Reality Check!!!!!

All my growing years, during Christmas time, along with the cold breeze there was this one question that disturbed my mind and that was the origin of Santa Claus.

Did he exist or was he just a product of fantasy. So this time around I began a quest, to find the truth behind this big fat old jolly man. And to rub off those rumors and fake stories surrounding him.

And this is what my search ended up in.

• ·       The real Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas a 4^th century Bishop in Turkey, Famous for acts of kindness especially towards children.
• ·       He eventually became popular in Holland where he was known as “Sinter Klaas”.
• ·       Around 1870 Americans turned the name into Santa Claus
• ·       In the 19 century Britain the Elizabethan character Father Christmas- the jolly old man imagined to provide the Christmas feast merged with Santa.
• ·       Up to 1890 he was sometimes depicted as a thin wearing green or brown as often as red.
• ·       Santa’s present appearance was created by Swedish artist Jenny Nystrom in a series of Christmas cards.
• ·       Fellow Swede Haddon Sundblom helped universalize the new image when he adopted Nystorm’s ideas for Coca Cola’s 1931 advertising campaign –Santa matched the company’s red and white trademark. Sundblom also refined the character making him fatter and giving him reindeer.

 And thus was born a character, a mix of fantasy and real life, that is working wonders in the minds of children and giving a tough fight to those fairies and demons to gain a place in their heart forever.