How Santa Got His Name
No TagsSo much of our Christmas celebration centers around Santa Claus. Everywhere we turn there are children’s books, Christmas tree ornaments, toys and gifts, and Santa 
Claus Christmas Cards featuring this magical figure. With all this star status, it is interesting to discover how he came to be known in this country as Santa Claus.
Saint Nicholas (270-345/352 A.D.) was a respected and well loved bishop of The Orthodox Church in the area of the world now known as Turkey. He was a man who was known for his love for God and his generosity to the poor. Over the years, his name was translated into many other languages. In the Netherlands he was Sinter Nicholas, which eventually was shortened to Sinterklaas. Dutch settlers brought their tradition of Sinterklaas to America, where he became Santa Claus to English speaking 
residents.
Regardless of what he is called, Santa Claus is a symbol of giving at Christmas time. Francis P. Church’s editorial reply, in the New York Sun in 1898, to the question of a young girl states, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
At CardsDirect we could not agree more. Santa Claus Christmas Cards are designed to celebrate this spirit of generous giving. Some of them like The Saint Nick Christmas Card show a more traditional old-fashioned Saint Nicholas. Others feature the more familiar jolly Santa Claus, as in The Magic of Christmas Santa Card. All of them portray the joy of the holiday.
