I don’t know about you but my family opens up presents at midnight Christmas Eve. That always confused me because on TV, on posters and on every corner THAT was the night that Santa came to your house to drop the presents under your tree. So unlike many 6 years-old, I KNEW Santa was fake. But why didn’t everyone else?
The origins of Santa Claus can be traced to gift-givers from church history and folklore. As with many archetypes in history, multiple stories of this individual can be found in Germanic, Dutch and Nordic stories. In “modern” times his identity has been immortalized thru various poems like “The Night Before Christmas” in 1823. They all differ in what he wears, brings or rides and thru the years the poems and stories have combined into new stories. But today, all around the world, we all know Santa as the jolly red face, reindeer riding, chimney hopping Santa and its all due to the magic of branding.
The first to illustrate Santa was in1863, by Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist of the 19th century for Harper’s Weekly. In Pokies 1915 soft drink companies like White Rock Beverages was one of the first to use his image to sell mineral water. But the MOST popular depiction of Santa is by Haddon Sundblom’s for The Coca-Cola Company’s Christmas advertising in the 1930s. His image has since evolved into charity and philanthropy for Volunteers of America and currently the Salvation Army.
Today, you can find Santa at every shopping mall. You can even track Santa thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) where you can download the official NORAD Tracks Santa app and count down the days to Santa’s takeoff. Even the reindeers get their 15 minutes in the spotlight with “Life After Santa,” a hilarious video campaign of the lives of the eight of Santa Claus’s reindeer after Santa Claus buys a Toyota Prius to replace his sleigh.
So Virginia, is there a Santa? Not really if you are from a last generation Colombian family who prefers Aguardiente over Egg Nog while waiting impatiently for midnight. But to sell a soft drink, give to charity or promote a Prius, Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.