When we talk of Christmas characters, perhaps the first name that would come to mind is Santa Claus. As a jolly symbol of holiday cheer, the image of Saint Nick, or Santa, has graced millions of greeting cards, decorations, television shows, and movies for over a hundred years.
As the jovial character of Kris Kringle was popularized with the white beard and red suit, you may wonder: where did this red suit costume come from? Surely, the first depictions of him were different from the images we see today. The original inspiration for the St. Nick character was Saint Nicholas of Myra, in the Netherlands. In the Dutch vernacular, he was referred to as Sinterklaas, who was helped by his servants called Zwarte Pieten, which are now equivalent to his elves.
In the 19th century, various figures depicting Father Christmas were adapted in different countries. Each country attaches a tradition corresponding with the holiday figure, such as songs, poems, and gift-giving. Alterations of the name were also made, depending on the region which celebrates the occasion. It is said that the image of him in the red costume began in the United States in the mid 1800's.
The image of him as an American Christmas icon with reindeer emerged around the 1820's, where he was the lead character in the story published in The Sentinel, entitled "A Visit from Saint Nicholas." Later on, the image of Father Christmas was merged with the identity of Santa Claus.
Among the first few American visualizations of him were of a heavily bearded man wearing an all-fur suit. This image started in 1863 and was drawn by an artist named Thomas Nast, who worked for Harper's Weekly. During this decade, various caricatures of himwere published, and he was soon established as a toy maker and gift-giver.
The first Christmas card showing Santa Claus in his trademark red suit appeared in 1885, and was printed by Louis Prang in Boston. Prang was also known for popularizing the Christmas card giving tradition in America in the 1870's, as this was a practice common among the English.
Over the years, the image of Santa Claus with the red suit became more popular, as it was often depicted in print media, costumes, as well as television and movies. By 1927, a New York Times article explained the standardized image of St. Nick as he is well known among Americans. In the explanation, Santa dons the red suit, red hood, and white beard.
Though many sources claim that the red-suited Santa Claus was created by the Coca-Cola Company, this is contrary to many historical accounts. In the 1930's, Coca-Cola widely used the image to boost the sales of its beverages during the winter holidays. Most believe that the soda company made use of the character because his well-known color scheme is similar to that of the company logo. Though Coca-Cola was not the first to put the red suit on Santa, the company played a big role in popularizing the Christmas character.
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