Every December, he takes over the world. From glowing billboards and shop windows to soda cans and movie screens, the same smiling figure appears, red suit, white beard, arms full of gifts. Santa Claus feels timeless. Yet the Santa we know today is anything but ancient.
Behind the cheerful icon lies a centuries-long transformation shaped by faith, folklore, literature, and advertising, turning a Christian saint into one of the most powerful symbols of global popular culture.

Saint Nicholas: The man behind the myth

The story of Santa Claus begins far from the North Pole, in Myra, in present-day Turkey, during the 4th century. Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop revered for his generosity, humility, and unwavering concern for the poor, particularly children.

Among the many stories associated with him, one legend endured through centuries: Nicholas secretly provided gold to a destitute family to save three daughters from slavery, tossing the coins through a window under cover of night. This act of quiet, anonymous giving would later form the moral core of the Santa Claus tradition.

Saint Nicholas’s feast day on December 6 gradually became linked to gift-giving across Europe. What began as a religious commemoration slowly moved beyond church walls, turning into a household tradition and a popular celebration.

By the Middle Ages, devotion to Saint Nicholas had spread across the continent. Thousands of churches were dedicated to him, including one commissioned by Roman Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) as early as the 6th century. However, following the Reformation, veneration of Saint Nicholas largely faded in Protestant Europe, with one notable exception: Holland.

There, his legend survived as Sinterklaas, a Dutch adaptation of Saint Nicholas. When Dutch settlers arrived in New Amsterdam (today’s New York City) in the 17th century, they carried the tradition with them. Over time, Sinterklaas, stripped of some regional elements, was embraced by English-speaking communities as Santa Claus. His story merged with older Nordic folktales of a magical figure who rewarded good children and punished the naughty.

This transformation marked a turning point. Santa Claus was no longer solely a religious saint, he had become a folkloric character, shaped by imagination, storytelling, and the cultures that adopted him.

Literature shapes a legend

The Santa we recognize today owes much to 19th-century literature.

In 1823, the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, better known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”, redefined Santa forever. He was now cheerful, magical, traveling in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, slipping down chimneys with gifts in hand. This poem humanized Santa. He laughed. He winked. He wasn’t distant.

Soon after, illustrator Thomas Nast gave Santa a visual identity through his drawings in Harper’s Weekly. Nast introduced key elements we still recognize today: Santa’s workshop, his list of naughty and nice children, and even his home at the North Pole.

Yet Santa’s appearance was still fluid. He wore brown, green, blue, or red, sometimes thin, sometimes elf-like, sometimes bishop-like.

Why red? The color myth explained

One of the most persistent myths is that Coca-Cola invented Santa’s red suit. In reality, red had appeared in Santa’s clothing long before Coca-Cola entered the scene.

Red was historically associated with bishop robes, warmth, and celebration. By the late 19th century, Santa was already frequently depicted wearing red, though not exclusively.

What Coca-Cola did was something far more powerful than invention: standardization.

In 1931, Coca-Cola launched a Christmas advertising campaign featuring Santa Claus, illustrated by artist Haddon Sundblom.

This Santa was different. He was plump and cheerful, warm and approachable, clearly human, not mystical or distant and dressed consistently in red and white.

The campaign ran for decades, appearing in magazines, billboards, and later television ads, reaching millions across continents. Coca-Cola didn’t create Santa, but it fixed his image in the global imagination.

From that moment on, Santa’s red suit, white beard, and joyful smile became nearly universal.

Santa as a media icon

Coca-Cola was not alone. As mass media expanded, Santa became a powerful symbol used by department stores, toy companies, beverage brands, film studios.

Hollywood reinforced the image through movies, while shopping malls turned Santa into a living attraction. Over time, Santa became inseparable from consumer culture, embodying generosity, but also spending. This commercial Santa sometimes overshadowed his spiritual origins, shifting the focus from giving to buying.

From faith to folklore to branding

Santa Claus’s journey is not a story of loss, but of transformation.

From a Christian bishop practicing silent charity, to a folk hero flying through the night, to a commercial symbol recognized worldwide, Santa reflects how traditions evolve, shaped by belief, art, and media.

And perhaps that’s the real magic of Santa Claus: not the gifts, the sleigh, or the red suit, but his ability to adapt, generation after generation, while still carrying the same core message Saint Nicholas lived by centuries ago:

Give quietly. Give generously. And expect nothing in return.