Santa Claus

Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a traditional, secular imaginary figure of Christmas good cheer who is the best known (at least in modern times) mascot of Christmas, developed in the United States as an amalgam of the story of St. Nicholas and various other seasonal folk heroes, with many aspects provided by the classic poem A Visit From St. Nicholas. The Santa Claus myth is based largely on the Dutch holiday of "Sinterklaas" (a hastily pronounced "St. Nicholas", who comes down the chimney on the 5th/6th of December) and the imagery of the Saint in question carried over to his North Pole incarnation. (Note that in several countries in Europe, Sinterklaas and Santa Claus are considered two entirely different kinds of characters, each with their very own elaborate holiday as well).

The modern figure of Santa Claus is typically depicted as a portly, jolly, often spectacled, white-bearded man dressed in a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots; who carries a bag full of toys and gifts for children. He lives at the North Pole in a large workshop staffed by elves which produces toys year round, and every Christmas Eve he sets out in a flying sleigh pulled by at least eight reindeer, delivering toys and other gifts to the children and children-at-heart of the world out of the improbably large sack he carries with him, entering their houses by the chimney, filling their stockings, putting larger gifts under the tree, partaking of whatever food and drink the family left out for him (traditionally cookies and milk), then leaving how he came in.

Typically, after the children have fallen asleep, parents play the role of Santa Claus and leave their gifts under the Christmas tree. Tags on gifts for children are sometimes signed by their parents "From Santa Claus" before the gifts are laid beneath the tree.

Santa Claus appears in many Christmas specials and movies. His portrayal in them varies in many ways, as listed below.

Appearances in Idea Wiki

 * The Christmas Movie franchise (2023-), voiced by J.K. Simmons
 * Santa Claus is comin to town (live action remake), voiced by Ed Sheeran
 * The Santa Clause 4: The Krampus Clause, played by Tim Allen
 * Elves (2033 film), voiced by James Marsden
 * Zippy: A Zippy Little Christmas, voiced by Patrick Stewart
 * Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (Live Action Remake), played by Dan Stevens
 * Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, voiced by John Goodman
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Elves (2023 film), played by Todd Linsley