This kindly looking Santa stands about 7 ½ inches high and is made of resin with a wintry landscape painted on his body. In the scene it is snowing with a small cottage next to a large tree with a forest in the background. The Resin Santas is holding in his right hand a tin Christmas tree with ornaments and a gold star on top. In his left hand is a green tin vine with a gold star on it and a lantern to help light the way to all the homes of children everywhere. Santa also has a red cap with gold trim and dark blue gloves on. Select this link to view our Collectible Santa Claus Gifts.
History of the Modern American Santa Claus.
Born in the United States of mixed ethnic and religious heritage, Santa Claus embodies the American ideal of the nation as a great melting pot of cultural identities. Santa Claus became an important folk figure in the second half of the nineteenth century, about the time when Americans were beginning to celebrate Christmas in large numbers. Santa Claus bears a good deal of resemblance to his closest relative, the old European gift bringer St. Nicholas. Indeed “St. Nick” serves as one of Santa’s nicknames. Many popular songs tell of his North Pole and Christmas Eve activities. Nearly every American child can tell you that Santa is a plump, old man with a white beard who wears a baggy red suit and cap trimmed with white fur. Many send letters to his North Pole workshop describing the gifts they would like to receive for Christmas. They eagerly await Christmas Eve, when he loads his sled with toys for good girls and boys and flies around the world, sliding down chimneys to place the presents under decorated Christmas trees. As if to confirm this Christmas fairy tale, men in Santa suits regularly appear on street corners, at office parties, and in department and toy stores around Christmas time. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
Old World Christmas 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 the Sinterklaas, all representing the celebration of St. Nicholas. 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.
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.
History of the Sleigh.
A sled is a vehicle that has parallel runners instead of wheels, so that it can move easily over snow or ice. In the Far North, where snow and ice cover the ground for many months of the year, sleds are the chief means of transportation People in parts of Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Territory travel on sleds pulled by huskies. Alaskan sleds are built to stand the roughest travel. The most common Alaskan sled is the Nome sledge, a long, narrow type with basketlike sides. A good team of dogs, hitched to a Nome sledge, can haul 1,000 pounds of cargo. The Nansen sled, made of wood and lashed with rawhide, is wider and lighter than the Nome sledge. A 30 pound Nansen sled can carry a 600 pound load. Sleighs called Troikas are used in Russia. They are drawn by horses or reindeer. In Lapland, reindeer pull sledges carrying heavy goods. In early times, people made sledges from logs tied together. The sledges were used to haul cargo over both snow and bare ground. Later, people found that the sled would move more easily and quickly if wooden slats, called runners, were fastened beneath the logs. Select this link to view our
