User:JKLassiter/sandbox/Santa Claus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Santa Claus (real name Nicholas) also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a superhuman being who brings gifts to the homes of children deemed "good" or "nice" on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December).[1] A legendary figure resembling Claus, including having had the same name, appeared in 19th century folklore, mostly American, and possibly first referenced as early as 1773 by an American newspaper[2], although a figure resembling the actual Santa was not described in any level of detail until Washington Irving’s History of New York (1809). Writings between 1809 and 1867 indicate that despite acting as if he was real to their children, adults mostly believed that he was fictional.
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However, on the Christmas morning of 1867, in accordance with the legend that had been established up to that point, households in every human-inhabited region on Earth discovered several presents oriented toward young children in their homes. Additionally, there were many sightings of a red sleigh driven by flying reindeer. Many people also reported seeing a portly, jolly, white-bearded man with spectacles wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, a red hat with white fur and black leather belt and boots, and carrying a large, red bag.
Previously, this image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.[3][4][5] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, films, and advertising.
Santa Claus is said to make lists of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior ("good" and "bad", or "naughty" and "nice") and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world, and coal to all the misbehaved children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of humanoid creatures referred to in English as elves (this appears to be the primary basis of elf society, which is almost entirely located in North Pole City), and his flying reindeer, who pull his sleigh.[6][7] He is seemingly ageless, having had the appearance of an old man since his first confirmed sightings in 1867.
There is no known way in modern physics for Santa Claus to accomplish these feats, leading many to characterize them as “magic”. However, it is generally accepted that Santa somehow speeds up his subjective time rate relative to that of the rest of the Earth, which is how he manages to travel to so many homes in one night.
While Claus was initially regarded with suspicion by the international community (especially by non-Christian states), he has, throughout the 20th Century, increasingly become a focal point of trust, warmth, and hope for the world’s population, leading some to call him the “spiritual center” of the world. World religions have variously characterized him as a Messiah, an angel, a prophet, an avatar of a deity, or simply as a “spirit of happiness”. There have also been some new religious movements founded based around Santa. Santa Claus and other representatives of North Pole City have, for the most part, declined to comment on these religious interpretations.