Six Things you Need to know about Santa Claus!

As Christmas nears, kids are eager to know what Santa Claus has in store for them this year. But do you know everything about him? Here are five things that may surprise you about the lovable character.

Santa has a special zip code
Did you know that you can send a letter to Santa Claus? And that he his own special zip code? Yes, it’s ‘H0H 0H0’!

Santa didn’t have a Mrs Claus 
Santa was always a bachelor. In fact, he ended up having a Missus only in 1849 when author James Rees mentioned her in his short story A Christmas Legend. Then the Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride poem in 1889 by Katherine Lee Bates made her more famous and she was here to stay.

Santa’s favorite film
Like each one us have favourite films, so does Santa Claus. His favourite flick is apparently Ice Station Zebra. This is a movie about the Cold War and filled with espionage suspense. Bet you never thought a person who loved kids would also like spy thrillers!

Santa’s first job
Santa Claus was not always the jolly good fellow who gave us all gifts. He is said to have started working in the mail room sorting out mail and then slowly worked his way to being the head of all the elves and the person who delivers gifts to kids.

Pssst…. Santa is Canadian
While most of us think he’s from the North Pole, Santa Claus is actually – believe it or not – Canadian! In 2008, Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism declared that Santa Claus is a Canadian citizen.

Coca-Cola influenced the way we imagine Santa Claus

The modern day image of Santa was crafted in 1931. Coca-Cola worked with artist, Haddon Sundblom to create what we recognize now as the big, jolly man in the red suit.

Through time, the image of Saint Nick evolved.

Ted Ryan, a Coca-Cola archivist, said the image of Santa represents family and togetherness, but the soda company didn’t create Santa. It just branded a specific version of him.

“No, we didn’t invent him. He was around, but there were different visions of Santa Claus, some tall, some short. What Coca-Cola did is by using the same artist who had this vision of a red and white and a jolly Santa Claus over and over and over with our advertising, Coca-Cola helped craft the modern image of Santa Claus. People around the world think of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus when they think of Old St. Nick,” said Ryan.

Ryan said there was a version of Santa in 1922 that was a little meaner than the Sundblom Santa.