who invented santa claus

Santa Claus as he is popularly recognized today was "invented" in image form by Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist, who first drew this version of Santa for the 1862 Christmas season. Nast based his depiction of Santa Claus on his native German tradition of Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for kindness and generosity. He combined elements of the Saint Nicholas tradition with German folk traditions of elves, resulting in the kindly figure associated with Christmas in the U.S. starting in the mid-19th century. Before Nast, the modern concept of Santa Claus was significantly shaped by the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), likely written by Clement Clarke Moore. This poem introduced many elements now central to Santa's image, such as his sleigh, reindeer, chimney descent, and jolly demeanor. Thus, the idea of Santa Claus evolved from historical Saint Nicholas, through Dutch and Germanic traditions, to an American cultural creation, with major contributions by Nast's illustrations and Moore's poem in the 19th century.