9 Inch old world style Santa Claus figurine made with poly resin and painted in an old world matte finish.
Santa Claus is dressed in a gold trimmed burgundy Santa suit and Santa hat. Santa Claus holds a red bird in one hand and is caring a Christmas bag filled with Christmas toys. A teddy bear with a red scarf, a Christmas tree, a candy cane, a basketball, and a wrapped Christmas gift are in Santa Claus’s bag. This Santa Claus is well detailed and will make a great gift or addition to any Christmas decoration in the home.
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.