Where did SANTA CLAUS come from? Who was the real Santa Claus? What inspired Santa’s outfit?
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Have you ever wondered, where did SANTA CLAUS come from, or what inspired Santa’s outfit? This Christmas video from History Calling will not just answer those question, it will deal with many other burning issues surrounding this famous Christmas character, including why does Santa have reindeer? What did Santa look like in historical images? How can Santa fit down a chimney? Is Santa dressed like a coke bottle and if not, then why does Santa wear red and white?
Starting with the history of Saint Nicholas, the fourth century Christian saint who was the ultimate inspiration for Santa Claus, we’ll trace the evolution of this figure through centuries of tradition, from ancient Turkey to medieval and early-modern Europe and ultimately modern America to learn who was the real Santa Claus and show how he went from Saint to Santa. It’s a story that involves tomb raiding, the theft of a Saint’s bones, various name changes, from Saint Nicholas to Sinter Klaas to Kris Kringle and Father Christmas. We’ll look at famous depictions and descriptions of Santa, including the poem ‘The Night before Christmas’ and learn about the origins of the reindeer (including Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer), the sleigh and the elves. Get comfy for some festive fun!
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LEARN MORE:
Bruce David Forbes, Christmas: A Candid History (University of California Press, 2008)
amzn.to/3FE57Or (UK link) OR amzn.to/3kTlbEo (US link)
Five Things You Never Knew About Santa Claus and Coca-Cola
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The Translation of Saint Nicholas, Confessor [ie the theft of his bones from Myra in 1087] www.stnicholas...
THUMBNAIL: Santa Claus 5816377_1920, Andrey and Lesya, Pixabay
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommon...
What's your favourite Santa Claus related memory? Let me know below and check out my PATREON site for extra perks at www.patreon.com/historycalling Please remember to SUBSCRIBE with the NOTIFICATION BELL switched on too.
It was 1980, I was 7, & on Christmas Eve that year, , my parents tucked me & my sister Jennifer to sleep. 2 hours later, I woke up in a daze, drowsy due to being sleepy. I heard some ruckus in the livingroom, the lights were on, & there were my parents putting together a big white plastic Empire Strikes Back island resembling a section of land on the planet called Hoth, in the Star Wars universe. So I stumbled to my mum & dad & they weren't too thrilled because a jolly red cheeked (Referring to facial cheeks here :)) bloke was supposed to give me that for Christmas, not them. So they sent me back to bed & forgot the whole thing until I was in my teens & my parents were telling me this story I'm telling you.
Oh my word! That was some good repressing on your part though, if you forgot about it until your teens. I'm sure your parents had fun telling other family and friends about it though, long before that. Merry Christmas 🎄🎅
@@HistoryCalling Oh they had a blast telling others about my antics as a kid...like the one time when I lived in California & the street we lived on had a slight downward slope to it, so one day they were going to the grocery store, their Chrysler Convertible was parked on the side of the house, & I got in the drivers seat. It had such neat buttons I thought at that age, even the stick shift had one on the handele to move it, so since I LOVED buttons then, I pushed it to the word "N" Back then I had no idea N meant neutral, then the car slowly went down the street, I'd say 100 feet ahead in the middle of an intersection. People were running up my parents driveway to notify them they had a car in an intersection with me in it. lol
My sibs and I were able to double-dip, so to speak. We had both St. Nicholas and Santa Claus. My mother's father had emigrated as a child with his family from Germany. She carried on their tradition of leaving out long stockings and shoes for St. Nicholas to fill on the evening of December 5th. We always got the same treats in our stockings -- clementines, whole walnuts and a small net bag containing chocolate "coins" wrapped in stamped gold foil to look like real ones Then we got a small, inexpensive toy placed in our shoes. The one time I remember in particular, we each got a hand puppet. We had waited until out parents finished setting everything up. When the coast was clear, we dived for our treats. We played shadows with our puppets in the middle of the night.
Then on December 24th, we children would pretend to go to bed so that Santa would come. We'd hear a deep voice calling out "Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!." And then a door slammed. That was our cue to come running out to find presents under the tree.
A merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
My little brother (about 6) came home all upset because one of the other kids told him Santa wasn't real. So upset that our sister and I laid an elaborate plan to make Santa "appear". (We were 14 & 2 weeks shy of 17). So we had him sleep in my room "to make sure he didn't get up too early," lit a small red light outside my window while Sis clopped and ho-ho-ho'd in the room right next to mine. I talked up about Rudolph and oh my god, it must be the reindeer and santa. It worked for that night.
A few years ago we were driving along when some white tailed deer ran across the road. My now 8yo was _really_ upset because he thought Santa's reindeer had gotten lost. Took me about several minutes to convince him that they were just out practicing before the big night. (He absolutely refused to believe they were white-tails, despite having seen them many times).
I wonder what St Nicholas would have thought about Father Christmas - quite a transformation! My favourite memory of Santa was sitting in a wooden sleigh with my parents and sister believing we were travelling to the North Pole then walking through Christmas trees to see Santa himself! (all staged of course but so magical for a small child). Thank you for all your videos and all the work you've put into making them. Merry Christmas 🎄
Yes, I wonder what he'd make of how his life and memory have changed as well. Hopefully he'd be flattered. Your parents sound amazing for going to so much trouble for you and your sister. You're very welcome for the videos. Have a lovely Christmas too 🎄🎅
Thank you for working Christmas week! When our boys were young one Christmas, they would not or could not go to sleep. The usual excitement of Santa’s visit was upper most in their little minds. My in-laws had left for the evening and we could not get the boys settled down. Unbeknown to me, my father in law had driven home, retrieved some old bells and returned to our home. He
climbed up on the roof, bells in hand, and proceeded to stomp around with sleigh bells ringing! My husband looked at me and said, “Dad.” Needless to say the boys were convinced, for after all, we were there with them. It was a wonderful and sweet thing for him to do and the “boys” now grown men, still remember how excited they were when Santa came early one Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Aww, that's so sweet, though it sounds a little dangerous. Someone else in the comments told a similar story, but their Dad nearly fell off the roof! I'm glad your story didn't have that bit :-) Merry Christmas 🎅
Aww...the things we do for our little ones.
@@dianetheisen8664 and now the grandkids!
I could have saved you a lot of time with those questions:🧐
-The North Pole (and 5 months at the South, due to Tax reasons)
-Reindeer because the car gets stuck in the snow, obviously!
-Holds his belly in to fit, Rudolph jumps up & down on his head, exits by the door. 👍
-The HiVis coat is Red for safety, needs to move fast, people need to see him coming.
-No, he doesn’t even like Coke, due to his diabetes.
Your very welcome - Merry Christmas! 😁
🎄🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🛒🎅🎄☃
Haha, those are excellent answers as well :-) Merry Christmas 🎅
*You're
@@jamesanderson6373 😴
Great video!
In Germany the „Christkind“ comes on Christmas Eve and brings the presents. I was always confused as a child with commercials etc where they talked about Santa delivering the presents.
My grandfather used to ring a bell when the gifts were laid out under the christmas tree, saying the Christkind rang it. It became such a Tradition that he even continued doing it when we were Teens, he even snuck out of the living room through the backdoor so he wouldn’t get caught :D I love remembering these days!
Aww, that was really sweet of him and a lovely tradition. I enjoyed reading about some of the ways in which Santa Claus is represented in other countries for this video, as I didn't know about them myself. I can certainly see how commercials with Santa would have been confusing for you though! Merry Christmas 🎅
@@HistoryCalling it was!
So true, especially since the Christkind is often depicted as a young girl, quite a contrast to a whitebearded old man :D
Merry Christmas to you too!
The same here in Czech Republic. Someone snuck out to the living room after the festive dinner to ring a bell. Most families even have a special bell just for this task. As for the St. Nicholas, it's a tradition that we still keep in this country. On the St. Nicholas day eve (December 5) people dressed as him and his entourage - the angel(s) and a devil(s) visit homes and give treats to small children. The naughty ones are threatened the devil will put them in his sack and take them to hell with him. It's all in good fun though. It's just that the devil gets a bit more scary if he gets served liquor in the househould LOL
I only ever knew him as Father Christmas while growing up. Fondest memory... one of my brothers with new shiny black gumboots on his feet each of his legs shoved into the sleeves of a bright red cardigan wiggling in the unlit, massive open fireplace at our sisters house calling out "Ho ho ho Merry Christmas" and all the kids running hell for leather to get into bed and pretend to be asleep. I'm a GGrandmother now so many years have gone by. Some good some not so. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO.
When I was little, I remember every Christmas Eve night, lying in bed and just feeling thar there was magic everywhere in the air around me---it could literally be breathed in----because Santa was coming, was already flying through the darkness in his reindeer-drawn sleigh, getting closer and closer to my house. It was truly an unforgettable sensation. and I can still feel it in memory, no matter how old I get.
As for film portrayals, British actor Edmund Gwenn's wonderful performance as "Kris Kringle" in the original "Miracle On 34th Street" cannot be beaten. He's the best Santa ever. And on the subject of letters to Santa----or, in this case, Father Christmas----the children of celebrated author J.R.R. Tolkien RECEIVED letters back! (Written, of course, by their fantastic fantasy-creating father.) They got together and published these missives as "The Father Christmas Letters," which are highly recommended reading for everyone who has the Christmas spirit, or is looking to find it.
My favourite memory of a typical British visit to Father Christmas was in my local co-op shop where every year that a a little spacecraft capsule that you traveled in to reach his grotto. The spacecraft was my favourite part of it because for all the world I honestly thought that the thing was actually moving when in fact it was just painted scenery on scrolls passing the windows in the craft.. I am so glad that as a child I never figured it out.
Aww, I've never seen any little capsules like that. There isn't a co-op near where I live though so that be part of the problem. It sounds like it was great fun though 🎅
My grandmother used to read me 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to me every Christmas Eve night. When she passed my mom did. Now I read it to my kids. I hope they carry this on with their kids some day.
I have a couple of memories to share.
The first is that, every single year, on or around Christmas Eve, I would always see Santa coming down my street (passing right by my bedroom window), accompanied by music like Jingle Bells.
Another is when I was at high school. We always held a Christmas market (selling the usual stuff), and each class was responsible for each stall. One year, my class was responsible for Santa's Grotto, so my classmates took turns playing Santa. I got to be an elf, all dressed up in red and green. My mum actually made my costume, which sadly I don't have any pictures of, as they got erased (this is way before digital pictures, iCloud, etc. We still used film, which then got rewound before it was finished, erasing all pictures on there.)
I wish I lived on a street with its own Santa Claus! The Christmas market at school sounds fun too. We never did anything like that at my school, though we were allowed to take the last half day off, during which we sat around playing poker as I recall (without any betting though). The lack of photos is so annoying for you. I've never heard of that problem of rewinding and reusing film before.
Merry Christmas! I loved this video! I am not sure if this counts but one of my favorite memories is of my grandfather reading “The Night Before Christmas” to my sister and I right before we went to bed on Christmas Eve. He still reads into to us (and his dogs) despite neither of us are children anymore.
Thank you and that totally counts. It's all about Santa after all :-) Merry Christmas to you too 🎄🎅
That absolutely counts.
I think my favorite Santa Claus memory as cornball as it sounds is whenever I would see the Coca Cola Christmas commercial on TV growing up. The whimsical music and smiling beatific St. Nick always let me know that Christmas was around the corner and warmed me all the way through. Merry Christmas to you, History Calling, and (in light of your previous vid on George of Clarence) do try to avoid any vats of malmsey wine!
I love the coca cola ad too. It's literally my favourite Christmas ad and I'm just this minute realising that I haven't heard it yet this year. I think I'll go look it up on UA-cam. Merry Christmas to you as well 🎄🎅
Perfect Christmas video! I really enjoyed the historical details surrounding the origin of Father Christmas. Well done! A single memory is hard to pin down; I do have a photograph buried somewhere of my brother and I sitting on Santa's knees. We're dressed in similar jackets and almost look like twins although we're separated by a year. We both look a bit pensive which suggests we were intimidated by the big guy. I don't even remember what I asked him for. Oh, well.... Have a joyous Christmas with your loved ones and be safe.
Thank you. I really enjoyed researching it, though it put me in the Christmas mood a little early, as I put it together towards the end of November! :-) Yes, some Santas can be a bit scary. I'm sure you and your brother aren't the only kids with such an experience. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🎄
Rather embarrassingly my favorite Santa Claus memory is from the 1947 movie, Miracle on 34th Street. As a kid I loved the idea of a magical grandfather-like figure.
As always, a wonderful video! Very interesting and enlightening to know. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and yours!🎄💝💖
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅
That was LOVELY!!! Thank you so much for reading the poem!!! I felt like a child all over again☺️
When I was little we would go see Santa at a local department store, which alas, has gone the way of the Dodo. I remember going to this store and waiting in line with my Mom. After I told him what I wanted I got a small candy cane and a pin with Santa’s picture on it along with the store name. Occasionally in some drawer or box at my parents you can still find one, they all have the same the picture of Santa Claus, it remained the same year after year.
The poem reading at the end was nice! Happy holidays! 🙏🏻🎄🎅🏻🤶🏻❤️
Thanks Holly. I thought it would be a nice and different way to end a video for once. Happy holidays to you too ⛄🎄🎅
Thank you for this tale of St nick, you brighten up these bleak covid times,merry Christmas historycalling, stay safe and enjoy yourself. 🎄🎅🎁😊
You're welcome. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅
Didn't know Santa was an elf . . . but it all makes perfect sense now. How else could he have gotten down stove-chimney pipes like in our old home ?
I didn't know that either actually, until I was researching this, but I loved how it gave a sense of logic to the story that he can fit down chimneys :-) Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
@@HistoryCalling The problem with Santa is being an Elf kinda seems to make him out to be of old Irish stock . . . the ones who lived their originally before being displaced by much later arrivals - including Celts. This revelation of yours explains why Santa and and his elflings headed north and have remained there to this day.
This is exactly what I wanted you to do for today! Awesome job as always :)
Thank you. Glad you liked it 🎅
I had a good hunch you'll do this. lol Great video HC. :) Have a splendid Christmas Eve & Day, Christmas day after, & Christmas 2 days after, & after that. :)
Thank you, you too 🎅🎄
Thank you for this clear explanation. Very good how you pronounce "Sinterklaas"!!
In the Netherlands we still celebrate Sinterklaas, on "Sinterklaas evening" December 5, the evening before Sinterklaas's birthday. We celebrate with so-called surprises and matching rhymes.
A lot has changed since my childhood and most people celebrate Christmas with presents.
Thank you and I'm glad I pronounced Sinterklaas correctly. I always worry about messing up foreign words. :-)
there needs to be some Christmas tradition around the pickle brothers.
I'm amazed some pickle company out there hasn't thought of it actually. Christmas or Santa pickles or something. :-)
Rudolph was always a big favourite around our house. But we had two family traditions, with my Mom reading the 4th chapter of St. LUKE and Dad yelling "Get those reindeer off my roof!" after he and Mom had finished wrapping the presents! He even got to do that with the grandkids a couple of times. I think he got such a charge out of it because his middle name was Nicholas, hee hee!
Yes, that is indeed a perfect middle name for this time of year. Those sound like really fun and lovely memories. :-) Merry Christmas 🎅
@@HistoryCalling Thank you for your reply. Yes, now I'm in my 60s and I hold them very close!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Please could you make a video on the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Mouse 😀
Great video. Loved hearing the history of Santa. Reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" with the illustrations was a great way to end the video. Merry Christmas 🎅
Thank you. I thought it would be a nice way to wrap up too. I was really happy I found an out of copyright version of the book online, as it meant I could use the images. Merry Christmas 🎅⛄
Simply delightful. I came back to this charming video after watching your celebration Q& A. I do love the happy videos. 😍
What a great video...Nice break from brutal Tudors LOL Happy Christmas to you!!
Haha, I know. I had a nice, refreshing time researching it. It's back to the Tudors on New Year's though. As you can see from the low numbers this video did, happy, upbeat stuff that doesn't involve our favourite dysfunctional royal family doesn't do well at all! Have a lovely New Year.
Excellent as usual... Merry Christmas 🎄
Thank you and Happy New Year to you :-)
OMG i forgot yesterday was your posting day this week! cant wait to watch!!
Not to worry. I figured it would throw some people off. Merry Christmas ⛄
I was 7 and questioning...so Christmas Eve our tradition was for kids and Mom's go to church and Dad let Santa in...well coming home that year there was Santa on my roof, we were with the neighbors and their son jumped out of the car and slammed the door on his sisters fingers, My mother was driving and wouldn't let me out...we had to walk in together ...but as we slowed to the parking spot santa slid...I wasn't fazed, but my mother was about to have a heart attack imaging finding her husband with a broken neck from this gimmick...somehow he managed to get one foot into the gutter and climbed back up to the tip top and we parked the car...there were 3 feet of snow on the ground and the whole roof was covered in ice under snow...and people wondered where I gotthe craziness to execute elite gymnastics skills...from the reckless imagination of my father.....
Ok, I got two things from that story; one is that your Dad was very dedicated to the happiness of his offspring at Christmas, to the point of endangering his own life. The other is that that little girl with the fingers slammed in the door surely had a terrible Christmas after that! I suppose there will have been plenty of snow around to ice them for her though. Merry Christmas 🎄🎅
I don't have many memories of Santa because I had older siblings who made sure to tell me he wasn't real. However, I always loved to read and I thought Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Present was very Santa-like. Indeed, now that I'm old and very much a geek, I still read A Christmas Carol every Christmas in the Latin translation by Tom Cotton. My copy of the book has illustrations by John Leech from the 1800's which make him look like a young Father Christmas. "Benedicat unumquemque Dominus!"
I love A Christmas Carol too. I especially love the onscreen version of it by the Muppets which is actually surprisingly close to the book, right down to the scary ghost of Christmas future which still gives me the chills today! PS Your siblings were so mean! You have my sympathy. Merry Christmas 🎄
Thanks for this wonderful video. May you and your have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thanks Jane. You too 🎅
I loved it! Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Thanks Anna and merry Christmas to you too 🎅
i love this video! i learned quite a few things. i never knew how old the idea of santa was, but also how relatively new the name “santa claus” is 😯 really enjoyed the night before christmas reading, my family used to read this at our family dinner on christmas eve every year when i was little. 💜 🌲 i love santa even tho i was teased my whole life for having the same first name Nicholas so people always love to say st nick or something to me around this time of year 😂 i don’t mind it now that i’m older though, Merry Christmas friend!!💜 📚
Thank you and Merry Christmas again (I've just responded to your other comment and then saw this one, so you get two sets of Merry Christmases!) 🎅
@@HistoryCalling hahaha i feel honored!! thank you so much!
I loved hearing the poem read in your wonderful accent!
Merry Christmas my dear Ms History ❤️♥️
I hope your 2022 is better than your 2021! X
Thank you. Me too. I hope it's better for everyone in fact, yourself included! Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🎄
A fantastic narration of "The Night Before Christmas"! Well done!
Thank you. Glad you liked it. I thought it was a slightly different way to end a video for once. 🎅⛄
Happy Christmas to you from Norman, Oklahoma, USA! Thanks for all your work. I enjoy your content thoroughly. All the best to you and yours.
Thank you and happy Christmas to you too Kent, from the other side of the pond. Have a lovely one 🎅🎄
Merry Christmas and here's to more History Calling in the New Year.
Thank you (there is one more 2021 video to go, on New Year's Eve, but it isn't New Year's themed). Merry Christmas to you too 🎅
Love the history of Christianity and christmas, thank u for this upload, i waited till christmas eve to watch ❤💚Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all🎄
Thank you. Have a lovely New Year. :-)
The Dutch children believe he comes in a boat from Spain with his white horse and flies on his horse to put presents in the chimney. I always wondered how as it is in December and the chimneys are bellowing smoke! My brother and I were always terrified of his helper, black Pieter! Lovely memories of my youth. But even today the Dutch only celebrate St Nicolaas as Christmas is religious, only celebrated by christians
Aww, that's a lovely story. I read about the Black Pieter/Peter part of the tale too, but honestly I was worried if I included it people and/or the algorithm might take it as something racist! Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
@@HistoryCalling Merry Christmas to you. Yes, black Pieter became a huge deal because he was the helper! He is not mentioned anymore!
My Father worked for Royal Interocean Lines (later to become Nedloyd), in Australia and Hong Kong in the '50s, '60s and '70s. Every year the company would throw a Christmas party on Dec 6 for the families and Sinterklaas (in full traditional, Bishop's robes) would hand out presents to all us kids. Black Pieter was also there with his sack of coal which he threatened to give to "naughty" children (pretty sure none of us ever ended up with coal) and I think he used to throw out the pepernoten (yum!) to all the good kids 😊 I have heard that he has been removed from the "lore" because traditionally, Black Pieter would steal bad children in his sack and carry them away. I can absolutely see why such a negative stereotype of dark skinned people is no longer acceptable however, from our Dad's work Christmas parties, I have quite fond memories of "Black Pieter" (I could never have enough pepernoten!).
I never heard of Black Pieter. Would like to know more.
@@dianetheisen8664
You can read about him if you search for Zwarte Piet on the English Wikipedia. I have to add though that the photos there don’t do him justice; he used to be as black as shoepolish. Supposedly he was a slave freed by Sint Nicolaas, and he was extra black because of chimney soot. As a white Dutch person, I can say that Zwarte Piet (actually, there were always many of them) was a hero and he never caused me to be racist towards black persons. He’s like a mythical fairytale figure with his colourful clothing. The black makeup came in handy to hide his identity: your uncle could be playing Zwarte Piet and you would never recognise him.
But these days he’s become more and more controversial because of the blackface, red lips, golden earring, afro wig, and in the past people playing him even sometimes put on a weird Suriname accent. It’s sad for Dutch people like me, who have fond childhood memories, to see Zwarte Piet slowly disappear. But things change and sometimes it takes a new generation of people to look back and say: “Yeah that was wrong”.
However wrong blackface is though, I have to emphasize that the recent Dutch history with racism is entirely different from that of the U.S. You can’t look at it from an American viewpoint.
One more thing: Aruba and Bonaire are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and they celebrate Sint Nicolaas as well (but Curacao has stopped because of all the controversy). Sint Nicolaas himself was usually played by a black man in white makeup, and the Black Petes were mostly black (=brown) men… in blackface and red painted lips. These black people understood that Sint Nicolaas and Zwarte Piet were just fairytale figures, for the entertainment of children.
Thank you so much for this informative and enjoyable Christmas video.
You're welcome. Happy New Year. :-)
Just a wonderful presentation. As a boy growing up in Scotland circa '50s, we hung our stockings no Christmas lights or trees. I did not actually see a Santa until we arrived in Canada. For our children we kept the tradition going.
Oh wow. I didn't know Scottish traditions were different in the 50s. I have pics of family members here in NI with Santa at the same time. Just goes to show that even countries geographically close like ours can take quite different approaches. I'm sure Canada provides much more frequent white Christmases than in the UK though! ⛄
Merry Christmas. Alison 🎄🎅🏻
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🏻
Thanks from a frequent Santa for this and for the link to it from your 2022 video.
You're very welcome. Thank you for watching ⛄
Merry Christmas - ❄🌲🎅✨🛸👽🌟
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🎄
Ok, so I've got 2 good Santa stories here so I'll share.
1: When my grandpa was a kid in the '60s, his family was quite poor and they qualified to receive free Christmas gifts. Well, his step-father was already a very cruel person, so what he did was he would bring multiple outfits for each of the kids and they would go in. Multiple times. To get more presents. Yep.
2. When I was little, must have been about 7, I wanted to sleep on the couch for Christmas eve. Why? I don't know. But anyways, I was having the hardest time falling asleep. But, I opened my eyes about 30 minutes later, (still not able to fall asleep) and a vast array of Christmas presents were under the tree. I was a believer in Santa, wholeheartedly.
Ok, that's bad about your great step-grandfather, but your parents were clearly stealthy ninjas to be able to get all those gifts under the tree with you sleeping right there! Merry Christmas 🎅⛄
This was quite a journey from the saint to what we recognise today. I still wonder whether the reindeer was an invention of the poem or whether some other tradition replaced his horse with a reindeer and the poem just decided that eight reindeer were better than one.
As for a santa memory. I have a good one. When I was little and in the Girl Guides as a Rainbow, the last meeting before Christmas always had one of the church's elders dress up as Santa and give us and the BB members presents. One year the usual elder who did this got sick and my mother (who was a leader) rushed across the street to where my grandparents lived and got my grandad to do the part. Of course, when it came to my turn to sit on Santa's knee and recieve my present, I recognised the voice and thus for the next few years (I think I was at the oldest 5) I declared that my grandfather was Santa Claus and none of the other children believed me.
Aww, that's a really good memory and such a sweet story. I bet your Grandad got a kick out of it :-) Merry Christmas 🎄🎅
@@HistoryCalling Yeah. I was a good memory especially now since he's passed away. I do remember my mother being horrified that instead of saying "Thank you, Santa" I instead said "Thank you, Papa." (Papa was what I always called him because I couldn't said "grandpa")
Haha, I think that just adds to the general hilarity of the story. :-)
Thank you History Calling enjoyed this. My favourite memories of childhood Christmas were listening to Bing Crosby's The small one on the radio every year. I also had this illustrated book of The night before Christmas that was tactile. Father Christmas (in our house never Santa) I remember had a red felt hat. I loved the drawings. Also remember my mother's pudding. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas
Ah, those sound like really lovely Christmas memories. For me it's my Mum's stuffing that really does the trick. I look forward to that all year! Merry Christmas to you too 🎅
@@HistoryCalling What kind of stuffing? We always had Chestnut 🌰 stuffing for Thanksgiving and I never new there were other kinds of stuffing. So you can imagine my disappointment when given Stove Top Stuffing one year at some distant relative's house 🏠.
Thank you very much and sending you very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay safe and well!
Thanks Susan. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too (and of course, stay safe as well) 🎅🎄
Thanks for a very interesting and informative video 📹! Happy New Year!
You're welcome. Happy New Year to you too :-)
I find the things you cover very interesting hope to hear more
Thank you. I just wish I could get more people to also watch the upbeat videos that aren't about death and corpses! :-)
@@HistoryCalling I love ❤ the upbeat stories! Keep 'em coming!
Merry Christmas to you as well.
Thank you. You too 🎄
Well done I was hoping for a holiday story. If you are so inclined it is worth the effort imo. Twilight Zone Night of The Meek one of my favorite short stories.
45 years ago it was a privilege to play Santa for the neighborhood children. My gf was a make up artist for Universal Studios .. I looked the part. It was a sustained 45 minuets of humility looking into the eyes of youngsters seeing their soul.
These days Krampus seems to be a reality. 😆
🎅 🌳 🎄
Aww, that sounds very sweet and I bet if she was good enough to work for Universal, you really did look the part! Merry Christmas 🎅😀
excellent, succinct video
Thank you. I had fun researching and putting it together 🎅
Imagine being the evil parent when the kid asks “where’s Father Christmas?”, “He’s dead and buried under this church”.
You just know some people have done that though :-)
Thank you, always love your weekly programs. I have traveled to Bari, went to a restaurant in a cave that looked as if it was straight out of a 007 movie!! I was not aware of St. Nicholas' bones, a great reason to go back! Merry Christmas History Calling.
Thank you. That sounds like a great holiday. Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
R. Gordon Wasson hypothesized that Santa's colors come from the Amanita mushrooms which are red with white spots. Far fetched at best as if you have indulged in Amanita you realize they invoke feelings that are anything but jolly and festive. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and work. Much I knew nothing of here. You are a treasure. Happy Holidays!
Thanks David. Happy Holidays to you too :-)
It is so refreshing to see a NORMAL and ACCURATE history channel. I’m usually waiting for a vile dose of wokery in newer history channels I stumble across. I’m happy to say that I have subscribed and look forward to more content. God bless you and yours, and a most merry Christmas to you and your family this year. 😊
Thanks Charles and Merry Christmas to you too :-)
I first met Santa Claus in a Seoul, South Korea Mall when I was a young girl. There he is often referred to as Santa kullosu and he was wearing BLUE!!! Most modern Santa Claus in South Korea wear red. Basically the same concept of Santa in the USA, but with more emphasis on Christianity, Family Meals and not gift giving.
I love hearing these Santa traditions from other countries. Another commenter was telling me about Hispanic traditions as well. I just wish I'd known about them when I was putting the video together, as I would have loved to include them. Thank you for sharing though. I'm learning lots of new things. 🎄🎅⛄
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!! 🎅
Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
Merry Christmas HC🎄
Thank you. Same to you 🎅🎄
I had that book myself growing up in Dublin. My dad used to read it to my sister & I & I bought it for my kids & my grandsons 😁
It's so lovely. I was really happy I found an out of copyright version online so that I could use the pictures as well. Merry Christmas ⛄🎅
The last time i saw Santa was about 72 years ago
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house.....
Only two more sleeps until it is the night before Christmas! 🎅
@@HistoryCalling I remember going to bed when I was very little ans not being able to sleep with anticipation..
Merry Christmas!
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🎄
Interestingly, there are many depictions of St.Nicholas from centuries ago with a white beard and dressed in red and white robes. Merry Christmas :)
Since you have found Mom as the source of empirical evidence .. I cannot and do not question your scholarship. : ) The Dutch were an old influence in NYC since its beginnings . I believe Sinter Klaus got a good hold there and because of NYC's world influence in business ,advertising , etc I suspect that helped boost Santa to world fame absorbing all permutations of St Nicholas . But I wonder ... has Santa Clause influence come from the US to the UK or...? Thank you for another interesting video.
Haha, yes I nearly showed one or two of my Santa/Father Christmas letters, but then got a bout of shyness about it. I would have had to scan them and cut a chunk off the image off anyway, as for some reason I felt it necessary to sign my full name at the bottom of the letters, just in case he didn't know it was me!
Merry Christmas to you!😘🎆🎄
And (as it's a couple of days later now), Happy New Year to you :-)
When I was a child in England in the mid/late 1960s there were almost as many depictions of Father Christmas in brown or blue or green as in red , mostly on cards/paper nostalgic for the victorian idea of Christmas. Even to this day my mother will correct her children and grandchildren if they say Santa, rather than Father Christmas
Merry Christmas to you
Thank you. I hope you had a lovely one too and have a Happy New Year :-)
There is a problem with Santa Klaus here in the Southern Hemisphere. When Christmas is in the middle of summer and he certainly wouldn't dress like he is if he was an invention of us in the South
Good point, ur santa should be dressed in beach clothes. :) Although that wouldn't be great for going down the chimney, but then again neither is red color.
I heard from another source that the origins of Father Christmas and Santa Claus are quite different. Father Christmas was historically depicted as a merry monk, who liked to endulge at Christmas time. The Victorians were concerned about such excesses, and aspects of St Nicholas were incorporated to make Father Christmas a more wholesome, family figure. Over time Father Christmas and Santa Claus have merged. However, even today we know that Father Christmas likes a glass of sherry or brandy, whereas the the American Santa Claus prefers a glass of milk. Father Christmas also tends to be dressed in a gown, though American influence is changing that.
I haven't heard those stories, but they sound lovely and yes, I can imagine Santa getting a glass of sherry or brandy, though I can also visualise milk. Must be the influence of so much American TV! Merry Christmas 🎅
@@HistoryCalling Haha! Maybe the brandy was to keep him warm on his travels!
There is a story that St Nicholas actually punched out the bishop Arius, who was responsible for a theological dispute that deeply divided the church at the time.
It tickles my funny bone to think of Santa having a belligerent side to him.
Mine too :-)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to Everyone 🤗❤️❤️❤️
Thank you. You too ⛄🎅
Same to you, too! Cheers 🍻!
I have been In the st Nicholas church In Bari, but at the time i had no idea of the history behind it!
It looks beautiful :-)
Not everyone celebrates Christmas. When my children were young, a neighbor came to my house, seething angry. She shouted "One of your kids told my Timmy that there is no Santa and now his Christmas is ruined!" She shouted some other stuff but I don't remember what else she said because I was laughing so hard. She left and my daughter, 8, said "Everyone knows that Santa is a fairy tale and the parents buy all the presents!" Years later, my husband's beard turned white and he was the object of curious attention from young children. At first he played along and gave them quarters from his pocket but he didn't want to seem like a predator so now he just scowls if they get too close.
Maybe Coke didn't make Santa's clothes red, but I'm certain they popularised the colour & style. From the 90s 'til now I have NEVER seen Santa described as wearing ANYTHING other than red in popular media.
That is WILD that Santa and Bari have a connection, I was there at that church and for some reason didn’t realize that the stolen body of Santa Claus miiiight be there 😅
Bari is a unpleasant place in my personal experience so I can kind of see why folks wanted to give folks a reason to go/stay 😂😂😂
Ike your video on father Christmas 🌲
Thank you (especially as you took the trouble to watch it in April) :-)
Like u said in a previous video, red was the color of martyrhood in Catholic Church, so i would presume that's probably where the color came from. Love ur voice!! Would love to see ur picture, but i understand ur want for privacy. :) cheers
That’s what mums do☺️I’ve still got cards and letters from my kids😍 this was really interesting and I’ve told my kids about the Coca-Cola bit
Haha, yes I almost posted an image of one of my letters and then got shy about it (I would have had to chop the bottom off the picture anyway as I'd written out my full name on it, clearly worried that Santa might not find me otherwise!) The coca cola thing has become such an urban legend that even I thought it was real, but it's definitely not true. Merry Christmas 🎅⛄
@@HistoryCalling merry Christmas to you too ☺️
@@HistoryCalling Maybe Santa prefers Pepsi? I know I do.
Dear Santa,
I would like a 1948 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine, model 75A. Please.
Tony
That's gonna be a tough one to fit under the tree but I'm sure Santa will do his best 🎄😀 Merry Christmas 🎅
I'm Hispanic/Latino, so we would leave Tamales for Santa (and Mexican hot chocolate. )
Oh I wish I'd known that for the video. It would have been a great detail to include. It sounds lovely. I'll bet Santa looked forward to his snacks at your house 🎅
These tales are like Chinese whispers really, it starts with the truth and people just ad on to it before you know it the real story disappears and snowballs into what people tell each other.
I wonder how many religious stories ended up being getting the same treatment!
I missed any reference to Father Christmas, as used in Russia and eastern Europe.
Erm, look again my friend :-) I talked about him, showed a picture with Father Christmas written over the top and explained that that's who I addressed my own letters to as a child 🎅
@@HistoryCalling I will watch it again. Must have missed it somehow. Thanks!
The only Santa I acknowledge is Bill Goldberg's Santa in the horror movie Santa's Slay. Has all the powers of Santa + the strength of a professional wrestler.
Haha, I haven't seen that one myself :-)
Nollaig Shona Duit
Thank you. Happy Christmas to you too 🎅⛄
Merry Christmas!
Thank you. You too ⛄🎅