History of Christmas

St. Nicholas is traditionally considered in the West and in America as a gift giver.

At 1804 the year in New York under the patronage of St. Nicholas a historical society was founded.

At 1809 the year Washington Irving published a satirical "History of the City of New York", where he mocked the Dutch past of New York (many traditions, including and Saint Nicholas - gift giver, came to New York from Holland). Every year on St. Nicholas' Day a wooden statue of a saint (tall, in a long robe) was taken out to the street and sang a song about St. Nicholas - Sanctus Klaus (in Dutch Sinterklaas).

At 1822 the year, another New Yorker Clement Clark Moore wrote a series of fairy tales, where he described that Santa Claus arrives on eight reindeers. Clement Clark Moore also came up with a way to get Santa Claus into the house - through the chimney.

At 1841 a year in Philadelphia, a businessman, Parkinson, hired a man to bring customers to the store and dressed him Santa Claus. The first living Santa Claus was sitting on the roof of the house where the store was located, next to the chimney.

At 1863 year, the cartoonist Thomas Nast depicted Santa Claus with huge whiskers and dressed in fur from head to toe.

In 1869 the year the poems of Georges Webster, where as the home of Santa Claus pointed North Pole.

The publisher Luis Prang distributed in America the English tradition to send to friends and Relatives on Christmas greeting cards. At 1885 he issued a greeting card, on which was painted Santa Claus in a red suit. Since then, Santa Claus increasingly began to draw in the red mantle, and not in the furs or mantle of any other color.

Here is how the New York Times, dated 1927, describes Santa Claus: "Young Santa Claus appeared before the young people of New York: huge growth, in a red robe, cap and white whiskers, a bag full of Gifts, red nose and thick eyebrows "

Coca-Cola advertising artist Hadon Sandblom began working on the advertising campaign "Santa Claus also drinks Coca-Cola" only at 1931 -th year. In addition to the Coca-Cola bottle, Coca-Cola Company did not introduce anything new into the image of Santa Claus. It only popularized it due to its extensive advertising campaign.