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Santa FigurinesSanta Figurines and the Americanization of St. Nick was inspired largely by the poem
” A Visit from St Nicholas” penned in the early 1800’s.
Santa figurines received some of their inspirational touch from a Dutch legend named Sinter Klass or Sint Klaas brought from Holland with the immigrants to (New Amsterdam) New York. Eventually a sum total of all the versions, traditions and celebrations have in fact created the motivational basis for all the modern day Santa figurines.
Santa figurines in today’s bountiful marketplace are indeed representative of nearly every origin, including The Dutch, German, English, and the Scandinavians, in their traditions of all Christian and Pre-Christian Pagan rites of Northern Europe and the traditional Pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia.
Figurines of America’s Santa or; Jultomten in Sweden, Kerstman in the Netherlands, Papa Noel in Spain, Brazil and Peru, Pere Noel in France, La Befana in Italy, Joulupukki in Finland, Father Frost in Russia and Shengdan Laoren in China all carry the same hope but just different customs.
Some figurines picture a Saint named Nicholas of Myra who lived in the 4th century, somewhere in what is now modern day Turkey. He continues to be a model for the compassionate life of only good deeds.
The name “St .A Claus “first appeared in the American Press as early as 1773. The earliest detailed information to create figurines of St. Nick came in the “History of New York”, by Washington Irving in 1809. Figurines of the Dutch-American Saint Nickolas as we know him today came in the form of a poem, starting “Twas the night before Christmas”.
The description goes something like this; Santa’s long white beard, flushed glowing red nose and cheeks, sparkling eyes, round belly, wearing a red suit trimmed in white fur, a pompom-topped cap and black boots, smoking an old clay pipe with a euphoric laugh of “ho ho ho”. With this information any good artist could fashion a strikingly picturesque figurine of Santa.
The Reindeer; Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Doner and Blitzen however didn’t get any portrayal, but we have artistically creative beautiful reindeer figurines none the less.
Thomas Nast a newspaper artist was the first person to paint a portrait of modern day Santa in 1870. From the 1860’s to the 1880’s while working for Harper’s magazine Nast added the “Good and Bad list” and “Santa’s North Pole Workshop” establishing Santa and the elves as toymakers, and producing an abundance of new figurines.
Veteran newsman Francis P. Church in 1897 has verified the existence of Santa with a newspaper editorial: “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Clause”.
Another story from 1925 is that Santa’s Work shop with the busy group of elves and the Reindeer actually live in the Finish Lapland, since the reindeer could not possibly graze at the North Pole.
Introduced in 1931 the legend of Santa’s toy shop workers are elves by illustrations of Coca-Cola billboards and a whole new series of figurines. An advertising writer for Montgomery Ward Company invented the ninth reindeer, “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer” in 1939. Rudolph was made especially popular by country music singer Gene Autry in 1949 with a classic hit by the same name generating one of the most popular figurines of today.
As a fun fact: with all the different time zones around the world Santa has a total of 31 hours to complete his rounds.
To add to your ideas for everyone, look for a gift that will be loved and passed down through the generations. Look at today’s varied and memorable Santa figurines. Happy Holidays!
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