THE TYPICAL SANTA CLAUS

For the absolutely typical Santa Claus of today, we must turn the poem The Night Before Christmas.  This established him as looking like a tomte, a diminutive being in Swedish folklore.  Where did the notion arise that he lived at the North Pole?  Perhaps from the illustrations to the poem by Thomas Nast, who placed him in snow-covered surroundings.

The Finnish equivalent of the tomte are the tonntu.  It is believed in Finland that Santa keeps them around to evaluate the behavior of children, to see if they are deserving of presents.

If you want the names of Santa's reindeer. follow the link below.

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