Folklore of the United States
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or simply "Santa", is a figure with legendary, mythical, historical and folkloric origins. The modern figure of Santa Claus was derived from the Dutch figure, Sinterklaas, which may, in turn, have its origins in the hagiographical tales concerning the Christian Saint Nicholas. "A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. The poem, which has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American", is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, as well as the tradition that he brings toys to children. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus from the United States to the rest of the English-speaking world and beyond. "Is There a Santa Claus?" was the title of an editorial appearing in the September 21, 1897, edition of The (New York) Sun. The editorial, which included the famous reply "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", has become a part of popular Christmas folklore in the United States and Canada.
List of recurring South Park characters
Santa Claus (voiced by Trey Parker) lives at the North Pole in his Fortress of Solitude, aided two months out of the year by the Underpants Gnomes. Santa is often shown with "South Park's" other Christmas-related characters, Mr. Hankey and Jesus. His relationship with the latter has been rocky. In the animated short, "The Spirit of Christmas", Jesus and Santa had a fight to determine what the true meaning of Christmas was—giving or Jesus' birth. With some advice from Brian Boitano, the boys told Jesus that Santa keeps the spirit of Christmas alive, and then told Santa that if it wasn't for Jesus there would be no Christmas at all. The two reconciled, though they would later fight again in "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics", when Santa felt unhappy that there are more Jesus-related Christmas songs than ones about him. Nevertheless, they made up again, and Jesus later lost his life to save Santa from Iraqis in "Red Sleigh Down". To commemorate his good friend, Santa declares that in every Christmas, everyone should remember Jesus.