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>THE ORIGIN OF SANTA CLAUS<

To begin, actually the truth of the matter is that the modern Santa Claus is a conglomeration of sources, a legendary being that has evolved over the years. Along the way, pre-Christian legends, the story of St. Nicholas, Dutch immigrants to America, Clement Moore, Thomas Nast and the Coca-Cola company, have all made their contributions.

THE SAINT NICHOLAS CONNECTION

It is well known that the name "Santa Claus" is derived from the Dutch, "Sinter Klaas", which in turn, was a form of Saint Nicholas. Our modern Santa Claus took his name from the Christian Saint Nicholas, and to which, both the Eastern and Western Church claims to be the object of extreme veneration. Ironically, little factual information is actually known about this popular saint. The feast of St. Nicholas, held on December 6, has been observed with great enthusiasm throughout Medieval Europe over the centuries. This enthusiasm was due to the many legends, stating that St. Nicholas had distributed gifts to the poor, at night, through their windows, giving gifts to those who had been good. In some variations of the legend, he was accompanied by Black Peter, an elf, whose job was to punish children who had been bad.

SANTA CLAUS IN AMERICA

When the Dutch established their colony of "New Amsterdam" in America in the 17th century, they brought with them the traditional "visit" from Sinter Klaas (St. Nicholas) on the eve of December 5th. It is believed that when the English later took over the colony, and renamed it New York, the English children began longing for a kindly "Sinter Klaas" of their own, who would bring them gifts. However, because the English Protestants did not observe saints days, the Sinter Klaas visit was moved to Christmas Eve.

There is a consensus that the person most responsible for shaping the American version of Santa Claus, is Dr. Clement Clark Moore. a theology and classics professor at Union Seminary. What did Moore do to earn this honor.......... in 1822 he wrote a simple poem for his children entitled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" that begins with the now famous words:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In the hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

In any case, in describing St. Nicholas, Moore want beyond anything that had been said yet. It was Moore who increased the number of reindeer to eight and gave us their names. It was he, who described Santa going up and down the chimney, leaving toys in stockings, hung by the fireplace. Moore's St Nick was "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf"; He carried a bundle of toys on his back;  "he had eyes that twinkled, dimples that were merry, cheeks like roses, a broad face and a little round belly". Moore's Santa was also a small elf who flew in a "miniature sleigh" pulled by eight "tiny" reindeer.

It was Bavarian illustrator Thomas Nast, who gave us the picture of Santa Claus, now so common. Nast was clearly inspired by Moore's 1822 poem and added additional features to the Santa Claus evolution, such as, Santa's home at the North Pole, his workshop filled with elves, and his list of all the good and bad children of the world.

Believe it or not, the Coca-Cola company also contributed to the modern Santa Claus. Beginning in 1931 and for 35 years thereafter, Coke ran advertisements that featured a human-size Santa (not elf size) drinking Coke. These ads contributed much to the modern image of Santa Claus and the drinking of Coke, ads you see to this day.

CONCLUSION

When conclusions are drawn about the origin of Santa Claus, they have been shaped by many factors and are a conglomeration of myths and legends. When surveying the history of the evolution of Santa Claus, the critical point occurred when the St. Nicholas visit was transferred from December 6 to December 25. Generally speaking, Christians see Santa Claus, in and of itself, as a great story to tell children, colorful, musical and fun. Generally, they don't have a problem linking Santa with Christmas-the birth of Christ, especially since it is not known exactly when Christ was born.

To all....... have a wonderful and safe holiday season and take advantage of the opportunity to spend time with friends and relatives...."and to all, a good night"

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