This was in an article in 'The Week':

'The direct ancestor of Father Christmas is probably Druidic - a certain pagan spirit regularly appeared in medieval mummers' plays wearing long robes with holly sprigs in his long white hair. The pagan origins of Father Christmas were sanitised with the introduction of the cult of St Nicholas (270-310 AD)- a bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey renowned for his kindness to children … The anniversary of St Nicholas's death on 6 December became a day to exchange gifts and his legend helped provide a Christian justification for the essentially pagan tradition of gift-giving at Christmas.

It was the Dutch who corrupted the name St Nicholas to Sinterklaas, which English-speaking populations in the New World adapted to Santa Claus. In his earlier incarnations Santa Claus was often shown as tall and thin, given to wearing a variety of colours and accompanied by an angel. Then in 1931 Coca-Cola hired the Swedish artist Haddon Sundblom to design a Christmas ad campaign. Sundblom had the brilliant idea of redesigning Santa in Coca-Cola's corporate red and white colours. He chose a retired Coca-Cola salesman - plump and bearded - to be his model for the campaign, and the modern Santa was born.'

Santa is a Coca Cola advertisement! It's only because of globalisation that we see him in his present form.

That's about the saddest thing I ever heard!

I think they're talking about the modern perception of the guy...you know, fat, jolly, white, bearded, red suit and all that.

Coke adopted the idea of Santa Clause from somewhere and used him to promote the company.They didn't create him.

actually ... In my American studies class we watched this documentry which was the history of Christmas (it was taped from the History Channel).
Anyway, I don't think it was coca-cola who designed present day Santa Claus. I think alot of things factored in to making Santa claus like "The Night Before Christmas" and other various stories/traditions. And I think it was political cartoonist Thomas Nast who first drew the rounded and white bearded now-a-days Santa. (He was also the man who used the Donkey and the Elephant to symbolize a certain group in his political cartoons).

(It was either him, or the History channel lied to us because it wasn't endursed by Coke )

It's not so much the effect of globalization as it is the effect of advertising making it's way into the culture.

But in the end, it's not that sinister. When you look at Santa Claus do you really ever think of Coke?

I'd also question the validity of the idea that Santa's colors and build were invented by Coke, the ideas were around a lot earlier than '31, if anything they were only popularized.

Of course I'm not debating the existance of Santa Claus, I know he doesn't exist. That has nothing to do with the point I'm making. I just thought people might find it an interesting read. It's also an example of the effects of globalization so that even this mythical figure has come to be pictured in the colours of coca-cola, and will probably now be seen that way forever.

Whetever, I guess nobody else finds this as interesting/ironic as I do. I just find the power of brands and advertising these days intriguing. I bet if human beings ever colonize a new planet, the first thing they'll do is build a MacDonalds.

Bex

It's true. It doesn't matter who made up Santa Claus a.k.a Sinter Klaas, everyone over the age of seven knows he's not real. I for a fact that he's non-existent, but other people do not.
When I was visiting in South Jersey there was a guy on the radio saying how he did not believe in Santa Claus, but something happened and that he had actual proof that there was a Santa Claus, needless to say, he was lying, and it was just his FAT 80 year old uncle in a red suit and black boots.

Make more NOISE!

What does it matter who made him up? He's make believe either way.

Oh well. The world changes, you know. I think Santa Claus is cute. I don't WANT a tall, thin St. Nicholas.