We all know that Santa brings presents to "nice" children around the world every year, that he has eight reindeer, and that he's married to Mrs. Claus. But you (or the kids in your life) may have some questions about jolly old Saint Nick, namely is Santa a real person? Just how old is Santa? And when is his birthday?
For all those enquiring minds that want to know, read on because we've got answers about Santa Claus's age, when his birthday is, how he came to be known as Santa Claus, and where he was born (surprisingly, it's not the North Pole!). So put out some milk and cookies, turn on your favorite Christmas tunes, and get ready to learn some fun facts about Santa.
Exactly how old is Santa?
According to the blog Email Santa, Santa Claus is 1,751 years old as of 2022. In fact, the origins of Santa Claus can be traced all the way back to a monk named Saint Nicholas, who was born between 260 and 280 A.D. in a village called Patara, which is part of modern-day Turkey.
Long before he became Santa Claus, there were many legends around Saint Nicholas performing acts of kindness, like providing monetary assistance to a family so that they wouldn’t have to sell their daughters into slavery. Another legend involves Saint Nicholas praying for sailors who were being threatened by a powerful storm and ensuring their safe return.
Because of these and other fabled deeds, he became known as a protector of children and sailors. People around the world continue to honor him with the Feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6.
When is Santa's birthday?
SantaClaus.com states that Santa’s birthday is on March 15. Mark it on your calendar for next year!
According to TIME, the legend of Saint Nicholas continued to be passed around throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas Day was observed by someone dressing up as the saint and going door-to-door giving children either small gifts or coal, depending on how good or bad they had been.
But according to researchers, it’s a bit of a mystery as to how the legend of Saint Nicholas made its way to North America. In the 1770s, one New York newspaper referenced “St. Nicholas, otherwise called Santa Claus,” which is the first known reference to Santa Claus in the United States.
The author of Christmas: A Biography, Judith Flanders, shared with Time that the large populations of Swiss people who settled in New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania are probably the reason we know Santa Claus by that name today. “They came from regions that marked St. Nicholas’ Day, and St. Nicholas in various dialects of Schweizerdeutsch, or Swiss-German, becomes either Samichlaus or Santi-Chlaus.” And of course, it's easy to see how "Santi-Chlaus" might have evolved into "Santa Claus" over time.
So, how old is Santa's wife, Mrs. Claus?
According to Email Santa, Mrs. Claus is just a bit younger than her husband. She’s 1,140 years old this year. And don’t forget to wish her a happy birthday after you’ve opened your gifts this year: Her birthday is on Christmas Day, according to the website.
If you think, judging by that white beard and hair, Kris Kringle might be around 70 or 80, the truth is he's far, far older. According to History.com, the monk who over time would evolve into Santa Claus was born in what is now modern-day Turkey in 280 A.D., making him a whopping 1,741 years old!
Say something like this, “The Santa that you see in books, movies, and in stores is a person in a costume. People dress up in Santa costumes to remind us… …of someone who lived a long, long time ago called St. Nicholas who secretly gave money to people who needed it.”
There's no magical age for this. But the age range of when kids start to ask questions is around 7 to 10 – the average age of when kids figure out Santa isn't real is 8 years old.
"There is no such thing as being too old to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy," Kelman tells Yahoo Life. "Letting kids figure it out on their own is preferable to parents breaking the news to them.
From the beginning, but especially as kids grow older and more aware of the unlikelihood of a man delivering presents to the whole world in one night, Santa has to be about kindness and love, Jessica VanderWier, mother, psychotherapist, and founder of Nurtured First shares.
As we described in one of our earliest posts on Solitary Watch, Nicholas was the 4th-century Greek Bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey). Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, who persecuted Christians, Nicholas spent some five years in prison–and according to some accounts, in solitary confinement.
And the first question after that, in the “People also ask” section, is: “Is Santa real or is it your parents?” The top response comes from the motherhood website Her View From Home. “The answer is no. We are not Santa. There is no one, single Santa.
Amy Morin is a therapist whose clients ofter ask when to tell their kids the truth about Santa. Morin said there's no magic age or single right way for when parents need to reveal the truth. She said the truth should depend on the parent's values and what they want their child to learn.
While we're agnostic about whether people should include Santa in their holiday traditions — that's for each family to decide — our empirically informed view is that learning the truth about Santa Claus does not have to be a distressing experience and can even be a positive one.
You might tell your child: “Even though there's no actual Easter bunny, the magic of Easter is really about doing all the fun things together with our family and friends, and showing each other we love them by giving chocolate gifts.”
When you call Santa's telephone number at 980-447-2682, you might be wondering what to discuss. Well, there's so much! Tell Santa about your year, the things you've learned at school, your favorite moments, and what gifts you're hoping to get. If you're feeling creative, you can even sing a song or share a story.
Krampus is a mythical creature who is often depicted with horns and a demon-like face. According to myth, which likely originated in what is now Germany and Austria, the creature punished children who behaved badly.
According to historical records, Santa is real. Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, his story goes all the way back to the 3rd century. He was a monk who was born in 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey.
It's really up to your discretion. “It's typical for most children to start questioning if Santa is real between the ages of 7 and 10,” says Ray W. Christner, Psy. D., NCSP, psychologist.
Does Santa have any children? Although Santa and Mrs Claus almost never have children in any of their many depictions, there is at least one Christmas Burlesque musical from 1892 that features Kitty Claus, the daughter of Santa. Funnily enough, we find a few mentions of Kitty in our newspaper collection.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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