The red-suited, white-bearded Santa Claus who most people are familiar with was first depicted by American author Washington Irving, who drew an image of a jolly Dutchman.
This was then modified by a German immigrant called Thomas Nast, who drew a plump Santa with red clothing for Harper’s Weekly.
Then finally, Haddon Sundblom popularised the image when he drew Santa as a grandfather-style figure for Coca-Cola’s Christmas advert.
Wikipedia states:
Sundblom is best remembered for his advertising work, specifically the Santa Claus advertisements he painted for The Coca-Cola Company in the 1930s. Sundblom’s Claus firmly established the larger-than-life, grandfatherly Claus as a key figure in Christmas imagery. So popular were Sundblom’s images of Claus (Sundblom’s images are used by Coca-Cola to this day) that the urban legend soon arose that Sundblom had actually created the modern image of Santa Claus.
According to the Coca Cola company :
For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (commonly called “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”). Moore’s description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa — an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people of all ages, all over the world.
So, its no surprise then that the church aid organisation, Bonifatiuswerk of German Catholics, has dismissed Santa Claus as an invention by the advertising industry and has little relation to the historical St Nicholas. They are seeking to ban Santa Claus as a result.
They want to replace the traditional image of Santa as a jolly old man in a red suit with one of a more traditional, charitable St Nicholas, who focuses on kindness and helping others rather than gaining material possessions.
According to stnicholascenter.org,
Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara. His wealthy parents raised him to be a devout Christian. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
This gives support to the Bonifatiuswerk of German Catholics website where they describe St Nicholas as a helper in need who reminds us to be kind, to think of our neighbours, and to give the gift of happiness
The campaign has already garnered support from a number of well-known German celebrities.
From what I see, none of those ‘well-known’ celebrities include children.
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This organisation can dismiss Santa Claus as an invention of the advertising industry just like I dismiss god and his various prophets as an invention of the population control industry.