[Christine B. Posts: 453 Status: Offline WWW]

Ho, ho, ho! I have a Santa question and I’m prefacing it that I’m  seeking your personal opinion, not “factual” stuff. 

Think of Santa Claus — the contemporary American version of Santa, such as the one who asked Rudolph to guide his sleigh, or perhaps the one in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, NOT an actual saint or historic figure. When do you picture this character as having lived? Century, decade or general time period appreciated.

THANK YOU!!!

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,165 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Kids under 10 would look at this question as if it were written by a crazy person. Santa is alive and well today.

But the one you mention is clearly early to mid last century. It's not a more modern version. The traditional Santa has been modernized in a number of places.

[AnneB Posts: 3,361 Status: Online]

Santa is forever. That is all.

[Christine B. Posts: 453 Status: Offline WWW]

Anne: Indeed he is!

Debbie, wait, isn’t he still alive?!?

But in seriousness: thanks for that answer.  I picture him as someone who would have been born late 1800s or maybe early 1900s as well. (Again, meaning when I think of the Rudolph story Santa. I am working on something with Santa. But it’s definitely the jolly, red clad Santa, not Saint Nicholas, who I envision differently.)

[dewsanddamps Posts: 2,815 Status: Offline]

If you're talking material culture, I visualize Santa in a nineteenth-century environment--wooden toys, horse-drawn sleighs. But maybe more a bit toward late-century Victorian period.
 

[Trine Posts: 77 Status: Offline WWW]

I've seen him.

[Christine B. Posts: 453 Status: Offline WWW]

If you're talking material culture, I visualize Santa in a nineteenth-century environment--wooden toys, horse-drawn sleighs. But maybe more a bit toward late-century Victorian period.
 

Thank you!!

[Melody Posts: 640 Status: Offline WWW]

I think of Santa as having his 'prime' in the traditional Clement Moore story, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS. [SPELLING?]

But, as stated, Santa is forever....

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,288 Status: Offline]

The long white beard and red jacket and hat are what kids immediately think of.
It is weird what you think of, although you didn't want factual stuff: whenever I think of Santa now I think of Coca Cola and the way they've monopolised a simple traditional folk tale.

[Christine B. Posts: 453 Status: Offline WWW]

Thank you, Melody! It sounds like that’s a consensus (and it’s my thought, too!).

Thanks, Thundering. That is actually really good stuff to think about! By factual, I meant I’m working on something about Santa growing up and tying to place him in a time period, but I’m working with the Santa we’ve been discussing above, as opposed to the saint who lived in the 4th century, for example.

[Barbara Etlin Posts: 2,352 Status: Offline WWW]

I'm just a bit over ten, and I don't celebrate Christmas, but I happen to know that Santa is alive and well. I met him last December and wrote a blog post about him.

https://owlsquill.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-truth-about-santa.html

[Christine B. Posts: 453 Status: Offline WWW]

I love that story, Barbara.

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,288 Status: Offline]

Thank you, Melody! It sounds like that’s a consensus (and it’s my thought, too!).

Thanks, Thundering. That is actually really good stuff to think about! By factual, I meant I’m working on something about Santa growing up and tying to place him in a time period, but I’m working with the Santa we’ve been discussing above, as opposed to the saint who lived in the 4th century, for example.

Only a suggestion (a probably a daft one), but Coca-Cola is reputedly responsible for Santa's modern outfit. It was green until they hijacked it.