Smithsonian Channel Documentaries

In Search of Santa Claus (2011x15)

Air date: Dec 06, 2011

Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus - From Armenia (Gaghant Baba) to China (Dun Che Lao Ren), India (Ganesha) and Yugoslavia (Deda Mraz), this beloved and iconic symbol of holiday cheer is known by dozens of names. But who was he? Was he the 4th-century miracle worker Bishop Nicholas of Myra in modern day Turkey? Or the 6th-century Abbot Nicholas of Zion? Did these Middle Eastern holy men become the jolly old Saint Nick of popular lore? Is our modern-day image of Santa the brain child of Civil War-era cartoonist Thomas Nast, looking to comfort weary soldiers during the holidays - and of savvy Coca Cola ad men who adopted the image 50 years later?