The Surprising Christian Origins of Santa Claus

Keywords

Saint Nicholas, Christian generosity, Christmas traditions

Abstract

Santa Claus is, perhaps unfortunately, the most recognizable character during the Christmas season. But did you know that for all that he commercially represents, Santa Claus is surprisingly rooted in ancient Christianity?

Santa Claus was born in AD 270 in the town of Pataraon the Mediterranean coast of southwest Turkey. His real name was Nikolas, a Greek word that fittingly means “victor of the people” or “people’s champion.” He lived most of his adult life in the nearby city of Myra(which is nowhere near the North Pole!).

According to stories handed down over generations, his parents died when he was young and left him a considerable fortune. He used this vast wealth to secretly do good deeds, such as the time when he threw a bag of gold into the home of poor family to save the daughters from a destitute life on the streets. One version of this story suggests that the gold landed in a stocking hanging by the fireplace to dry, leading to our Christmas tradition of hanging stockings. Because of his ongoing and overwhelming generosity, Nikolas’s reputation for quietly and anonymously doing good eventually could no longer be kept a secret and he became revered by all those who knew him as someone deeply devoted to God—a fact manifest in his acts of service to others.

Original Publication Citation

The Surprising Christian Origins of Santa Claus, LDS Living, December 19, 2017.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2017

Publisher

LDS Living

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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