St. Nicholas, with his crozier and mitre, as he appears on a  German holy card.Odin, the wanderer.The Ghost of Christmas Present, a colorized version of the original illustration by John Leech made for Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol (1843).Folk tale depiction of Father Christmas riding on a goat. Perhaps an evolved version of the Swedish Tomte.Thomas Nast immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the January 3, 1863, issue of Harper's Weekly.Santa parading with a Santa Christmas ornament
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Santa

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply "Santa" is a mythological, legendary, and historical character associated with bringing gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. more...

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The popular North American form Santa Claus originated as a mispronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas, which in turn is a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas). However, the Dutch Sinterklaas is different from Santa Claus in many ways: see the section on Dutch folklore. The Dutch word for Santa Claus is Kerstman ("Christmas man"). Santa Claus has a suit that comes in many colors depending on the country. The most common depiction (red with white sleeves, collar, and belt) became the more popular image in the United States in the mid-to-late 19th century.

Origins

Early Christian origins

Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus. He was a 4th century Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. The relics of St. Nicholas were transported to Bari in southern Italy by some enterprising Italian merchants; a basilica was constructed in 1087 to house them and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout. Saint Nicholas became revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam, and of Russia. In Greece, Saint Nicholas is substituted for Saint Basil (Agios Vasilis in Greek), a 4th century AD bishop from Caesarea. Also, the Northern part of the Netherlands and a few villages in Flanders, Belgium, celebrate a near identical figure, Sint-Maarten (Saint Martin of Tours).

Germanic folklore

Prior to the Germanic peoples' Christianization, Germanic folklore contained stories about the god Odin (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule, have a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy . This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


Lot Christmas Holiday Decor Snowglobes Santa Snowman $75.00 Franklin Mint Santa's Corvette; 1/24 scale 8 pc. set! $145.00
6 Ft Airblown Animated Carousel Santa Snowmen Penguins $69.99 Santa Claus Holding Peace Dove Christmas Snow Globe $9.99
Vintage Toy 1960s Tin/Glass Santa Claus Battery Lantern $9.99 Holiday Creations Musical Christmas Santa Globe $3.00
Festive Santa Bear Family $40.00 Vintage 5" Ceramic Santa On Boot Xmas Candy Container $4.99
Vintage Gold Santa - St.Nicholas Tree Topper Glittery! $9.50 Inge Glas - Ready for Christmas Santa Ornament, Germany $14.99
Lot Of 4 Adorable Little Vintage Santa Figurines $3.25 Christmas Wood Black Santa Folk Art Driftwood Ornament $9.95
Antique Santa Statue $499.99 Vintage Santa And Reindeer Two Handle Blue Serving Tray $4.99
Santa Claus Standing With Basket Of Toys Hp Ceramic $3.67 Vintage Kneeling Santa with Baby Jesus - Roman 1988 $7.99
Santa Claus With Basket Of Toys Hp Ceramic $3.67 Christmas Enamel Santa Claus Pin Brooch W/Bag Of Gifts $6.50
Old Plastic w/ Felt 6 1/2" Santa Figure Decoration $3.00 Fat French Bistro Chef Santa Tea or Cider Pot new $7.95
Santa Figurine with Bell and Teddy Bears $7.95 Old World Santa Figurine with Deer $7.95
Santa Christmas Card Holder $5.99 1948 Vintage Santa Claus With Bag Full Of Toys Bank $14.99
"The Mode" * Santa With A Small Child Celluloid Pinback $9.99 1948 Vintage Sleeping Chalkware Santa Claus Bank $14.99
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.Santa'S Big Night-2002 $5.99 Snow Buddies Musical Chimney Santa - Tight Squeeze $18.99
Swarovski Santa Claus Ornament - Gold - New In Box $30.00 1993 Signed Castagna Belschnikel Santa,Polar Bear Statu $9.99
Santa Claus Coasters-New In Package! $6.00 Santa Claus With Toy Sack Hp Ceramic $3.67
Possible Dreams Clothtique Enchanted Journey Santa $4.99 Possible Dreams Clothtique Santa Nick Picking - New $34.99
1950'S Ceramic 8" Santa Claus Bobble Head Nodder $2.50 Mr & Mrs Santa Aprons Very Cute! $40.00
Vintage Christmas Ornament Sugar Egg Candy Santa scene $9.99 Vintage Santa Claus Down Chimney Christmas Tree Bell $5.99
1960'S Santa Claus Pitcher $7.99 Antique Christmas Tree Stand with Santa Lights $120.00
48" Lighted Rudolph Santa Outdoor Christmas Decoration $64.99 Williraye Santa Ornament~New 2008~Free Shipping $10.50
New Santa Solar Light Set Three Piece Pack Solar Power $42.99 248 baked clay handmade Santa Claus faces~~Fun~~ $11.99
Norcrest Santa Claus Punch Bowl 1960's Christmas S&P $9.99 Hermitage Pottery Christmas Santa Musical Figurine $7.99
Lighted Santa Window Outdoor Christmas Decoration $9.99 Musical Rocking Santa $19.99
Vintage Empire 4 Foot Holiday Christmas Yard Santa $9.50 48" Empire Blow Mold Santa Claus with His Bag of Toys! $9.95
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Prices current as of last update, 11/20/08 6:10pm.


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