Santa Claus is depicted as a good-hearted man with a round belly and snow-white beard. He hands out Christmas gifts to children on the night prior Christmas.

Santa Claus is also widely popular as St. Nicholas. Santa Claus is credited to live at North Pole. Santa Claus can be always found in his traditional costume. His outfit is red in color embellished with white cotton.
Some ideas to make Santa Claus costume.

•    Use glue to position cotton balls on the red outfit of Santa. Put plenty of balls to get the look of white fur on the cuffs of the arms and the legs.

•    On the bottom edge of the stocking cap place much white cotton tying a tassel ball of cotton at the tip of the cap.

•    You are free to use stuff pillows to get Santa’s belly.

•    The material of Santa’s attire may vary.

•    You are at the liberty to use your own creativity and imagination.

•     The closet of Santa should be full of toys and other materials for getting a complete display.

Santa Claus first appeared when the Dutch settlers came to Manhattan on Christmas day in the year1624. In Holland, Sinterklaas is dressed up in a red robe and rides a white horse. Santa carries a bag of presents to fill the kids’ stockings.

Dutch-American Saint Nick got his Americanized structure in 1823 in the poem under the name of ‘A Visit from Saint Nicholas’ generally known as ‘The Night before Christmas’ written by Clement Clarke Moore.

The poems contain the names of the reindeer; Santa Claus’s laughs, winks, nods; and the way by which Saint Nicholas comes back home up the chimney.

Santa as we know him at present days appeared after the 1800s. Writers and painters displayed a lively joyous fellow, small in stature with a giving soul.

That is the fellow who on Christmas Eve rides a wonderful sleigh with eight reindeer. He rides his sleigh over the tops of the trees and above roofs. The kids who were obedient during the whole year receive their presents through chimneys.

In reality, St. Nicholas is supporter of the poor and patron saint of kids. He represents a good example of how Christians should live. Families, churches, and schools follow true St Nicholas customs in order to claim the significance of Christmas the birth of Christ.

When we think of Santa Claus an old man in red and white costume emerges in front of us. He is responsible for filling the kids’ stockings with Splendid Christmas presents.

The custom differs in the USA Santa Claus reminds of the one made by Muskegon native Haddon H. Sundblom. For the Christmas advertisements of the Coca Cola Company he utilized to draw new illustrations almost every year from 1931-1964. Sundblom’s image of Coca Cola Santa Claus was demonstrated on billboards along with the back covers of magazines.

Haddon Hubbard Sundblom was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on June 22, 1899. He was the youngest of the nine brothers and sisters. Being an artist he painted ads for Ford, Lincoln, Pierce-Arrow and Marmon. The style of Coco Cola Santa Claus advertising begun by him was gone on for more than thirty years.

That time Santa Claus was displayed as a gnome wearing clothes of green, blue, white or red color. While making an image of Santa Claus for Coca Cola Sundblom remembered Clement Moore’s poem “It was the night before Christmas”. According to Moore, Santa had a broad face along with a round little belly. He was chubby and plump with a good mood and outstanding laugh.

Santa Claus’s red-and-white costume coincided with the same colors of the Coca-Cola logo. Sundblom’s Coco Cola Santa Claus was dressed up in a wide, tan leather belt with a brass buckle. He wore tan boots with a folded leather cuff. An outstanding feature in this Santa’s look was his black eye brows and white beard.

The history of Santa Claus runs about the past history of the world’s merriest man whose aim is handing gifts to kids on the Christmas Eve.

Santa Claus is a non-fictional hero; it is famous by such names as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or just Santa.

Americans call him Santa Claus. Long-long ago in Turkey there lived a bishop named Saint Nicholas. The bishop was very wealthy and generous. He had a shelter for poor kids and adored to make them happy. He handed out presents to poor children.

After his passing he was canonized as a saint. He was considered to be the patron of kids and seafarers. In Netherlands he got the name of Sinter Nikolass which was shortened to Sinter Klaas. When the Dutch people moved into America the name changed to “Santa Claus”.

Saint Nicholas followed the custom of remaining present in the shoes of good –behaving children. Whatever the history may be we keep in mind Santa Claus as a fat jovial person with a white beard who is considered to be the jolliest person throughout the world.

You can use a paper plate or white construction paper, but also you will need markers, paper, yarn, cotton balls and glue. If you want to make the mask with the paper plate, the first thing you have to do is to hold it up to your face and if you can not alone, ask somebody else to help you and mark dots where your eyes are.

Then with scissors cut out small holes so you can see out of the mask. On the back side of the paper plate draw Santa Clauses’ nose and mouth. If you want you can cut out the mouth too. Use black marker to give more realistic look to the eyes’ holes and red one to draw the mouth. Make two small holes on each side on the edge of the paper plate. Cut as long piece of yarn as you can hold the mask on your face. To make the Santa Clause’s beard, hear and mustaches use the small cotton balls. Glue them around the edges of the mask and let the glue dry completely before using it.

It may take longer time to make Santa Clause mask from construction paper. If you want to try, you will have to draw Santa’s face on the paper. It should be around 30 cm wide and around 55 cm long. But to be sure that it will fit your face measure with a ruler your face and make the mask in the same size. Then cut it out. Hold it up on your face and mark dots where our eyes are.

Cut small holes, do the same on your mouth or if you prefer you can only mark it and then paint it. Draw Santa’s nose and glue cotton balls on the edges of the mask to make hair, beard and mustaches. If you want your mask to look more real when you cut it out of the construction paper you can paint it in color similar to the skin’s color. But then you have to leave it for enough long time to dry completely.

Do you know who Santa Claus is ?
He is one of the most popular persons in the world. He is also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas or simply Santa. He is historical and mythological character who we associate with bringing gifts on Christmas Eve.

He was a Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, now in Turkey born in very rich family. He was famous for generous gifts to the poor people and especially to the kids. Some legends say that he dropped the kids presents through the chimney. But he was much more capable then that. By the power of God he could bring dead people back to life, he could save sailor’s lives in storms. He did only good deeds. Nicholas died in December and probably this is the main reason to associate him as Santa Claus. This is the story how St Nicholas became popular as Santa Claus in Europe. Dutch sailors spread his story in USA. They called him “Sinte rklaas” and translated into English it is the famous Santa Clause.

The image of Santa Claus as a maker of children toy was elaborated by Thomas Nast. But when in 1930 Coca Cola used his image in their advertisement for first time they performed him as a round, big, joyous, red-cheeked old gentleman, famous all around the world as the person who brings gifts at Christmas-exactly like we know him today. He lives on the North Pole with his wife, reindeers and elves. They help him to determine wither the kids who wrote him were good or bad, to help him prepare millions of presents to fulfill  their  wishes. At Christmas Eve he wears his famous red suit, put all the toys in his sleigh and nine reindeer pull it. The red nose of Rudolph tells him the right direction.