The New Year is approaching and the festive mood is on the rise. All the details around indicate what the earth is celebrating.
Perhaps, as a child, you also imagined the magical North Pole, New Year’s preparations, Santa Claus with his elves… and throughout the year you behaved in praise to get on the ‘good kids list’ too?
As we grow, our perceptions change and this magical stage of childhood seems to fall away all at once. Then we find ourselves in the role of those parents who are most afraid of the questions about Santa Claus. Perhaps, at this time, we only have a slight hope in the depths of our hearts – maybe, exists…
Santa Claus exists
Even in the fourth century, Bishop Nicholas worked in the city of Mira, on the territory of present-day Turkey. Nicholas’s parents died at an early age and inherited a large fortune. He always helped the impecunious people, especially children.
Legend tells us that in the same city, there lived a poor man who had three marriageable daughters. Due to poverty, the family could not collect dowry, and at that time marriage without dowry was an unthinkable story. The whole town knew about their plight, but the father could not ask anyone for help, so Nicholas quietly dropped three sacks full of gold from the chimney of the fireplace. After that, his name was associated with the happiness of an unexpected gift. Later, he was canonized as a saint because of his humility and generosity, and today we know him as St. Nicholas.
This legend, forgotten for centuries, was later revived by Dutch travelers who began to tell the stories of St. Nicholas in the United States. Thus, the Christmas hero Sinterklaas, otherwise known as Santa Claus, was born.
It took decades to establish the face of Santa Claus in the public memory. The first in this process was Clement Clarke Moore, an American writer who in 1823 anonymously published a poem called “The Visit of Saint Nicholas” or otherwise “The Night Before Christmas”. Therefore, the appearance of Santa, the sleigh, the flying reindeer, the chimney, and the New Year’s stockings hanging by the fireplace are his creative merits.
Subsequently, in 1931, Coca-Cola launched a large-scale New Year’s campaign, it wanted to create a symbolic and at the same time realistic image of Santa Claus. This responsible task was assigned to Michigan illustrator Haddon Sundblom, who turned to the above-mentioned poem by Clement Clarke Moore for inspiration. Thus, the warm and friendly Saint Nicholas described by the American writer became a source of inspiration for the illustrator, and this is how Santa Claus was created – the red-robed, white-bearded man that we all love so much.
Life is full of surprises. Santa may also face an unforeseen event. For example, imagine what would happen if Santa’s sleigh broke down on Christmas night. Of course, no one but him can hand out the presents, and the Christmas magic that millions of people are waiting for will be ruined.
Don’t worry, meet the New Year calmly!
Rumor has spread that Santa Claus is insured by Unison, so the magical holiday is not in danger.