Young children fall asleep on Christmas Eve with hopes of crossing paths with Santa Claus, the big-bellied man in a white fur-trimmed red jacket and pants. But this imaginary figure is more than a tool to make sure kids behave, it's a part of the Christmas tradition.
His tale has evolved over the course of time as have his name and clothes. It began during the third century with Saint Nicholas, a bishop living in what is now Turkey, according to National Geographic. He wasn’t known to be jolly or have a large belly, but he did help the poor and the sick.
Here is a timeline of the evolution of Santa Claus.
Third century
According to History.com, Nicholas, born in the estimated year 270, lived in Patara, near Myra, where the legends of his generosity originated. In one such story, he saved three sisters from being sold into slavery by their father by giving them a dowry that allowed the girls to get married.
Nicholas is believed to have died on Dec. 6, 343 A.D., according to North Dakota’s local news station KX News, a CBS affiliate.
11th century
Sometime during the year 1087, “Italian sailors or merchants allegedly steal the remains of St. Nicholas from his shrine at a church in Myra,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
They brought him to Bari, Itay, which is still the home to St. Nicholas’ remains.
Renaissance era (14th century to 17th century)
Dec. 6 had become synonymous with St. Nicholas, marking a day perceived as lucky for large purchases or a marriage ceremony, according to History.com.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Santa, referred to as Sinterklass, remained popular in Holland even through the Protestant Reformation, which rejected the adoration of saints.
But in Germany, his job got passed on to baby Jesus and St. Nicholas’ story was changed to make him more of a scary helper, giving rise to iterations like Ru-klaus (Rough Nicholas), Aschenklas (Ashy Nicholas) and Pelznickel (Furry Nicholas), per National Geographic.
19th century
Many versions of St. Nicholas were carried through the New World colonies until these stories finally ended up on paper: One of the first mentions of the figure came in Washington Irving’s 1809 book “Knickerbocker’s History of New York.” In it is a portrait of Nicholas flying in a wagon and delivering presents to the good children.
Subsequently, “The Children’s Friend,” a poem written by Arthur J. Stansbury in 1821, painted a new and vivid picture of Santa Claus using a sleigh and reindeer. As did the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore published a year later.
“They’ve taken the magical gift-bringing of St. Nicholas, stripped him of any religious characteristics, and dressed this Santa in the furs of those shaggy Germanic gift bringers,” historian Gerry Bowler, author of “Santa Claus: A Biography,” told National Geographic.
By the late 19th century, this version of Santa stuck around in North America.
20th century
The modern-day Santa Claus visually emerged during the 1920s through the works of illustrators like N.C. Wyeth, J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell.
Then came the 1931 Coca-Cola Santa ads created by Haddon Sundblom that popularized the red and white outfit, according to Chron. By the ’50s, this version was everywhere and there was no going back.