8 Fun Christmas facts you didn’t know about Santa Claus

8) The origins of Santa Claus

Although most people know that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole and delivers gifts to children all over the world, few people are aware of Kris Kringle’s true origins.

From Turkey to the North Pole

St. Nicholas of Myra was a bishop of Greek origin in modern-day Turkey during the Roman times. According to the legend, he secretly gave three sisters the money they needed to get married by putting it inside a sack and throwing it in through a window.

7) Younger thank you think!

Ivan Natividad writes on the UC Berkely website that most of the imagery we associate with Santa Claus is fairly recent and descended from traditions imported by Dutch immigrants in New York in the late 18th century and 19th century.

All the other reindeer

According to the Smithsonian, a modern addition to Santa Claus lore was the eight reindeer pulling the sleigh. These first appeared in an 1823 poem. However, the most famous of them, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, was introduced in a 1939 story created to give away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick!

6) Santa has a pilot license

Reindeer or not, in 1927 Santa Claus received a United States airplane pilot license from the Assistant Secretary of Commerce, William P. MacCracken, per the website The General Aviation News.

Is that why he wears red and white?

Despite having a US pilot license, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus are technically Canadian! Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail writes that both North Pole residents obtained Canadian e-passports in 2013 from Canadian Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.

5) Where in the world is Santa Claus?

However, not everyone can quite agree where Santa Claus lives. For children in the US, Canada, and the UK, Father Christmas lives in the North Pole.

Santa's summers in Spain

The website thelocal.es writes that Sinterklaas, the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus, supposedly arrives in a steamship all the way from the magical kingdom of… Spain! One can’t help but imagine Kris Kringle spending his time eating paella on some beach in Alicante.

4) The color of Christmas

Another element that took some time to pin down was what colors Santa Claus wears. Indeed, in the 19th century and early 20th century, it seems that Father Christmas used to mostly wear green. What changed?

Brought to you by Coca-Cola

Many attribute the modern-day Santa Claus color scheme to the Coca-Cola Company, having full-colored adverts showing St. Nick in the same matching colors than their logo!

3) The many names of St. Nick

Santa Claus is known by different names, including St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas over in the United Kingdom. And that’s only in English!

Grandfather Frost and many others

National Geographic explains that in Chile, he’s known as Viejito Pascuero (Old Man Christmas), Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) in Russia and Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) in Germany.

2) More thank milk and cookies

Speaking of cultural differences, in the United States, it is common to leave milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. However, people in other places are a bit naughtier.

Now you know why he's so jolly

British children tend to leave a glass of sherry and mince pie for Father Christmas, while in Ireland, he prefers having his mince pie with a pint of Guinness. No wonder that children in Sweden have to leave out coffee for St. Nick!

1) Santa Claus, Indiana

Every year, millions of children around the world send letters to Santa Claus. Believe it or not, these letters end up in Santa Claus, Indiana. The town, of about 2,000 people, is known as America’s Christmas Hometown.

Letters from France

The website Christmas.co.uk writes that the United States is in the third place when it comes to sending letters to Santa Claus, behind Canada and, surprisingly, France! Apparently, French children do love Papa Noel!

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