Santa Claus is based on an old custom, going back at least two to three thousand years if not longer, followed by the Celtic and Scandinavian tribes in what's now Europe and the UK and Russia.
At the Winter Solstice - which is the midpoint of winter, not the beginning - the chief or king would call in his best men to load up sledges with food and warm clothes. The sledges were pulled by reindeer, oxen, ponies, or men and taken out to the people living on farms and in small groups where they grew crops and tended the animals.
These supplies would be brought to a certain tree - an evergreen, which would stand out in the bare winter forest, and which was decorated with shiny things so it would be recognized - and left for anyone who might be in need with half the winter still to go.
It was quite likely that some toys were included, too, to amuse the children during the long dark days.
The chief or king, of course, was usually an older man with silver hair and beard and wearing the best furs. This is where our legends of Santa Claus come from.
The Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" is set at a later time but is all about exactly this custom.
This annual ritual was a perfect match for the Christian ideal of charity and giving, especially to those in need, and quickly became a Christmas tradition.
It is why we still give gifts of good food, sweaters, socks, and toys at that time of year, and explains why we have such a strong tradition of going home for Christmas.
Saint Nicholas of Myra[a] (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343),[3][4][b] also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya Province, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire.[7][8] Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.[c] Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, toymakers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the pious, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the folklore of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick") through Sinterklaas.
That's fine, but again, what I'm talking about goes back much earlier.
The Celtic and Scandinavian tribes go back at least two to three thousand years before the birth of Christ.
They had a very long tradition of taking food and warm clothes to people at the Winter Solstice. It was so engrained that we still do it today.
Saint Nicholas came along much later, relatively speaking. His story seems to have been combined with the earlier tradition so that the gift-giving at the Solstice would appear to be a Christian custom and not a pagan one (even though that's where it started.)
🎶 "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you're a heretic and he'll punch you in the face! " 🎶
I wondered when someone would mention this fistfight.