Santa Claus

　　 Dutch people settled New Amsterdam (later renamed New York), and bought the story of St. Nicholas from Holland to America. The story of St. Nicholas created a popular American tradition-Santa Claus.

　　 The story of Santa Claus began hundreds of years earlier. During the fourth century, a Roman Catholic Church official called Nicholas became known as someone who loved children and as especially kind and generous in giving help to the poor. Nicholas was made a saint after his death and it became common in northern Europe to hold a celebration on December 6th, the day Nicholas died. All kinds of stories were told about Saint Nicholas.

　　 One story tells how St. Nicholas gave money for the three daughters of an impoverished nobleman to buy their dowries. He did this by throwing bags of gold through their windows. When their father learned who had done this, the three girls begged their father to keep his identity a secret. The custom of secretly giving gifts at Christmas may be traced to this incident.

　　 Other Americans who lived near the Dutch people decided to make Saint Nicholas part of their own celebration of Christmas. But his name was anglicized to Santa Claus when the colony came under English rule.

　　 In 1822, an American named Clement Moore wrote a poem for his children. The poem, called A Visit From St. Nicholas, created a new Santa Claus. In the poem Santa Claus - a short, happy, little man - visits every child's home on December 24, after they have gone to sleep. He rides through the sky in a sleigh filled with toys. The sleigh is pulled by eight flying reindeer. Santa Claus enters homes by climbing down the chimney and filling empty stockings with gifts that the children have hung at the fireplace or on their bed. Mr. Moore's poem was published in a newspaper in New York in 1823. It soon became popular all over America and it became the source for the Santa Claus. American children still believe in today. Really, it is the children's father or uncle that pretends to be Father Christmas, dressing up in red cloak and wearing a long white beard in disguise, and puts presents into children's empty stockings.

　　 Ever since 1823, Santa Claus has been a very real person to most American children. They greet men, dressed up in red and white suits at department stores, shopping centers, and community parties. Children sit on his lap, tell him how good they have been all the year, and then tell him what they hope to find in their stockings on Christmas morning.