The Origin of Santa Claus

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The Origin of Santa Claus

• A Presentation by Chris MacKinnon

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Where Did Santa Come From?

• Children all over the world look forward to his
  visit every December 25th because of all the toys
  and gifts he brings to all
• But how did Santa Claus become associated with
  Christmas?

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Saint Nicholas

• Santa Claus evolved from Saint Nicholas.
• Saint Nicholas was a bishop, in 270-310A.D, of a
  small town in Asia Minor.
• He was recognized for his generosity.

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Saint Nicholas

• He became the patron saint of little children and
  of school children.
• The Dutch were responsible for preserving the
  tradition of the feast of Saint Nicholas on
  December 6th after European countries abolished
  it after the Protestant Reformation.

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More on the Dutch Connection

• After the XVII century, Dutch people emigrated to
  the United States.
• After several decades, the Dutch custom of
  celebrating the Feast of Saint Nicholas spread to
  the United States.
• Sinter Klaas became Santa Claus for Americans

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The Legacy of Saint Nicholas

• He was a thoughtful philanthropist.
• He was usually depicted as an old man with a long
  white beard wearing a long capped coat.
• He remained a very moralistic figure.

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The Legacy of Saint Nicholas

• He rewarded deserving children and punished the
  difficult or unruly ones.
• After a few decades, Christian society found it
  more appropriate to bring this childrens
  festival, on December 6th closer to that of the
  Infant Jesus.
• From this time on, Saint Nicholas made his rounds
  on December 24, Christmas Eve.

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The Influence of the Press

• Credit for having brought together all the
  incarnations of Christian gift givers was due to
  the American press, in Clement Clarke Moores
  famous 1823 poem entitled, A Visit From Saint
  Nicholas.
• In this poem, the gift giver is depicted as a
  curious little elf who comes down chimneys and
  travels with 8 reindeer.

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Old Habits Die Hard

• But the old habit of threatening unruly
  children, with no gifts from Santa Claus still
  exists today.

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Santas Image

• From 1863 to the 1890s, Thomas Nast, created
  images of Santa for the Christmas editions of
  Harpers Magazine.
• It was 1920s when the image of Santa Claus
  became standardized to portray a bearded,
  overweight, jolly man dressed in a red suit with
  a white trim.

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Rudolph

• Rudolph was added as the ninth reindeer in 1939
  in a poem by Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward
  Company.

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The Coca-Cola Connection

• From 1931-1964, Haddon Sundblom, an illustrator
  for Coca-Cola, drew a series of Santa images in
  Cokes Christmas ads.
• This is the image most familiar to us as Santa.

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Christmas Quiz

• Take the Christmas quiz to test your knowledge of
  Santa and the holiday season.
• Click here to take the quiz.

Quiz
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Credits

• TEXT
• http//www.religioustolerance.org/santa.htm
• http//www.chin.gc.ca/christmas/stnico.htm
• http//www.chin.gc.ca/christmas/santa.htm
• PICTURES
• http//www.soon.org.uk/christmas.htm
• http//www.fortunecity.com/millennium/hibiscus/121
  /cokesanta.html
• http//www.chin.gc.ca/christmas/stnico.htm