Guess who’s coming to town next week !?!

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
December 17, 2015 11:00 a.m.

It could be Santa Claus … or St. Nicholas … or Sinterklaas … or Father Christmas … or Grandfather Frost … or any one of a number of variations. Bottom line: an old man brings toys to good little girls and boys at Christmas time. How does he know if the children have been good? Some say he has a list, others claim it is a big ledger, that records when children have been naughty or nice. As of this year, he still seems to be relying on his reindeer and sleigh, but who knows? Next year he might employ drones! It doesn’t sound like the Old Guy has joined the digital age yet, but you never know.   And he keeps changing over time.

What most of us think of as the American Santa Claus owes his existence to the Dutch. Early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam brought the Dutch custom of giving presents to children on St. Nicholas Day to America. Why the Dutch, you ask? Well, the Dutch had a colony named New Amsterdam at the tip of Manhattan Island from 1609-1664. The colony was renamed New York when the British replaced the Dutch.

St. Nicholas

The modern figure of Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, whose name is a dialectal pronunciation of Saint Nicholas, the historical Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra. St. Nicholas lived in 4^th century Asia Minor. He was very young when his wealthy parents died, and Nicholas determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity. The image of St. Nicholas is said to be second only to the Virgin Mary in Eastern Rite Christian art. He is venerated in the west as the patron saint of children. His feast day is December 6.

Sinterklaas

During the Middle Ages, the St. Nicholas tale was enlarged in the Netherlands to include the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, who delivered gifts to children the night before St. Nicholas’ feast day. Sinterklaas rides the rooftops on his white horse, which has various names and gives chocolate letters to children. He carries a staff and has mischievous helpers with black faces, who listen at chimneys to find out whether children are bad or good and report to Sinterklaas.

During the Reformation (16^th to 17^th century Europe) many Protestants changed the seasonal gift giver from Sinterklaas to the Christ Child (Christkind) and changed the date of the visit from December 5 to Christmas Eve.

In the British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, versions of the gift-giver changed further. For example, in Washington Irving’s History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into “Santa Claus” (a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his bishop’s apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving’s book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.

Washington Irving, the author best known for creating the Headless Horseman also created the iconic image of Santa flying in a sleigh. In his 1819 series of short stories The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, New York native Washington Irving described a dream in which St. Nicholas soared across the sky in a weightless wagon. The stories became so popular, they spawned a Christmas revival of sorts in the States, and even Charles Dickens is said to have credited Irving’s work for inspiring his classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol.

Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man—sometimes with spectacles—wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. The most lasting image of Santa Claus can probably be attributed to Coca-Cola. According to the Coca Cola website:

“In 1931 the company began placing Coca-Cola ads in popular magazines. Archie Lee, the D’Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted the campaign to show a wholesome Santa who was both realistic and symbolic. So Coca-Cola commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus — showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa.

“For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”  (commonly called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”). Moore’s description of St. Nick led to an image of a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human Santa. (And even though it’s often said that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola, Santa appeared in a red coat before Sundblom painted him.)

“Sundblom’s Santa debuted in 1931 in Coke ads in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly in that magazine, as well as in Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others.”

Other Santa Claus-like figures

Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) predates Christianity as the wizard of winter in Slavic mythology. Unlike Santa Claus, he may wear a red or a blue suit and is accompanied by his granddaughter and helper, Snegurochka. They ride a troika and distribute gifts on New Year’s Eve. Snegurochka appears to be the only female involved in the early origin stories of a winter gift-giver.

Other gift-givers throughout various cultures include:

Spain and South America: The Three Kings

Italy: La Befana (a kindly old witch)

England: Father Christmas

France: Pere Noel (Father Christmas)

Germany: Christkind (angelic messenger from Jesus)

Scandinavia: Christmas gnomes

There are countless variations on not just Santa Claus, but when, during the winter season, the gifts are given out. As a child I had playmates, who were not allowed to open their gifts until Three Kings Day, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany. This date falls on January 6—the 12^th Day of Christmas. Imagine having to look at gifts under the Christmas tree until then without being able to open them! But to the very devout, Christmas Day itself was celebrated for its religious significance, not as a tribute to Macy’s and retail industries.

I remember my mother telling us about her adventures with Santa Claus, who in her German-American community, was a thin, stern-looking man who wore a red-hooded cloak and carried a large staff. He walked through their neighborhood Christmas Eve, throwing oranges and nuts into open doorways before disappearing into darkness. She and her two sisters trembled with excitement and a bit of fear. But her brother was terrified—especially since he once received that proverbial lump of coal as a punishment for trying to follow Santa Claus as he left their house.

So when you see that mall Santa Claus, remember that he has a long history not just here but all around the world. And also remember … You’d better not pout, you’d better not cry, because he will be coming to our town next week!

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.