Each holiday season, Santa Claus returns as a familiar and comforting presence, bringing with him a sense of warmth, nostalgia, and shared tradition.
Long before shopping malls and modern decorations, the figure of Santa emerged from centuries of storytelling, evolving into one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas around the world.
Known by many names, including Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Saint Nick, and Kris Kringle, Santa traces his origins to a fourth-century Greek Christian bishop celebrated for his generosity toward the poor and his secret gift-giving.
A man in Santa Claus costume sleeping on a bench, circa 1940
Over time, this historical figure blended with European folklore, particularly the English tradition of Father Christmas, eventually merging into the single character recognized today.
The modern image of Santa Claus took shape largely in the United States during the nineteenth century. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam, present-day New York City, where it gradually entered American culture.
An important moment came in 1823 with the publication of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which described Santa arriving on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. This portrayal helped define many enduring details, from Santa’s nocturnal visits to his cheerful, generous spirit.
A man dressed as Father Christmas shaking hands with a soldier, 1940
As the image spread through books, songs, radio, film, and later television, Santa became firmly tied to Christmas celebrations and family traditions.
He was increasingly depicted as a jolly, white-bearded man with a round figure, dressed in a red suit trimmed with white fur, carrying a sack of gifts and greeting the world with a booming “ho, ho, ho.”
These visual elements became standardized through illustrations, advertising, and popular media.
Trainees at a school for Santa Claus impersonators, 1940
Vintage photographs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reveal how people of the past interpreted this evolving character.
Some images show Santa as a humble craftsman, personally making toys in a small workshop, while later depictions introduced the idea of elves working alongside him.
Though the details shifted, the emphasis on handmade gifts and personal care remained central to his story.
Father Christmas in wartime London, 1940
Santa’s association with kindness extended beyond fiction and into real-world charity.
Organizations such as the Salvation Army helped cement his role as a symbol of generosity, with volunteers dressed as Santa becoming a familiar sight during holiday fundraising efforts.
In 1937, professional Santa performer Charles W. Howard founded the Charles W. Howard Santa School, formalizing the role and setting standards for portraying the character in public appearances.
A 45-foot Santa Claus inflated for the Macy’s Parade, New York, 1940. (Weegee)
Over time, Santa Claus came to represent more than a seasonal figure. He emerged as a rare cultural icon centered on peace, joy, and selfless giving, free from aggression or division.
Santa has been described as a positive male cultural icon:
Santa is really the only cultural icon we have who’s male, does not carry a gun, and is all about peace, joy, giving, and caring for other people.
That’s part of the magic for me, especially in a culture where we’ve become so commercialized and hooked into manufactured icons.
Santa is much more organic, integral, connected to the past, and therefore connected to the future.
Santa Claus handing out gifts during World War II, 1942. (David E. Scherman)
Group of Santa Claus mascots inside the Macy’s department store, 1948. (Nina Leen)
A bus driver shaking hands with Father Christmas passing by on his scooter, London, 1949. (Reg Speller)
Glenn Ford dressed as Santa Claus in the film ‘Mr. Soft Touch,’ 1949.
A sponsored Santa Claus searching for a chimney on the rooftop, Rye, Sussex, 1950.
Santa Claus gets a traffic ticket, Maywood, California, 1952.
Santa Claus held up by a group of boys armed with toy guns, London, 1954.
Lucille Ball and fellow cast members during the ‘I Love Lucy Christmas Special,’ 1956.
Group of Santa Clauses crossing the street, 1959.
Santa Claus flanked by two policemen down the street, 1959.
Salvador Dali in Santa outfit, 1961.
Santa Claus rally in New York, 1961.
Debbie Reynolds arrived at the Golden Apple Awards in Los Angeles dressed as Santa Claus, 1969.
A saddened Father Christmas at David Morgan’s store in Cardiff, 1973.
A woman glance at a surly looking Santa in a busy shopping street, 1975.
Santa Claus brings a sack full of toys down a chimney on a snowy rooftop, 1925.
A woman casts a sceptical glance at a rather surly looking man dressed as Santa in a busy shopping street, 1971.
The Father Christmasses are marching across the street, 1969.
Father Christmas visiting a ward in New Yorks Orthopaedic Hospital, 1950.
A young girl finds Father Christmas asleep at Bourne And Hollingsworth store in Oxford street, London, 1976.
Even Father Christmas follows the war time safety precautions as he arrives this year, complete with tin helmet, at Londons famous Brompton road store, Harrods, 1939.
Three year old Marianne Abbott from Leigh on Sea, Essex, unwraps her Christmas presents under the benign gaze of Smokey the dog, dressed up as Santa, complete with beard, 1974.
Father Christmas waiting for a bus in the London West End with his reindeer and a sack of presents, 1970.
A pair of five year old twins tell Father Christmas what they want for their presents at Selfidges in Oxford Street, 1970.
Santa Claus welcomes young visitors to his North Pole Workshop in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, 1955.
W. MacDonald Bailey as Father Christmas at a childrens party, 1951.
These Vintage Photographs From a Santa Claus School in 1961 Reveal Some of the Secrets of Being a Good Santa
In 1961, LIFE’s Alfred Eisenstaedt visited Howard’s school for would-be Santas, and made a series of photos chronicling the evidently quite fun process of learning to be all the Santa Claus one can be.
Santa Claus school, 1961.
Santa Claus school, 1961.
John Ray holds the diploma naming him a Santa’s helper. Next year he can work for B.S.C. degree. To get it he will have to present recommendations from customers and write 1,500-word thesis.
(Photo credit: Vintage Santa via Flickr / Wikimedia Commons / Pinterest).