1977 Santa Claus

Red and white illustration of Santa Claus' head on a white background with red text

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced as far back as the third century, to a monk named Saint Nicholas. The name Santa Claus evolved from Saint Nicholas’ Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, which is a shortened form of his Dutch name Sint Nikolaas. 

It is said that Nicholas inherited his family’s wealth after his parents died and used it to help the poor and sick. He was much admired for his generosity, goodness, and kindness and became known as the protector of children and sailors. He was the popular saint in Europe by the time of the Renaissance and even remained so after the Protestant Reformation, when the traditional veneration of saints was discouraged. It was during the later part of eighteenth century that he became a familiar figure in American popular culture, introduced by groups of Dutch immigrants. 

Saint Nicholas is now more commonly known as Santa Claus, the legendary character dressed in a white fur trimmed red jacket and pants, a matching hat, and black boots. He brings Christmas gifts to well-behaved children around the world, and coal or even nothing at all to naughty children. Nowadays, this character has a few residences around the world. It is believed in North America that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, while each Nordic country believes that he lives within their own territory.