The idea of Santa Claus bringing presents, how did it start?
 

Most ideas start with one person. Who was that person? And what was the reason?

Did it ever occur to them that it was a lie and that they might be teaching their kids to tell lies? :)

What lie?

He is kidding, right?


He has NOT missed a year at our house in my whole 74 years.

You mean Santa Claus is real? Have you ever seen him?

I saw mommy kissing Sa.... Nevermind, you wouldn't believe me.

The older we get, the more real Santa becomes....:D

There was a great program on one of the History channels about the origins of the holiday.

I've included a link with some info offered on the History channel.....

Christmas — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts

Merry Christmas VPL.....;)

If I'm not mistaken, it began with the poem, "The Night Before Christmas". That had something to do with the Santa as we know him today.

St. Nicholas was the precursor to Santa Claus. Other countries have Father Christmas, Sinter Klaas, and Kris Kringle.

No reply to the second part of your post.

The merchants started it

Gary always believes Santa exists at our home. He does no wrapping, no shopping, no hiding of presents, in fact nothing, yet every Christmas eve he looks at the presents and says Santa must really exist! After he recovers from his concussion I hand him the bills. And the truth be told.

The tradition of associating gift giving with the Christmas season and that there is someone who clandestinely brings presents to children can be found in The Bible and in European history.

GIFTS

The Magi, also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, were in Christian tradition, a group of distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity celebrations of Christmas and are an important part of Christian tradition. The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.

The account can be found in the Bible in Matthew, Chapter 2. "In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

SANTA CLAUS

Now, regarding Santa Claus, the legend has its origins in Europe.

The modern figure of Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which, in turn, has part of its basis in tales concerning the historical figure of Christian bishop and gift-giver Saint Nicholas. He was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra (part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving,

Over time, traits of this character and the British folklore character Father Christmas merged to form the modern Santa Claus known today.

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You call it a lie. Most people consider it a harmless, charming tradition.

Are you expecting another lump of coal in your stocking this year?

If you seriously want answers to your question, begin by researching the historic 4th century christian named Nikolaos of Myra where today's Santa Clause had its origins. Also, I hardly think that keeping the spirit of Nikolaos of Myra alive through today's Santa Clause equates to teaching kids to lie! If it were, then you'd also have to consider that the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, cartoon characters, Grimm's Fairy Tales and virtually every literary work of fiction are also lies and can be used to teach children and adults alike to lie! :)

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Wait a minute! Are you saying there's no Mickey Mouse?