HISTORY OF SANTA CLAUS: HOW HE BECAME A WARTIME FIGURE


By abalderston
A newspaper of Santa at War showing the military history of Santa Claus.

As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, many homes and businesses have been getting into the holiday spirit. There are decorations with snowmen, reindeer, and snowflakes, but one mainstay around the world is Santa Claus. The history of Santa Claus goes back centuries to the legend of St. Nicholas. The legend goes that he gave away his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside to help the sick and impoverished. What may surprise many is that the modern image of Santa Claus actually originated in the 1800s. What is even more surprising is that the first true image of Santa Claus was used as militaristic propaganda during the Civil War. This article will look into how Santa Claus’ history actually ties in heavily with the military. Additionally, we'll get you up to speed on Santa’s lore for the holiday season. Suggested read: Who Wrote All I Want for Christmas? (Answer May Surprise You)

Santa Claus and the Civil War

The history of Santa Claus begins with a singular image. The first true image of Santa Claus was made for the illustrated magazine Harper’s Weekly on January 3, 1863. In this magazine, there were two images of Santa Claus. Both images were attempts to provide the Christmas sentiment to the North during the Civil War. The artist behind the Santa Claus image was Bavarian immigrant Thomas Nast. He was heavily supporting the Union during the Civil War. Therefore, using the image of Santa Claus as propaganda to make it seem as though Christmas was a Union holiday was his course of action.Before the war, Christmas was strictly a religious holiday, only becoming the version of Christmas we know today by the mid-1800s. While these images of Santa Claus were used by the military during the Civil War, Nast’s Santa drawings would continue to appear in Harper’s Weekly for years afterward, totaling in at 33 illustrations. By this point, the history of Santa Claus began to build. Consequently, the image of Santa was in use for more than just war propaganda. Nast was particularly pro-military, so the images of Santa Claus he created were an effort to support the military during Christmas. In fact, military themes were present in many of Nast’s work. Even after Nast passed away, this legacy would continue for years to come.Related read: Robert O’Neill Controversies Mar Brewery Approval in Norfolk

The Evolution of Santa After Nast

When going into the history of Santa Claus, most people usually don’t think about Santa’s relationship with the military. However, his militaristic ties don’t end with the Civil War. During both World War I and World War II, Santa Claus was used as a patriotic figure to advertise the purchase of war bonds and support patriotism during times of war. Every Christmas became a "military Christmas" to some degree, trying to push citizens to support the military during those difficult times.

Share The History of Santa This Christmas

Hopefully now you will be able to answer the question of “where did Santa originate?” The history of Santa Claus is probably different from what one might expect of the jolly man, but that makes it all the more fascinating. There are a lot of historical ties to Santa Claus through the military. Like a Santa Claus tracker, this article points to periods when Santa was most connected to the military. Merry Christmas military members, and a happy holidays to all!

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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