Each Christmas, millions of children around the world eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus, the jolly old man in the bright red suit who carries a sack full of presents for all the good boys and girls. However, the iconic representation of Santa Claus is a relatively modern invention that largely originated with the well-known poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” written in 1823, as well as a famous illustration by cartoonist Thomas Nast, inspired by that poem, from 1863.

But the story of Santa Claus is far from the only Christmas legend told around the world to this day. In fact, there are countless folktales about Christmas that star other figures entirely, particularly in Europe, and many of them have origins that predate not only Santa Claus, but the spread of Christianity itself. In fact, many of these tales were born of pagan customs that were later adapted to fall in line with Christian values.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/christmas-legends

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