‘Twas the night before Christmas

By 864 • December 24th, 2009

santa ‘Tis the season to be jolly. Santa Claus is a ubiquitous character during the holiday season. He is also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, or Father Christmas. Nicholas of Myra is thought to be the primary inspiration for the idea of Santa Claus. A Greek Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia (in modern day Turkey), Nicholas is known for his generous gifts to the poor.

Traditions such as visiting Santa Claus and writing him letters continue today. Since 1982, over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to respond to children’s letters sent to the address — Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H0H0. There are even websites created to track Santa’s whereabouts around the globe. The NORAD Santa Tracker is one such site.

A famous letter written by a little girl in 1897 asks the perennial question of the holiday season. How will you respond?

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon (The New York Sun, 1897)