Since Christmas is just around the corner, 6 days more to be exact, let's talk about the legendary character that every kids and kids at heart really love : Santa Claus!
Santa Claus is also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, or Kris Kringle. He is generally depicted as a jolly, white-bearded man, with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, red hat with white fur, and black leather belt and boots and carrying a bag full of gifts for children. He is said to bring gifts to well-behaved children or coal to naughty kids. He is said to give gifts on the night of Christmas in, December 24th, or during the early morning hours of Christmas day, December 25th. He is said to live in the North Pole, where his workshop is and where his Christmas elves makes toy. With the help of his flying reindeers, he is able to finish giving gifts to children all over the world.
Fun fact about Santa Claus
Did you know that the image of Santa Claus we all know and love — that big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard — didn’t always look that way? Prior to 1931, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. He has donned a bishop's robe and a Norse huntsman's animal skin. In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today.
Santa Claus's modern image, according to wikipedia, was further popularized by The Coca-cola Company's advertisement in the 1930 when artist Fred Mizen painted a department-store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke.
Haddon Sundblom was the one who develop the advertising images using Santa Claus wherein he used his own image for the now famous Santa we know.
Sundblom's inspiration on drawing Santa was Clement Clark Moore's poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas" or popularly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas" where Santa was described as a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human.
Sundblom’s Santa debuted in 1931 in Coke ads in The Saturday Evening Post.
Sundblom created his final version of Santa Claus in 1964, “Things Go Better with Coke".
Did you also know that Academy Award-winning animator Alexander Petrov brought the Santa to animated life in a 2001 spot inspired by Sundblom’s 1963 advertisement? Award-winning director Alexander Petrov and Pascal Blais Productions (PPB) have brought the Coca-Cola Santa Claus character to life in a 30-second spot for Coca-Cola and agency McCann Erickson titled "Classic-Sundblom." This is the first time the character has been animated since it become Coca-cola's icon for 70 years.
Santa has been described as a positive male cultural icon. He had always been viewed as someone spreading joy and happiness. That's why he is always loved by people all over the world and the most awaited person by children during Christmas Eve. Let's be Santa, someone who is all about peace, joy, giving, and caring for other people.
Happy Holidays!
Today we celebrate Saint Nicolas. He was great helper and his prays to the God make storms stop on the sea, so he is protector of travelers and sailors. He give charity to women who can be married without tribute, so for the Christmas is habit to put presents or money in the socks by home fire.