As the Christmas holiday quickly approaches (Christmas is on December 25th) I thought I’d take some time to write about an iconic figure at Christmas time: Santa Claus. I am also including information about some other characters associated with Santa Claus. Enjoy!

Santa Claus – A legendary and historical figure in western cultures, who is known for bringing gifts to children the night before Christmas. Santa Claus is generally depicted as a large, round, older man, with a white beard and mustache, and rosy cheeks. He is usually thought of as kind and jolly*. He usually wears a red suit and carries his gifts around in a large sack or bag. Santa Claus is known by many names in English, including: Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and Santa.
Mrs. Claus – Mrs. Claus is Santa’s wife, of course. She is known for making cookies and generally being a kind, older women, who looks after Santa Claus. Mrs. Claus also usually wears red, just like her husband.
The elves** – Christmas elves are small people who work for Santa Claus making gifts in his workshop. Christmas elves usually wear green or red clothing, pointy-toed shoes and long pointy hats. They also have pointed ears (like most elves). They are known for working hard at making toys for Santa Claus to give to children on Christmas Eve.
The reindeer – Reindeer are animals, like deer, but they tend to live in very cold climates. Santa Claus is known for having nine reindeer that all fly! They carry him around in a magic sleigh on Christmas Eve so he can deliver presents to children all over the world. Santa’s reindeer are named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The North Pole – Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, the elves, and reindeer are all reported to live in the North Pole, where they work all year long making gifts.

*jolly = happy or cheerful
**elves = elves are supernatural creatures from folk tales, that are usually small with pointed ears and magical powers (the singular form of this word is “elf”)