SANTA OR ST. NICHOLAS
St. Nicholas made his first appearance at the end of the 18th century. In 1804 woodcuts of Santa Claus were distributed at the New York Historical Society Annual Meeting. The unique engraving contained familiar scenes of Santa such as stockings hung on fireplace filled with toys.
In 1822 a man named Clark Moore who was an Episcopal minister wrote a poem called "An Account From a Visit from St. Nicholas" Moore's poem shaped the image of Santa Claus further as we see him today. He Was Described as a jolly heavy man with a pot belly that had the ability to fly in a sleigh and go down chimneys. This further created a popular American icon.
In 1881 a political cartoonist named Thomas Nast created a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted Santa as A rotund, cheerful man with A white beard who had a sack of toys for lucky children. He had A bright red suit trimmed with white, and lived in the North pole.
In 1841 for the first time thousands of children visited a Philadelphia shop to visit with Santa Claus. It was only a matter of time before other stores lured customers in with the ads for a visit with a live Santa Claus. In the 1890's the Salvation Army sent men dressed as Santa Claus into the street to raise money forthe free Christmas meals they served to the poor. They have Santa's ringing bells on street corner today to raise money for the poor.
