Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or Santa, is a legendary character originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve of toys and candy or coal or nothing, depending on whether they are “naughty or nice”. With the aid of Christmas elves, he makes toys in his workshop at the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, flying reindeer pull his sleigh through the sky.

This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.

Caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast, German-American cartoonist, (1840-1902), began drawing an image of Santa each year, beginning in 1863, that was based on 1823 poem. By the 1880s, Nast’s Santa was the most popular and by the 1920s, was the most used in advertising.

In 1931, Coca Cola employed illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, to create a happier image of Santa. He created a new advertisement each year and from then on, Santa was depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, red hat with white fur, black leather belt and boots, and carrying a bag full of gifts for children and with a laugh that sounds like “ho ho ho”.