The Christian saint, Bishop Nicholas did not start out as an overweight, American status symbol that flaunted a family's wealth. Today's Santa brings all the toys a good child (rich) wants - while making sure the bad child (poor) learns to be happy with what they get. That is not how he started.
St. Nicholas lived during the 16th century Protestant Reformation which took a dim view of saints. Even though both reformers and counter-reformers tried to stamp out St. Nicholas-related customs, they had very little success. Only
Things started to change after the American Revolution. In
John Pintard, who founded the New York Historical Society in 1804, promoted St. Nicholas as patron saint of both society and city. In January 1809, Washington Irving joined the society and on St. Nicholas Day. That year he published the satirical fiction, Knickerbocker's History of New York, with numerous references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.
This was not a saintly bishop, rather an elfin Dutch burgher with a clay pipe. These delightful flights of imagination are the origin of the New Amsterdam St. Nicholas legends. The image of St. Nick was changed forever - but that was only the beginning.
The New York Historical Society held its first St. Nicholas anniversary dinner on December 6, 1810. John Pintard commissioned artist Alexander Anderson to create the first American image of Nicholas for the occasion. Nicholas was shown in a gift-giving role with children's treats in stockings hanging at a fireplace. The accompanying poem ends, "Saint Nicholas, my dear good friend! To serve you ever was my end, If you will, now, me something give, I'll serve you ever while I live."
The jolly elf image received a big boost in 1823, from a poem destined to become immensely popular, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," now better known as "The Night Before Christmas."
The current Santa was born in a Coca-cola advertisement.
This is why many people give baskets on Christmas, to remind their children of
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