It’s becoming the time of year where most people take out Christmas trees, purchase gifts, and get extra comfy in their homes. ILS senior Sofia Yanes feels, “Christmas is my favorite holiday. It just brings me so much joy and happiness to give gifts to others.” 

CHRISTMAS TIME 

Christmas is a globally celebrated holiday, from America to Alaska, and all around the world. Every other child is waiting for St. Nick, who is most known in the US as Santa Claus, to come drop off presents. Some wonder, who is Santa Claus, and where did he come from?

ST. NICHOLAS

Well, let’s get into St. Nick’s origin story.

Saint Nicholas was a real person, a Christian bishop born in Turkey. St. Nick was known by others for his generosity and compassion for others. St. Nicholas is the reason why anonymous gift giving is so popularized in this day and age. Many in St. Nick’s small town would receive gifts and presents from him. This tradition has carried on and now plays a crucial role in for the modern day Santa Claus.  

“I literally had no clue that Santa Claus was a real person named Saint Nicholas,” said senior Nickolas Wallen. 

Even though Santa Claus is now a folklore told by parents to their children, Saint Nicholas was a very real person. 

Santa Claus hit American life around the 19th century. The image of Saint Nick then turned into a plump, jolly, old man who wears the same red and white suit every year, and is transported in a sleigh of reindeer.

This image of St. Nick was transformed and solidified by a poem that was anonymously written, titled A Visit from St. Nicholas, or more commonly known as, The Night Before Christmas. 

Without St. Nicholas, folklore, and the imagination of others, there wouldn’t be the famous Santa Claus who comes once a year and spreads holiday cheer. Whether you believe in Santa Claus or not, Santa Claus’s origin story is warming as well as wholesome. Everyone, young or old, looks forward to Santa’s yearly appearance aboard his sleigh.