WSanta Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary character originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on the night of Christmas Eve or during the early morning hours of Christmas Day. The modern character of Santa Claus was based on traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas, the British figure of Father Christmas, and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas. Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic deity Wodan, who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.
WJames Edgar was a businessman who has been credited with being the one who first came up with the idea of dressing up as Santa Claus for Christmas. He started the tradition in 1890 in his Brockton, Massachusetts, department store.
WFather Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and normally considered to be synonymous with American culture's Santa Claus which is now known worldwide, he was originally part of an unrelated and much older English folkloric tradition. The recognisably modern figure of the English Father Christmas developed in the late Victorian period, but Christmas had been personified for centuries before then.
WThe Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas (FORBS) is an American organization for men who look like Santa Claus and make a vow to promote a positive image of Santa. All members, as the name states, must have real beards. The organization meets monthly and hosts seminars as well as classes. It has approximately 850 members in 16 chapters. Membership dues are $25 per year.
WGoogle Santa Tracker is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program first launched in 2004 by Google, Inc. that simulates the tracking of the legendary character Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, and before that also allows users to play, watch, and learn through little activities that are added daily in December. It was inspired by, but has surpassed, its rival NORAD Tracks Santa, which has operated since 1955.
WJoulupukki is a Finnish Christmas figure. The name "Joulupukki" literally means "Christmas goat" or "Yule Goat" in Finnish; the word pukki comes from the Teutonic root bock, which is a cognate of the English "buck", and means "billy-goat". An old Scandinavian custom, the figure is now being eventually conflated with Santa Claus.
WKorvatunturi is a fell in Lapland, on the border between Finland and Russia. Its Finnish part is within Urho Kekkonen National Park in the municipality of Savukoski. Its name literally means "Ear Fell" in Finnish due to its unique shape.
WJonathan Meath is an American TV producer based in Boston who is notable for children's television production. He was Senior Producer of the TV game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? He produced Zoom (1999) and The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. He co-founded a production company called Andanzura. In addition, he is notable for having a dual career as a professional Santa Claus. He made numerous appearances in various media as Santa, including ABC's Good Morning America show, and at New York's Radio City Music Hall with The Rockettes. He appeared on the cover of Boston Magazine as Father Christmas. He was described by National Public Radio and Time Magazine as a "top Santa", and appeared as Santa in a Delta Airline's in-flight safety video. He is featured as Santa in Coca-Cola's worldwide 2016 holiday advertising campaign both in print and commercials titled "A Coke for Christmas."
WMrs. Claus is the mythical wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition. She is known for making cookies with the elves, caring for the reindeer, and preparing toys with her husband.
WThomas Nast was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Representative "Boss" Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic party political machine. Among his notable works were the creation of the modern version of Santa Claus and the political symbol of the elephant for the Republican Party (GOP). Contrary to popular belief, Nast did not create Uncle Sam, Columbia, or the Democratic donkey, though he popularized those symbols by his artwork. Nast was associated with the magazine Harper's Weekly from 1859 to 1860 and from 1862 until 1886.
WSaint Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor during the time of the Roman Empire. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus through Sinterklaas.
WNORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas-themed program in which NORAD simulates the tracking of the legendary character Santa Claus, who, according to traditional festive legend and folklore, is said to leave the North Pole to travel around the world on his mission to deliver presents to children every year on Christmas Eve. The program starts on December 1st, but the actual Santa-tracking simulation starts on midnight of December 23. It is a community outreach function of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and has been held annually since 1955.
WNorth Pole is a small city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 2,117, up from 1,570 in 2000. Despite its name, the city is about 1,700 miles south of Earth's geographic North Pole and 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
WNorth Pole is a small hamlet located in the town of Wilmington within Essex County, New York, United States in the Adirondack Mountains.
WPancho Claus is a Mexican version of Santa Claus popular in parts of the United States, particularly Texas. Pancho Claus is sometimes referred to as a "Tex-Mex" version of Santa. Growing out of the Hispanic civil rights movement of the 1970s, the Pancho Claus tradition incorporates a strong element of charity, with gift-giving and events run for the benefit of disadvantaged children.
WSanta Claus parades or Christmas parades are parades held in some countries to celebrate the official opening of the Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus who always appears in the last float. The parades usually include themed floats, dancing or marching groups and bands playing Christmas songs. They are moving pageants that typically end near the centre of a city. Often sponsored by department stores, they may reinforce the store's brand recognition during the important Christmas shopping season.
WPère Noël, "Father Christmas", sometimes called 'Papa Noël', is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas, identified with the Father Christmas and/or Santa Claus of English-speaking territories. Though they were traditionally different, all of them are now the same character, with different names, and the shared characteristics of a red outfit, workshop at the North Pole, and team of reindeer.
WThe Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred on December 23, 1927, in the Central Texas town of Cisco. Marshall Ratliff, dressed as Santa Claus, along with Henry Helms and Robert Hill, all ex-cons, and Louis Davis, a relative of Helms, held up the First National Bank in Cisco. The robbery is one of Texas' most infamous crimes, having invoked the largest manhunt ever seen in the state. Eyewitness Boyce House wrote that this was "the most spectacular crime in the history of the Southwest ... surpassing any in which Billy the Kid or the James boys had ever figured."
WSanta Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland. It was opened in 1985.
WSanta Claus is a populated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Originating in 1937, Santa Claus lies approximately 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Kingman, Arizona, along U.S. Route 93 between mile markers 57 and 58, immediately north of Hermit Drive and just south of both Grasshopper Junction, Arizona, and the Junk Art of Chloride, a group of metal statues in Chloride, Arizona, that include a flamingo made out of a motorcycle gas tank. Characterized in 1988 as "a little roadside place on the west shoulder of U.S. Route 93," Santa Claus receives traffic from motorists driving between Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, or Hoover Dam.
WSanta Claus is a city in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The population was 165 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.
WSanta Claus is a town in Spencer County, Indiana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. Located in Carter, Clay and Harrison Townships, it sits between Interstate 64 and the Ohio River. The population was 2,481 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in Spencer County.
WSanta Claus' Main Post Office is a tourist destination in Santa Claus Village in the Arctic Circle, about 8 kilometres north of Rovaniemi. It is the only official Santa Claus´ Post Office and part of the Finnish postal services. It is open all year and over 100 international media and about half a million visitors from around the world are welcomed by Christmas-dressed postal elves. In 1985, Santa Claus’ Main Post Office received over 17 million letters. In 2014 Santa Claus received most letters from China, Italy and Poland. In Santa Claus' Main Post Office visitors can also read letters sent to Santa. A letter writer can arrange to have a letter mailed to them from Santa before Christmas.
WSantaPark is a Christmas theme park and visitor attraction in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland. SantaPark was opened 28 November 1998.
WA Santa Special is a special Christmas rail service, common on heritage steam railways, where children are given the opportunity to meet "Santa Claus".
WA Santa suit is a suit worn by a person portraying the legendary character Santa Claus. The modern American version of the suit can be attributed to the work of Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly magazine, although it is often incorrectly thought that Haddon Sundblom designed the suit in his advertising work for The Coca-Cola Company. Sundblom's work did standardize the western image of Santa, and popularized the image of the red suit with white fur trim. This has become the image of the American Santa, while in some European countries where Saint Nicholas remains popular, the outfit worn is closer to religious clothing, including a Bishop's mitre.
WSanta's Village is a Christmas-themed amusement park located in Jefferson, New Hampshire, United States.
WSanta's Village AZoosment Park is a theme park in East Dundee, Illinois. It was originally built by Glenn Holland, who also built two other Santa's Villages, in California; one located in San Bernardino County and the other in Santa Cruz County. The Illinois park, the third to be built, was intended to be the flagship of a chain of Santa's Villages across the country. However, parks planned for Richmond, Virginia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, were never built, and the park in East Dundee became the last of its kind.
WSanta's Workshop is the legendary workshop where Santa Claus is said to make the toys and presents given out at Christmas. In history, the workshop is a sprawling commune located at the North Pole. The exact location of Santa's workshop varies depending upon local culture. There are at least eight claimed locations for his workshop. For example, believers in Canada send letters to Santa's Workshop at his North Pole location in Canada with the unique postal code of "H0H 0H0". Children in the United Kingdom and Finland tend to believe that Father Christmas' Workshop is located in Finland in Lapland. In addition to housing the factory where toys are either manufactured or distributed by the elves, the complex also houses the residence of Santa, his wife, companions, and all of the reindeer.
WSanta's Workshop is an amusement park that opened on June 16, 1956 in Cascade, Colorado, located on U.S. Route 24 just west of Colorado Springs at the entrance to the Pikes Peak Highway, at the Northern end of Pikes Peak. Modeled after the Santa's Workshop in Lake Placid, New York, the park features a charming North Pole village complete with a variety of shops selling toys, candy, and Christmas decorations. The village is also home to Santa's Workshop itself, where children can meet with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus year round. Much of the staff is dressed in Christmas themed attire, especially those at work in stores and admissions.
WSanta's Workshop in North Pole, a hamlet in Wilmington, New York, USA, is an amusement park that has been in operation since 1949. It was one of the first theme parks in the United States. It is open from June to December.
WSantaworld is a Santa Claus-based theme park on the Gesunda Mountain south of Mora, Sweden. It was opened on 8 December 1984.
WSecret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift. The identity of the gift giver is to remain a secret and should not be revealed.
WSkyPark at Santa's Village is an Outdoor Adventure Park with year-round mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing and open air activities in the Skyforest section of Lake Arrowhead, California. The Park resides on 230-acre (0.93 km2) of natural forest with meadowlands, ponds and an apple orchard. At the core of SkyPark is The Village, which includes historic log cabin restaurants and shops, seasonal entertainment, and open-air activities. SkyPark’s nearly 10 miles (16 km) of year-round mountain bike trails, hiking trails, fly fishing, archery, ziplines, seasonal ice skating or roller skating rink, rock climbing and more are available to the public for the price of admission. SkyPark’s conservation program includes the Henck Meadowlands Conservation Trail, Conservation Hikes, and Outdoor Educational Programs for school-age children. 30-acre (0.12 km2) of the park have been preserved in their pristine condition to remain unused. SkyPark at Santa's Village opened on December 2, 2016.
WA Christmas stocking is an empty sock or sock-shaped bag that is hung on Saint Nicholas Day or Christmas Eve so that Saint Nicholas can fill it with small toys, candy, fruit, coins or other small gifts when he arrives. These small items are often referred to as stocking stuffers or stocking fillers. The tradition of the Christmas stocking is thought to originate from the life of Saint Nicholas. In some Christmas stories, the contents of the Christmas stocking are the only toys the child receives at Christmas from Santa Claus; in other stories, some presents are also wrapped up in wrapping paper and placed under the Christmas tree. Tradition in Western culture threatens that a child who behaves badly during the year will receive only a piece or pile of coal. Some people even put their Christmas stocking by their bedposts so Santa Claus can fill it by the bed while they sleep.