Yesterday was Christmas Day.  Though there has been much discussion and debate over the true origin of the holiday, the most well known figure of modern day Christmas is none other than Santa Claus.

Santa Claus
Image courtesy of LadyDragonflyCC under Creative Commons.

While there is plenty of information on the history of this classic figure, it turns out that Coca Cola was the company that popularized the modern image of the big jolly guy in the red suit with white fur.

The soda company wanted a way to market their products during the winter, which was the slowest during the 1930’s.  When Haddon Sundblom was commissioned in 1931 to create a modern depiction of St. Nick for advertising purposes, they got the imagery they wanted; a larger than life figure that was realistic at the same time.

With that said, what holiday do you celebrate in December?  Feel free to sound off in the comments below.  😉