The Victorian Santa Christmas Decorations are 17 inches tall and the oval wood base is 10½ inches long and 7½ inches wide. The Victorian Santa With Gifts is wearing a medium plum, velvet Santa hat with a small gold bell on the end, a white fur cuff and a light plum and gold braid trim above the fur cuff. The Collectible Figurines have a matching long velvet coat with gold and plum braid trim down the front and around the cuffs, a white fur collar. Santa’s coat closes with a very ornate gold clasp with rhinestones over a gold lame vest with two beautiful gold buttons and ruffled gold lame cuffs. His pants are emerald green, crushed velvet with white fur trim above his black felt boots. The Special Santa has a long, soft, curly white beard with iridescent highlights. The Santa Figurine has an emerald green, crushed velvet pack, with gold trim, that is full of toys, gifts and a very nice violin. The Victorian Santa Christmas Decorations has a globe in his right hand and a book tucked under his right arm, his list of children and their gifts under his other arm and a small bear sitting in front of him reading a book.
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History of Santa Claus.
Santa Claus truly represents a veritable melting pot of cultures, beliefs and traditions. As immigrants arrived in the New World centuries ago, along with their hopes and dreams for a better future, they brought with them their beliefs and customs surrounding the holidays. The Germans brought their Belznickel and Christkindl, the Scandinavians their gift giving elves and the Dutch introduced their Sinterklaas, all representing the celebration of St. Nicholas.
The legend of Santa Claus is derived in part from the benevolent European figure St. Nicholas and in part from American writers who wrote children’s poems in the nineteenth century. Clement Moore who wrote “A Visit From St. Nicholas” in 1822 and Thomas Nast, the famed political cartoonist who depicted Santa Claus in the 1860’s as an elfin figure, contributed greatly to this fantasy. Their descriptions of the jolly man clad in red and white created the folk hero children around the world dream about on Christmas Eve. This American patron saint of children certainly brings joy and delight to all during the holidays.
The American legend of Santa Claus embodies childhood innocence and magical delight, as Santa Claus is the bearer of gifts and treats for children everywhere. With his home at the wintry North Pole, he and his merry elves created the toys that put the magic into the holidays. He was a kind and gentle figure and starry eyed children awaited his annual visit with spirited anticipation. On Christmas Eve, the eve of the birth of the Christ child, Santa Claus magically flew around the world in his sleigh, filled with toys and gifts and drawn by eight reindeer. Parents had their children hang their stockings by the fire, in hopes that Santa Claus would come. He stopped at each child’s home and slid down the chimney to leave special packages and surprises in their stockings. Wide eyed good girls and boys would discover wonderful gifts in their stockings, but bad boys and girls would only find a lump of coal.
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Legends of St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas and the Three Maidens.
One of the oldest and most popular of the legends of St. Nicholas tells how young Nicholas saved three sisters. The sisters had ass reached the age at which young women marry. Unfortunately, their father could not provide any of them with a dowry. When Nicholas found out he took a small bag of gold to the family’s house after it got dark and threw it in an open window. Some say he threw it down the chimney. The father gratefully seized the gold and used it to pay for the dowry of the eldest girl. Nicholas provided dowries for the second and third daughters I the same fashion. The third time Nicholas pulled this trick the girl’s father was waiting for him. When the bag of gold came flying into the house he ran outside, discovered Nicholas and thanked him for his generosity. Nicholas asked the man not to tell others of his good deed.
Some believe this legend gave rise to several Christmas season customs, including the tradition whereby St. Nicholas distributes gifts on his feast day. In addition, the custom of putting out shoes or hanging stockings by the fireplace to receive the saint’s and later Santa’s, gifts might also have been inspired by this story. This legend achieved such widespread fame and popularity that the three bags of gold became an emblem of the saint. Sometimes artists simplified their images of the saint by depicting the bags of gold as three gold balls.