How Did Santa Claus Become Part of Christmas?
You’ll find answers to these questions and many more by browsing the websites or reading some of the articles listed below. History Channel Christmas Exhibit The Real Story of Christmas has short informative articles on the pagan roots of Christmas, the Saturnalia celebrated in ancient Rome, Puritans banning of Christmas, American re-inventing Christmas a family oriented holiday, and Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” In World Traditions, click on the map to learn Christmas traditions in countries around the world. The Evolution of Santa Claus traces the history of the Santa Claus legend back to St. Nicholaus who lived around 280 AD in what is now Turkey. It also includes the story of Santa’s ninth reindeer, Rudolph. In the Christmas Trees section you can learn about trees around the world, the tree at Rockefeller Center, and other tree trivia. You can also read Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter and the answer she received to her question, “is there a Santa Claus?” from The New York Sun in
