History of Santa Claus
Santa through the years
The man who started it all
In the third century, there was a monk named Saint Nicholas. He was charitable and kind hearted. Saint Nick's most popular act was saving three girls from being sold. He became known as a protector of all.
Coming back into focus
In the eighteenth century, St. Nicholas became more popular as Dutch families recognized the death of Saint Nick. Washington Irving also helped popularized Saint Nick by making wooden cuts of his image.
Behind the name
Santa Claus came from Saint Nicholas' Dutch name, Sint Nikolaas, which is shortened to Sinter Klass.
Commercialization of Santa Claus- The Image We Know Today
In 1820, stores began advertising Christmas shopping as a money making strategy. Soon after, in 1841, children swarmed to see a life-size replica of Santa. Of course, mall Santas came from a point of origin as well. Salvation Army, in order to make money, dressed up men in costumes and invited children to come talk to "the real-life Santa Claus"
History of Santa