Saint Nicholas

These two illustrations are significant because they show St. Nicholas as a saint, not the more common depiction of a gift-giver.  The first is a religious icon of the type  commonly used for saints in Christian churches during used in the Middle Ages.  The second is a broadside distributed by John Pintard, a leader of the New-York Historical Society, for the group’s annual meeting on December 6, 1810.  Pintard commissioned the woodcut from artist Alexander Anderson

St. Nicholas Icon 1750

Perfection

Santa Claus Worldwide distills the cheerful essence of Christmas from many sources and studies, old and new. In addition to his wide reading, author Tom A. Jerman has brought a wealth of personal experience

Great Read!

Santa Claus Worldwide describes gift givers throughout the world in history from the pagan god Odin to the present day Father Christmas, Weihnachten, Père Noël, Ded Moroz, and Santa Claus. Mr. Jerman’s thorough research of this subject, takes the reader on a journey...

Amazing!

Until now I’ve been especially interested in Clement C. Moore and his transcendent poem The Night Before Christmas. Tom Jerman puts Moore’s classic in perspective with a broad and highly informative look at the international history of Santa Claus. For my own...

This book is REALLY impressive

I’m not a historian (I work with a lot of historians, but I’m not one!) but this book REALLY impressive piece of work! Extensively referenced and Tom Jerman does a great, scholarly job of telling the “stories” that should be told with the support of a lot of...
a-collection-of-santas-book-cover

These two illustrations are significant because they show St. Nicholas as a saint, not the more common depiction of a gift-giver.  The first is a religious icon of the type  commonly used for saints in Christian churches during used in the Middle Ages.  The second is a broadside distributed by John Pintard, a leader of the New-York Historical Society, for the group’s annual meeting on December 6, 1810.  Pintard commissioned the woodcut from artist Alexander Anderson