Crinkle Claus Collectible Santa Figurine.

Our Crinkle Claus Collectible Santa Figurine is 3 inches tall. This Collectible Figurine is part of the Possible Dreams, Ltd Crinkle Claus Collection. The Crinkle Claus Figurine is holding a small fawn with a sprig of fruit between his horns and a chain of fruit around his neck. The Crinkle Claus Santa Figurine is wearing an elaborate costume consisting of a chocolate brown robe with blue flowers and tied at the waist with a chocolate brown cord with red tassels. The hem of Santa�s robe is trimmed with fruit, pine cones and leaves. The cuffs of Santa�s sleeves and his collar are trimmed with fur. The Crinkle Claus Collectible Santa Figurine has sprigs of fruit in his hair.
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History of Reindeer.
The reindeer is a deer of northern Europe and Asia which is closely related to the North American caribou. It can be tamed and has become one of man�s most valuable possessions in the arctic regions. Reindeer and caribou differ from other members of the deer family by having large, deeply cleft hoofs, a hairy muzzle and somewhat broader antlers, borne by both male and female. Reindeer stand about three and a half feet high and weigh about three hundred pounds. They are smaller and have shorter legs than the caribou. This has probably come about by selection over the centuries as the owners sought to get an animal that could be managed. The wild caribou is too big and strong, as well as too obstinate to be tamed successfully.
If it were not for the reindeer, the people of Lapland would have no means of transportation in their cold and barren country. These animals can draw their sledges over the snow at the rate of twelve to fifteen miles an hour. Reindeer have endurance as well as swiftness, for they can travel with a load of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds for hours at a time. To the lowland Laplanders, the reindeer is horse, sheep and cow, all in one. The animals furnish the people with shelter. In the summer, reindeer meat is cured and great quantities of cheese are made from the surplus milk and stored for use through the long winter. Many of the animals run wild, but are lured into traps by the use of trained decoy reindeer. They are given ownership marks by cutting or biting out notches from the ears and are then trained. They wander about near their owner�s home and fond their food under the snow.
In order to provide a reliable source of food for the Eskimo of western Alaska, the United States Office of Education imported 1,280 reindeer from Siberia between 1892 and 1902. More than a million reindeer descended from these animals are now distributed from Point Barrow to Kodiak Island. In 1935 the Canadian Government established a large herd of reindeer near the mouth of the Mackenzie River in Yukon Territory for the benefit of the Eskimo of that region.
Because the herds increase every year by about 20 percent, a surplus of animals is available even after the needs of the natives have been satisfied. Reindeer hides are used in making clothing and sleeping bags. The strong flavored meat is jerked, smoked and sometimes canned.
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The Life of St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor, a region that later became the nation of Turkey. Most scholars believe he was born around 280 AD and died around 343. He pursued a religious career and eventually became bishop of Myra, a town in Asia Minor now called Demre. Some believe that he attended the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. This important meeting of the leaders of the early Christian Church produced the Nicene Creed, a fundamental statement of the Christian faith. Other researchers point out that his name does not appear on the roster of those in attendance until the Middle Ages, when his cult was at the height of its popularity. Although next to nothing is known for certain about the saint�s life, many legends credit him with miraculous deeds.
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St. Nicholas Day.
During the Middle Ages St. Nicholas was one of the most venerated saints in western Europe. Although his popularity has since declined, his feast day, December 6, is still celebrated in the Netherlands and other European countries. Immigrants brought the legends and customs surrounding St. Nicholas with them to the United States. There the saint was transformed into the American Christmas season gift bringer called Santa Claus.