Santa Claus is based on St. Nikolas of Myra, who is the patron saint of orphans, banking, sailing, pawn broking, and New York City. Interestingly, the popular holiday song Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving in 1857. Decades later, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign. In more recent festive feats, the world’s largest gingerbread house, built to celebrate the holiday spirit, stretched 60 feet long and contained a staggering 35 million calories.

Happy holidays everyone!

Featured Image: Print of St Nicholas by Alexander Anderson commissioned by John Pintard (1810) – Source