Before Coca-Cola popularized the jolly, red-suited Santa in the 1930s, he looked vastly different across cultures, appearing as a tall, gaunt figure, a spooky elf, or even in green, brown, or blue robes, reflecting folklore like St. Nicholas (bishop robes) and Father Christmas (fur-trimmed green), with cartoonist Thomas Nast later shaping the plump, cheerful image with a red coat in the 1880s, which Coke then standardized globally.
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.
In the first illustrated version of the poem, dated 1849, Santa Claus wears a fur hat, fur jacket and knee britches. From 1880 until 1930, Santa is featured wearing a long, Father Christmas-style coat.
The Origin and History of a Christmas Legend. The story behind Santa goes back to the third century during the time of St. Nicholas, a monk, even though some sources state that he was a bishop. Nicholas was born around 280 A.D. in Patara, in modern-day Turkey.
The dark history of Santa Claus stems from older European folklore featuring terrifying figures like Krampus and Père Fouettard, who punished naughty children with switches, chains, or even abduction, acting as the "bad cop" to Saint Nicholas's "good cop," punishing the wicked while Saint Nick rewarded the good, a tradition rooted in pagan winter rites and medieval tales of cannibalism and violence.
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 attributed to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company since 1931.
No, Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa's red suit, but their popular advertising campaign starting in 1931, featuring Haddon Sundblom's jolly, red-clad Santa, significantly shaped and cemented the modern image of a plump, red-suited Santa in the public's mind, making the red suit ubiquitous. Santa had appeared in red before Coke, drawing from Saint Nicholas and earlier illustrations, but Coke's extensive, decades-long marketing campaign made the look universally recognizable.
In 2025, Santa Claus is approximately 1,700 years old, based on his historical inspiration, Saint Nicholas, who was born around 280 AD in Turkey, making him an ancient, timeless figure who continues to deliver joy, though some estimates place him slightly older or younger depending on the exact birth year used.
Google's AI overview may read something like: “No, the figure of Santa Claus is not a real, single person, but the legend is based on the historical figure of St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for his generosity and kindness.
But in 1931, Coca‑Cola commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to paint Santa for Christmas advertisements. Those paintings established Santa as a warm, happy character with human features, including rosy cheeks, a white beard, twinkling eyes and laughter lines.
One great example is American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who is credited with popularising Santa in the red suit, adorned with white fur lining and a distinctive buckled black belt during the 1870s. Nast created many illustrations of Santa for Harper's Weekly, maintaining this iconic portrayal for over two decades.
Many American children, for example, are known to leave milk, cookies, and the occasional reindeer-friendly snack, such as a carrot, but it's common for kids to leave Santa Claus a stronger drink — like beer or wine — in European countries such as France and Ireland.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, the image of Santa Claus that we mainly recognize today became pretty well standardized. His rotund girth, red suit trimmed in white fur, the hearty laugh and the twinkling eyes were fully established characteristics of old St. Nick.
The result is a middle-aged man with a long beard, round head, and square jaw. St. Nicholas also had a severely broken nose that healed asymmetrically. "This is the most realistic appearance of St Nicholas based on all the skeletal and historical material.
Old Saint Nick
The popular term for Santa prior to this period was Saint Nicholas, a name known from the religious observance of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas on Dec. 6. The Dutch name, SinterKlaas, is actually a derivative of the name Saint Nicholas.
"There is no such thing as being too old to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy," Kelman tells Yahoo Life. "Letting kids figure it out on their own is preferable to parents breaking the news to them.
Santa loves his white milk and cookies, but after stopping at every child's home, give Santa Claus some flavored milk for a tasty surprise. Or switch out the milk for some holiday eggnog!
View all Santa Claus's original suit color wasn't just one thing; he wore many colors like green, brown, blue, or tan, with green being popular for "Father Christmas," but cartoonist Thomas Nast popularized a red suit in the 1880s, which Coca-Cola ads in the 1930s solidified as the iconic red-and-white look we know ...
Yes, Santa Claus has darker origins and scary companions in folklore, like the horned demon Krampus and the cannibalistic butcher Père Fouettard, who punish naughty children, contrasting with the jolly figure, stemming from pre-Christian winter myths and tales of the real St. Nicholas's miracles, including saving girls from prostitution and reviving murdered boys.
Alcohol – which was taxed unlike soft drinks – was also stored in similar barrels, so the brand decided to paint its Coke containers red so that tax officials could easily tell them apart.
🎅 Did You Know Santa Didn't Always Wear Red? Before the 1890s, Santa appeared in browns, greens, and blues—reflecting real winter clothing of the 1800s. Red slowly became the standard through 19th-century illustration.
A hunchbacked, skinny, and sometimes terrifying man, the fascinating images show what Father Christmas looked like in the 19th century — before he became the cuddly, bearded man marketed to modern-day consumers. An image of Santa Claus with a bent back, from 1897.
Santa Claus wasn't always in red; historically, he wore various colors like green, brown, blue, purple, or tan, reflecting folklore, but cartoonist Thomas Nast and later Coca-Cola ads in the 1930s solidified the iconic bright red-and-white suit into the global standard we know today, though green and other colors still ...