Christmas is an annual festival honouring the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Santa Claus is Santa Claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries, bringing gifts to children.
Santa Clause is mythical giver of gifts in Christmas, his popular image is associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint who is typically portrayed in red bishop’s robe. The Dutch are credited with transporting the legend of Saint Nicholas who was also called Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam (now New York City), along with the custom of giving gifts, toys, clothes and sweets to children on Christmas.
The current depiction of Santa Claus is based on images drawn by cartoonist Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly beginning in 1863. Nast’s Santa owed much to the description given in the poem “ A Visit from St. Nicholas” first published in 1823. The image was further defined by the popular Santa Claus advertisements created for the Coca Cola company from 1931 by illustrator Haddon Sundblum; his Santa was a round, overweigh, white-bearded gentleman dressed in a red suit with a black belt and white fur trim, black boots, and a soft red cap.
Christmas is called the festival of giving. Giving has a profound impact on both the giver and the receiver. By providing support to those in need, we can make a positive difference, both now and for eternity. This was the whole idea of Christmas. It is about giving. Over the years people forgot it’s true motive and started celebrating it just for their own happiness. Christmas additionally explains how giving and sharing not only helps the recipients happy but also gives you a sense of satisfaction and joy.
In today’s selfish world, the joy of giving is highly underrated. It’s a mutual feeling and not a one way feeling. It makes the other person happy because you’ve helped them or given them a reason to feel joy. It also makes you happy because the satisfaction you receive is unmatchable. If you possess the power of giving and if you use that power in the right manner, you’ll never be dissatisfied.
And trust me when I say giving is not always monetary or something which can be bought by money. It can be anything which brings joy, happiness or satisfaction to the other person and yourself too. It can be a feeling, good news, a few kind words, words of wisdom, a small gift, a kind gesture or anything in general. Toward the end of the 18th century the practice of giving gifts to family members established. Theologically, the feast day reminded Christians of God’s gift of Jesus to humankind even as the coming of the Wise Men (Magi) to Bethlehem suggested that Christmas was somehow related to giving gifts.
The famous belief about Santa Claus is said that he lives at the North Pole with his wife (Mrs. Claus), where he spends the year making toys with the help of his elves (small creatures with pointed ears who has magic powers). He receives letters from children asking for Christmas gifts. On Christmas Eve he loads his sledge with toys and flies around the world, drawn by eight reindeers, stopping at each child’s house. He slides down the chimney and leaves the gifts, refreshing himself with the milk and cookies left for him by the household’s children.
Santa Claus’s story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century, when Saint Nicholas walked the earth and became the patron saint of children. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his goodness and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all his inherited wealth and travelled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best-known St. Nicholas stories is the time he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Over the course of many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread, and he became known as the protector of children and sailors.
The legend also has that after the birth of Jesus Christ in the winter season, some of the trees shook off the snow and turned green to mark the great event. Thus, the Christmas tree represents permanence and immortality. That’s why it is decorated.
