"Twas the Night Before Christmas: The Story of Santa Claus

A Monk named St. Nicholas from Myra, near Turkey, was a kind man who gave everything he owned to poor needy people and those who were sick. It is believed that he traveled the countryside and met three sisters who were being sold into prostitution and slavery because their father had no dowry for them, making it impossible for them to marry. St Nicholas gave them enough money to keep them safe from harm. During a lifetime of giving he earned a reputation for being the kind man who loved to give gifts and was known as a protector of children and poor people.

As the years passed St. Nicholas died and the eve of his death, December 6th, became known as his "feast day." This day was especially celebrated among the Dutch because of his reputable character. The Dutch called him "Sinter Klaas" short for Sint Nikolaas. We know him as Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus. He became popular in the United States because of the tradition of the Dutch, honoring him on the eve of his death, December 6th.

In the late 1773 a New York newspaper reported a story about the Dutch tradition honoring Sinter Klaas. In 1803, John Pintard, a member of the New York historical society began to make wooden engravings with the name "St. Nicholas" on them and handed them out to his fellow members. The picture in the background was of a jolly man filling stockings in front of a fireplace, although this Santa was wearing a completely different outfit then. He wore yellow tights and a blue waistcoat and hat. Washington Irving, a popular author, mentioned St. Nicholas in his book about the history of New York and our traditional "Santa Claus" legend began to spread.

By the 1820's stores picked up on the idea of giving gifts to children on Christmas Eve. The Salvation Army hired jobless men to dress like Santa and go out into the streets and ask for donations to provide food for needy families. In 1822 Clemente Clark Moore, an Episcopal minister wrote his daughters a poem called "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" that we now call "Twas the Night Before Christmas." He described St. Nicholas as a miniature old man who had a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer. He flew through the air landing on rooftops, going down chimneys and leaving gifts for children.

Santa Claus began to come to life as a cartoonist named Thomas Nast drew a picture of Santa on Clemente Clark Moore's poem. This picture showed Santa as a jolly old man with a large white beard and a red suit and hat. He carried a large sack over his shoulder that was full of toys for children. Santa has been popular ever since. The celebration of Christmas has changed since then and now the United States and many other countries honor the "Christmas Eve" tradition of gift giving on the eve of December 25th.

Open this link for pictures of Santa Claus as he evolved over the years.

http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/photos#christmas-history-of-santa-claus