Who is Santa Claus?

Who is Santa Claus?

This is the Santa that we’re probably all familiar with, but he’s changed quite a lot over the years…

Santa Claus goes by lots of names, depending on where you are in the world. In English-speaking countries, he’s usually called Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or sometimes just “Santa” for short.

He’s a legendary figure that’s known for bringing children gifts on Christmas. Famously, he does this with the help of flying reindeer, which are led by the red-nosed Rudolph. Where he can, he climbs down chimneys to deliver presents without waking anyone up.

Apart from having a load of lovely gifts sitting under your Christmas tree, you’ll know that Santa’s visited if he’s taken a nibble of your snacks, and had a nip of brandy. Some people like to leave a carrot or two out for his reindeers.

Where does Santa live?

Have your little ones ever asked you, 'where does Santa live when it's not Christmas?'. It's a question we've all wondered at a young age. Well the answer to that is simple, in the North Pole of course! Santa Claus lives and works in the North Pole, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Claus, magical elves, and reindeers. Today, lap land has become a huge tourist destination for families seeking an up close view of Santa's home and workshops.

If you want to learn a little more about where Santa Lives, here are a few facts you and your children may not know about the North Pole.

• When you are standing on the North Pole, any direction you point is South!
• In the winter, temperatures average around -34 degree celsius.
• The place spends half of the year in light and the remaining half in the darkness.
• You will not find any penguins here. You will only find polar bears.

What is the history of Santa Claus?

It seems like Santa Claus has been around for longer than time itself. In fact, some say he’s over 1,000 years old, so we can’t be too sure where the character comes from.

Of course, most versions of the Santa Claus myth trace his story back to St. Nicholas, who’s the patron saint of children. He’s also the patron saint of fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, and a whole load of other people too, but he’s mostly known for giving lots of gifts and being kind to children.

It’s said that St. Nicholas merged with other gift-giving figures in European folk law to make the character we all know and love today. As North America was settled by colonists, these stories merged further still to create a singular Santa Claus. Interestingly, the name “Santa Claus” comes from the Dutch word for Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas.

Since his early days, Santa Claus has changed quite a bit, and it wasn’t until the mid-19th Century that he became anything like the heavyset hauler of presents we’re all familiar with.

Most of the traditions linked to Christmas and Santa Claus come from the North American colonies, and they were spread to other parts of the world by books and magazines. These traditions were spread even further still by companies that realised that they could use images of Santa Claus to sell their products.

Famously, a drink company company used Santa Claus to promote their drink in the 1930s. These adverts were so popular that a lot of people think they’re the reason Santa wears red and white! In fact, other companies had been doing the same long before, and the first picture of Santa dressed in red and white dates back to the early-20th Century.