With Christmas just days away, the image of Santa Claus is everywhere—the jolly man with a white beard, a twinkle in his eye, and his unmistakable red suit trimmed with white fur. While many believe his look was a modern marketing invention, the history of Santa’s wardrobe is actually a centuries-old patchwork of tradition and pop culture.
1. The Saintly Roots: St. Nicholas
The primary inspiration for Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Greek bishop who lived in Myra (modern-day Turkey).
- The Bishop’s Robes: St. Nicholas was known for his immense secret generosity toward the poor. Traditionally, bishops wore red robes, which is where the color first entered the legend.
- Sinterklaas: This tradition moved to the Netherlands as Sinterklaas, a figure who also donned red-and-white bishop’s attire while delivering gifts.
2. The American Transformation (1820s)
In the early 19th century, New York’s elite—including authors Washington Irving and Clement Clarke Moore—began popularizing the Dutch Sinterklaas.
- The “Night Before Christmas”: In 1823, Moore wrote the legendary poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (“Twas the Night Before Christmas”). He shifted the image from a stern bishop to a “jolly old elf,” though the red color remained the standard for his “patron saint” status.
- Thomas Nast: In the late 1800s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast further solidified this image in Harper’s Weekly, illustrating Santa in a red, fur-trimmed suit for the first time in a way that truly stuck.
3. The Coca-Cola Myth vs. Fact
One of the biggest urban legends is that Coca-Cola invented the red Santa to match their brand colors in the 1930s.
- The Truth: While Coca-Cola’s 1931 ad campaign by artist Haddon Sundblom was incredibly influential in making Santa “human-sized” and extra jolly, the red suit was already well-established.
- White Rock Soda: In fact, another beverage company, White Rock, had already used a red-and-white Santa in mineral water advertisements as early as 1923.
Santa Around the World: Did You Know?
The “spirit of Santa” has traveled far beyond the North Pole:
- The Kerala Record: India holds a special place in Santa history. In Thrissur, Kerala, a staggering 18,112 people dressed as Santa Claus on December 27, 2014, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of Santas.
- The Kyrgyzstan Peak: In 2007, the nation of Kyrgyzstan named a mountain peak after Santa Claus. They argued that its geographical location was a more efficient starting point for gift delivery than Lapland!
- First Film Appearance: The first actor to play Santa on the silver screen was Leedham Bantock in the 1912 silent film Santa Claus.
The “Pop Culture” Santas
Over the decades, Santa has been voiced and portrayed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including:
- Alec Baldwin (Rise of the Guardians)
- Tim Allen (The Santa Clause)
- Alec Baldwin & Jim Cummings (Animated versions)
- Alec Guinness (Legendary portrayals)