Even though he is not the one who brings us presents, I am pretty sure you heard about this grandpa. So who is he and where does he come from? If you want to know, keep on listening.

Hi and Welcome to the advent edition of my podcast My Life and Other Funny Stories. In this edition, I bring you a new short Christmas-themed episode every day of December until Christmas. If you want to read the transcript of this episode, click the link in the description!

Today, we will answer the question: Who actually is Santa Claus and where does he come from? Let’s get started!

We already discussed why Santa Claus is red but let’s look at his origin.

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. A monk is a member of a group of religious men who do not marry and usually live together in a monastery. In the Czech Republic, we call him „Mikuláš“.

He was admired for his kindness, and St. Nicholas became the topic of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth (which is money that you get from your family when they die) and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. Over many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6 – that is today (if you listen in real-time).

He became a celebrated saint in Europe and especially in Holland. From there his story traveled with the Dutch (people from Holland) who were moving to America.

The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas. With time and the rise of Christmas celebrations and gift-giving, shops and stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus. It was only a matter of time before stores began to attract children and their parents.

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore,  wrote A long Christmas poem where he described for the first time the modern look of Santa Claus. Then, he was first illustrated by Thomas Naast and…you know the rest. And if you don’t, go listen to the first episode once again!

Now you know it!

Source: 

„Santa Claus.“ Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/Santa-Claus.