The arrival of a jolly old man is big part of Christmas for children. Little ones will leave cookies by the fireplace and perhaps even sprinkle some reindeer food across the front lawn. And best of all, they will come up with a few special gifts they hope will be delivered for them, wrapped up in a beautiful bow under the Christmas tree. Curious little ones always have a million questions about the special visitor behind all of the holiday magic. Here is a list of facts about Santa Claus to share with inquisitive children.
Everything Kids Want to Know About Santa Claus
Children want to know everything about the life of Santa Claus, like about where he lives, whether he has children, and how he spends his time during the rest of the year when he's not busy delivering Christmas presents. The inquiries begin from the time toddlers are introduced to Santa through stories. Parents can be caught off-guard with the bombardment of inquiries from little ones eager to learn everything possible about the mysterious stranger who slides down chimneys around the world. Here are all the answers to questions kids ask about Santa Claus.
Santa Claus Does Not Have Children of His Own
Santa and Mrs. Claus Never Had Kids
Santa is married to Mrs. Claus and they have lived together happily for hundreds of years in the North Pole. The generous couple devotes all of their time to children all over the world, working hard to make sure each and every one has a very special Christmas. This does not leave them any time to care for their own offspring. Fortunately, they are always surrounded by a biggroup of energetic elves who keep them entertained and fill their home with lots of laughter.
Their nine reindeer are like surrogate children.
Teaching toddlers the names of all the reindeer can be tough, but singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the way most little ones learn. Their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and last but not least, Rudolph. These frisky animals keeps the Claus's busy all year long, so they wouldn't have time to care for their own kids anyway!
What Santa Eats Depends on the Country
When the jolly man visits the United States, his favorite snack is cookies along with a cold glass of milk.
It's no wonder Santa Claus has such a big belly. With kids all over the world leaving out a plate of cookies on Christmas Eve, Santa is tempted to eat them all. Sometimes he gobbles up every one, leaving just a few crumbs on the plate. But if he has had his fill, he may only take a nibble. Toddlers will kick a good giggle out of seeing just a bite out of a cookie, which probably means Santa has been to thousands of homes already.
He is served adult beverages in other countries.
When Santa visits children in the United Kingdom, he is often served mince pie with a glass of sherry. His rounds in Ireland are fueled by a heft serving of pudding and tall, cold glass of Guinness. A pit stop in Chile is well worth lots of fruitcake flavored with rum. The folks in Sweden keep him caffeinated with coffee, France keeps his belly full with biscuits, and Ireland is generous with the beer.
Santa Claus Has a lot of Different Names
He is sometimes referred to as Kris Kringle in the United States.
The overwhelmingly popular name for the jolly fellow in the United States is Santa Claus. Although you will sometimes hear people refer to him as Kris Kringle as well. Even though the man is one and the same around the world, his namesake varies depending on the region or country.
Europeans call him a variety of names.
For instance, in the United Kingdom, the folks refer to him as Father Christmas. In Germany, the term Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man) is most common. The French people call him Père Noël, which means Papa Noel. People in Poland consistently call the fellow St. Nicholas, or Święty Mikołaj.
Santa Has Not Always Worn Red Clothing
Historians have noted a variety of robe colors worn by St. Nicholas.
Santa Claus's favorite color has not always been red. Throughout history, he has been seen wearing suits in a wide variety of colors like tan, green, brown and blue. Historians have noted St. Nicholas had also been previously portrayed wearing long red robes
The Coca-Cola Company is credited for his distinctive red outfit.
In the 1930s, one of the biggest brands in the world, brilliantly included Santa in its advertisements wearing an outfit that matched the company colors- red and white. The famous advertising campaign aimed to encourage people to drink Coca Cola during the winter months, so the artist matched Santa's clothing with the company logo. It wasn't until Coca Cola ran their campaign that red became the one and only choice for Santa's suit.
Letters to Santa Never Arrive at the North Pole
Santa is too busy to respond to all the notes from children.
As much as he would like to read and respond to every letter, there is simply not enough time. The jolly man is busy overseeing the production of toys all year long and there is not room in his schedule to write back to all the children.
Operation Santa allows postmasters to respond on his behalf.
In the early 20th century, a program called Operation Santa was established by the US Post Office where postmasters were granted permission to write back to the kids. The initiative began in a small post office in a town called Santa Claus, Indiana and eventually spread to 15 regional post offices across the United States. Kids can even email Santa but handwritten notes are still the most popular.
Santa Claus is Very Old
Parents often tell their kids he is between 70 and 80 years old.
If little ones are curious about the exact age of Santa, parents may want to bend the truth a bit. It's probably best to respond with an answer that matches his physical appearance- perhaps somewhere in his mid 70s.
Historians indicate his true age to be 1,800 years old.
But to be more exact, turn to folklore for the real number. For example, Father Christmas appeared in English folklore in 1435, making him close to 600 years old. Historians have traced the feast of Sinterklaas to the Middle Ages, which would likely make him more than 1,500 years of age. Another common theory is that a monk from modern-day Turkey who lived in 280 A.D. was the original version of Santa Claus. This man, who gave away all his wealth to the poor and traveled far and wide to help those in need, would be close to 1,800 years old today.
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