What is Santa Claus?
{{Infobox person | image = Merry Old Santa Claus by Thomas Nast.jpg | caption = 1863 illustration by [[Thomas Nast]] | other_names = Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle | spouse = Mrs. Claus }} [[File:20121123 SantaClaus-Chicago.JPG|thumb|Santa, as he is typically shown]] '''Santa Claus''', also called '''Father Christmas''', '''Saint Nick''', '''Saint Nicholas''', '''Kris Kringle''', or '''Santa''', is a [[magic]]al being from [[Legend|legends]] and [[folklore]] who is said to bring [[Gift|gifts]] to children on [[Christmas Eve]]. He is usually depicted as a fat, happy man with a white beard who wears a red suit with white trim. He is said to live in his [[workshop]] at the [[North Pole]] with his wife [[Mrs. Claus]], Christmas [[Elf|elves]] who make the gifts for the kids, and flying [[reindeer]] who pull his [[Sled|sleigh]] through the sky, which is how he travels the world. [[File:MerryOldSanta.jpg|thumb|1881 illustration by [[Thomas Nast]] who, along with [[Clement Clarke Moore]]'s poem ''[[A Visit from St. Nicholas]]'', helped to create the modern image of Santa]] [[File:Jolly-old-saint-nick.gif|thumb|A classic [[United States|American]] image of Santa]] ==Santa Claus' home== [[File:Giantsanta.JPG|thumb|left|Santa Claus House in [[North Pole, Alaska]]]] In the Nordic version, Santa is said to live in a small hill called Korvatunturi in [[Lapland]], [[Finland]]. There is a theme park in [[Rovaniemi]], which is near Korvatunturi, called Santa Claus Village. The saint who inspired the legend of [[Sinterklaas]] (and thus, Santa Claus) is [[Saint Nicholas]], who lived in the [[4th century|4th Century]] AD and had a reputation for secret gift-giving, especially to the poor and needy, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/522799/Santa-Claus|title=Santa Claus|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=2010-12-25}}</ref> He lives at the top of the wo