Today, we all know Santa to be the fat man in the red suit. This modern perception all started when Sinterklaas, the traditional winter holiday figure in the lower countries, part of the celebration of Saint Nicholas on 5th December. This character was then merged with the British 'Father Christmas'. A figure associated directly with Christmas. The term 'Sinterklaas' was Americanised into the term 'Santa Claus' by Washington Irving's History of New York.

In the early 19th century (1800s), it became recognised that Santa Claus was an elf, or a man of the size, which was thouroughly described in the poem A visit from Santa Claus (better known as The night before Christmas). He was written as "A right jolly old elf" that had a "little round belly" and that he had a "miniature sleigh". He was also described as being chubby and plump, so it makes sense that he is elf-sized, as he logically would not be able to fit down chimneys!

Over time, Santa evolved into a full-grown, large man, the idea reinforced by American cartoonist Thomas Nast in the 1860s, with his drawing of Santa that appeared in Harper's weekly. In this illustration, Santa was dressed in a US flag.

In the very early 1900s, L Frank Baum 'painted the picture' of Santa's immortality, and that Santa's ten reindeer could not fly, but leaped in enormous bounds. Baum did so with his children's book, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

Haddon Sundblom further made Santa Claus popular with his image for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign in the 1930s. From this, an urban myth sprouted that Santa wears red and white due to Coke, but White Rock beverages had used it to advertise mineral water in 1915, and its ginger ale in 1923. And, Puck magazine had already used Santa in red and white on the cover of one of their issues in the very beginning of the 1900s.

In 1937, the world's longest continually-run Santa school (for people dressing up as Santa) was started by
Charles W Howard.

Some images from the early 20th century showed Santa making his own toys in a workshop. The idea of elves making the toys eventually emerged, but they were still made in the traditional handcrafting method.

Mrs. Claus was introduced in 1956 by George Melachrino's popular song 'Mrs. Santa Claus'. She was then further popularised in 1963 by Phyllis McGinley's children's book 'How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas'.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was introduced by Seabury Quinn's novel, Roads in 1948.

My pre-1900s Santa Claus skin shows him with a golden robe with fur trim, brown leather shoes, and a wreath in his hair. The wreath was popularly worn by Father Christmas, who also traditionally wore a green version of the robe my skin is wearing.