But if you read The Night Before Christmas, the 1822 poem that established Santa's modern form, you'll see that he's not a big guy at all. He's an elf. He's not even a little bit big. And this is not even alluded to; it's stated very clearly.
If you are talking about the character that came from the legend of the Saint he is both a man and an elf depending on which legend you believe in.
According to historical records, Santa is real. Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, his story goes all the way back to the 3rd century. He was a monk who was born in 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey.
Though most often portrayed as White, Santa is also depicted as Black or of other races. His race or color is sometimes a subject of controversy.
Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
Claus almost never have children in any of their many depictions, there is at least one Christmas Burlesque musical from 1892 that features Kitty Claus, the daughter of Santa.
In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he's known for today.
Santa Claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries, bringing gifts to children. His popular image is based on traditions associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint. Father Christmas fills the role in many European countries.
In 2019, House Method surveyed more than 4,500 families across the United States, and found the overall average age for no longer believing in Santa Claus is 8.4 years old. (But it varies by state: Kids in Mississippi generally believe until they're 10, while kids in Oregon stop believing at 7.)
The origins of the elf are said to have been derived from Norse mythology, which refers to the álfar, also known as huldufólk 'hidden folk'. The elf character is most likely to have combined this Norse legend with other Scandinavian and Celtic cultures and myths regarding elves, fairies and nature spirits.
When it comes to discovering the hidden "truth" about Santa Claus, let's get one thing out of the way: Santa is real. Historical records detailing his story stretch all the way back to the third century, when St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children.
Santa's Elves have creative and cute names such as Alabaster Snowball, Bushy Evergreen, Pepper Minstix, Shinny Upatree, Sugarplum Mary, and Wunorse Openslae to name a few.
Santa's elves live in the north pole, for easy access to Santa's workshop where they live. They have wonderful homes full of family and friends.
As this is a highly-specialised job role, Santa tends to use a specialist recruitment agency to get hold of the right elves here.
They state that one of the oldest elves around is 4,000 years old, and he goes by the name of Kringle. The youngest is only 700 and is named Buttercup. As you can see, Santa is always on the lookout for new elves with plenty of holiday spirit.
Exactly how old is Santa? According to the blog Email Santa, Santa Claus is 1,751 years old as of 2022. In fact, the origins of Santa Claus can be traced all the way back to a monk named Saint Nicholas, who was born between 260 and 280 A.D. in a village called Patara, which is part of modern-day Turkey.
In 1902, Santa graced the cover of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" dressed in green. But red eventually won out. Depictions from illustrator Norman Rockwell helped establish red as the color Santa donned best. Coca-Cola also affirmed Santa's signature red suit.
From his earliest days until the 19th century, Father Christmas was a strictly allegorical figure. He was a symbol of the Christmas season, rather than a mythical being. He was often depicted as a merry old man who presided over festive parties, not a gentle giver of gifts.
According to History.com, the monk who over time would evolve into Santa Claus was born in what is now modern-day Turkey in 280 A.D., making him a whopping 1,741 years old!
The green colour was used to signify the coming spring. If he wasn't wearing green or red, Father Christmas sometimes wore long white fur robes instead. This colour was chosen to resemble snow and ice – in this way, Father Christmas was depicted as a personification of winter itself.
Prior to Nast's work, Santa's outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. This change is often mistakenly attributed to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company since 1931.
Mrs Claus (Mother Christmas)
Mrs Claus made her first appearances in American literature in the mid 19th century. She was mentioned only in passing until closer to the early 20th century but is now a key part of the legend of Santa Claus in popular culture.
Fred Claus, Santa's bitter older brother, is forced to move to the North Pole to help Santa and the elves prepare for Christmas in exchange for cash. Fred Claus, Santa's bitter older brother, is forced to move to the North Pole to help Santa and the elves prepare for Christmas in exchange for cash.
Similar to Santa, the elves believe Mrs. Claus is roughly the same age, around 1,700 years old. Mrs. Claus is from Canada, so she is very used to the cold temperatures in the North Pole.