholas was a young bishop who wanted to give money to the poor but was incredibly shy.
Instead of giving the money directly the needy, Nicholas rode a white horse and climbed on the roof of a peasant's home, and dropped a bag of money down the chimney. The money bag landed in a sock that a young girl had hung by the fire to dry, and it is from this story the modern Christmas stocking was born.
No one is sure when Saint Nicholas' white horse became eight reindeer. The earliest reference was from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the famous story by Clement Moore.
The name of "Santa Claus" is believed to have evolved from Dutch immigrants in the 17th century with the legend of Sinter Klaas.
In 1773, Santa first appeared in the media as St. A. Claus.
In 1809, Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker, included Saint Nicholas in his book, "A History of New York." Nicholas is described as riding into town on a horse.
Irving revised his book in 1812 to include Nicholas riding over the trees in a wagon.
William Gilley printed a poem in 1821 about "Santeclaus" who was dressed in fur and drove a sleigh drawn by a single reindeer.
The following year is when Clement Clark Moore is believed by many to have written a poem, "An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicolas," which became better known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
In 1841, J.W. Parkinson, a Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress up in a "Criscringle" outfit and climb the chimney of his store.
Francis P. Church, editor of the New York Sun, wrote an editorial in 1897 in response to a letter from an 8-year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon. She had written the paper asking whether there really was a Santa Claus. It has become known as the "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" letter.
By the 1920s, the image of Santa had been standardized to portray a bearded, overweight, jolly man dressed in a red suit with white trim.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was the creation of copywriter Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward Company in 1939. A copy of the poem was given free to Montgomery Ward customers.
Regardless of how Santa came to be, Santa and the spirit of Christmas continue today for young and old alike.
Yes, Virginia, there definitely is a little bit of Santa Claus in all of us.
