Santa Claus is an icon of peace, joy and happiness, who enlivens our minds and hearts. He lives in the hearts of those who believe in virtues of giving and spreading happiness. Hence, gifting is something that is closely associated with the festival of Christmas.

Traditionally, Saint Nicholas was depicted as an imposing, tall, dignified ecclesiastical figure riding a white horse, dressed in red robes trimmed with white fur, worn by bishops, placing gifts of nuts, fruit, candy and small figurines on the hearth.

The popular and distinctive image of Santa was further developed from literary descriptions by novelist Washington Irving and poet Clement Clarke Moore and the fanciful drawings of poet and illustrator, Thomas Nast. In his drawings, Nast has depicted Santa as a delightful and jolly elf with a potbelly, and a bagfull of gifts slung on his shoulder.

In his poem, ‘A Visit by Saint Nicholas’, Nast has gives a detailed description of a happy, old, dwarfish man, riding on a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer, whose names are specified as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, respectively.

The present adorable personality of the North American Santa Claus, which took shape in the 19th Century, was that of a chubby, bespectacled elf, dressed in bright red. Father Christmas, Befana or even Kringler, Baboushka, Santa has spread cheer, joy and warmth in every form and under every garb. And that makes him a key figure in religious history, who carries a touch of benevolence.

But Reindeer are not found around the North Pole, so how do they figure in German, Dutch and North American legends? Actually, this was the brainchild of Clement Moore. One evening, while riding back home from New York City, he was inspired by the tinkling of bells on old Dobbin, his donkey and there flashed an idea for a Christmas tide verse for his children! Another explanation could be that German legends and mythology are closely related to those of Scandinavia, a Polar region.

Christmas is the time to rejoice with Santa, the Patron of Giving, and Giving sure is a noble gesture.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 25th, 2008 at 6:53 am and is filed under exclusive gifts, Gifting On Occasions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.