Christmas in America - Santa Claus

In America, Santa Claus is also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or simply Santa. However, the name Santa Claus is an Americanization of the Dutch Sinterklaas who was brought to the New World in the 17th century. The American version is in fact a blending of the British and Dutch versions. The Americanize named, Santa Claus, first appeared in Washington Irving's History of New York in which he lost his bishop's apparel. The first Santa Claus was dressed as fat-bellied Dutch sailor in a green coat.

Santa Claus's Americanized version really came in an 1823 poem by Clement Clark Moore A Visit From St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas). It is in this poem that America's first conception of Santa Claus really took shape. In that poem his flying sleigh is led by 8 tiny reindeer, each of them named. On Christmas Eve he flies around landing on the roofs of houses and enters them by sliding down the chimney. Once inside, he fills the stockings with presents.

Even though in that poem Santa Claus is a small round elf, today's version depicts him as more human in appearance. The modern look for Santa came from cartoonist Thomas Nast, an illistrator for Harper's Magazine from the 1860s to 1880s. Nast aslo created the myth that Santa lives at the North Pole and keeps a list of children who are naughty or nice!

This image was made even more popular by Haddon Sundblom for the Coca-Cola Company's advertising campaign in the 1930s. This has led many to falsly believe that the modern look for Santa Claus was their creation since he is dressed in red and white just like Coke's colors.

VOCABULARY blending - mélange bishop - évêque apparel - habillement, vêtements sleigh - traîneau reindeer - renne roof - toit slide - glisser stocking - bas naughty - espiègle, désobéissant, vilain

Note: Keep an eye out for the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas. I will post it soon!