This green Santa Door Stop is about 11 inches tall. He has a green Santa hat with a bell on the tip of it and a green body with short arms hanging by his side. On his body is a red cardinal done in red sequins sitting on a holly vine which is also done in sequins. This Santa has a very kindly face with a big fuzzy beard and fuzzy hair. The beard and hair are white string with shiny cellophane woven into the string. This Santa can be used to welcome guests into a room or house by keeping the door open or as part of a centerpiece decoration, either way he is sure to please. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
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. Select this link to view our Unique Christmas Gifts.
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. Select this link to view our Santa Figurines.
History of Christmas Wrap.
Though most Christmas presents today are wrapped, this was not always the case. In the 19th century, gifts were placed under the tree, hung on its branches or placed in piles on the table. The children of the house would be kept out of the room in which the tree was being decorated on Christmas Eve and when allowed to enter they would see the tree and unadorned presents for the first time. In Scandinavia, gifts were thrown into the house after an anonymous person knocked at the door. It was not until late in the century that wrapping became common. Select this link to view our Santa Claus Gifts.
Why then wrap the gift? A very simple explanation is that some cultures set the tree up earlier than Christmas Eve and placed presents under the tree that had been sent from other family members. An unwrapped gift on Christmas morning meant Santa Claus had dropped it off in the night. Hiding the gift also heightens the pleasure by prolonging the moment of revelation and perhaps disguising the contents. In many places, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, it is considered good fun to disguise a gift with deceptive wrapping or by placing it in an unlikely spot. In Victorian England, this trick was called a Yule Trap. Another reason for wrapping a gift in colorful paper is that it transforms a commercial, mass market product into a personal real. Select this link to view our Santa Ornaments.