What’s In A Name
Santa goes by many different names like Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, and Pelznickel.
Historical Figure
Saint Nicholas was born in 270, this is where the legend of Santa had begun. He held the reputation of being an anonymous gift giver.
The Image Of Santa
A Coca Cola depicted the image of Santa Claus in 1931 that we often see today, that white, fluffy beard, round belly, bright red suit and rosy complexion that we all know.
Reindeer Games
A Visit from St. Nicholas, or The Night Before Christmas was the first introduction of Santa’s reindeer’s names, it’s unsure where the first evidence of these eight reindeer first came into Santa’s story though.
Through The Chimney
Santa wasn’t the first magical being to use a chimney as a pathway. Before he was known to use this transportation, it was thought that witches, elves, fairies and the like also used the chimneys to get around.
St. Nicholas’ Home
The original St. Nicholas was from a Roman town in what is now known as Turkey, but legend houses him in the North Pole due to the snowy Christmas feeling that could be associated with it, and the fact that it was a very unknown and therefore mythical place before the 1900s.
Shoes And Stockings
In many countries, Santa leaves gifts and candy in children’s shoes opposed to stocking on the fireplace.
Bad Santa
In some cultures, there is an evil version of Santa Claus, for example La Pere Fouettard in French countries that scares young children who are naughty with more that just the threat of coal.
Presents For Santa
Santa doesn’t just receive milk and cookies to enjoy on Christmas eve, depending on which country he’s in, he may find children have left him, mince pies, hay and water for the reindeer, and maybe even a pint of beer.
Santa’s Address
In many places, Santa has his own postal codes or zip codes, including in Canada, where the code is H0H 0H0. This is where kids can send their letters to the jolly man.
Speedy Deliveries
When the numbers are crunched, Santa visits approximately 1,178 homes per second says ABC News.
Tracking Santa
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD is well known in December as a place to track Santa’s progress as he travels during Christmas Eve.
A Large Collection
A Quebec man, Jean-Guy Laquerre is the owner of the largest collection of Santas and Santa related objects. The collection has nearly 30,000 items.