| Christmas is a joyful religious holiday when Christians celebrate
the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christmas story comes from the Bible. An
angel appeared to shepherds and told them that a Savior had been born to
Mary and Joseph in a stable in Bethlehem. Three Wise Men from the East (the
Magi) followed a wondrous star which led them to the baby Jesus to whom
they paid homage and presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
To people all over the world, Christmas is a season of giving and receiving
presents. In some European countries, Father Christmas, or Saint Nicholas,
comes into houses in the night and leaves gifts for the children. Saint
Nicholas is represented as a kindly man with a red cloak and long white
beard. Another character, the Norse God Odin, rode on a magical flying horse
across the sky in the winter to reward people with gifts. These different
legends passed across the ages to make the presentday Santa Claus.
Immigrant settlers brought Father Christmas to the United States. Father Christmas'
name was gradually changed to Santa Claus, from the Dutch name for Father
Christmas, which is Sinter Claas. Although he has origins in Norse and pre-Christian
mythology, Santa Claus took shape in the United States. Americans gave Santa
Claus a white beard, dressed him in a red suit and made him a cheery old
gentleman with red cheeks and a twinkle in his eye.
Most children believe that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. All year he lists the names of
children, both those who have been good and those who have been bad. He
decides what presents to give to the good children. He oversees the manufacturing
and wrapping of the presents by his helpers.
Santa Claus supposedly gets
his list of toys from the millions of children who write to him at the North
Pole. Children also find Santa Claus at shopping malls across the country.
They sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. Of course,
their parents are probably nearby listening in as well.
On December 24,
Christmas Eve, Santa hitches his eight reindeer to a sleigh and loads it
with presents. The reindeer pull him and his sleigh through the sky to deliver
presents to children all around the world, that is, if they had been good
all year.
Several American towns maintain the spirit of Santa Claus. The
New England state of Connecticut has a Christmas village where "Santa" and
his elves give out gifts. In New York, a small town called the North Pole
was designed for Santa Claus. There is a post office, a church and a blacksmith
shop, to repair the shoes of the reindeer.
Santa Claus exists only in our
imaginations. But he, Saint Nicholas, and Father Christmas are spirits of
giving. Christmas has been associated with gift giving since the Wise Men
brought gifts to welcome the newborn Jesus Christ.
In anticipation of Santa's
visit, American children listen to their parents read "The Night Before
Christmas" before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. Clement Moore wrote the
poem in 1823.
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