Overview
- Explainers trace Santa’s roots to Saint Nicholas of Myra, with Dutch Sinterklaas traditions carrying the name and gift‑giver motif into early America.
- Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822–23 poem introduced the chimney visits, sleigh and eight flying reindeer that define Santa’s overnight journey.
- Thomas Nast’s late‑19th‑century illustrations consolidated the white beard, fur‑trimmed suit, North Pole residence, elves and Mrs. Claus.
- Advertising helped entrench the red‑and‑white image—Coca‑Cola popularized it in the 1930s after earlier commercial uses such as White Rock’s 1923 ads—while earlier depictions also showed green and other colors.
- Families can follow Santa’s route in real time, with NORAD’s tradition dating to a 1955 Sears misprint answered by Col. Harry Shoup and Google offering its own tracker for 2025.