Santa Coloring Pages
Welcome to my Santa Claus coloring pages section.
Santa's team of eight flying reindeer first showed up in a poem from 1823 called 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. That same poem helped make his trip down the chimney famous. It also describes him as a "jolly old elf" with a round little belly that shook when he laughed, and kids have pictured him that way ever since.
Jump to: Santa Claus | Night Before Christmas | Saint Nicholas | Jultomte
Santa Claus
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
The Santa in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is tiny! He's a "jolly old elf" with a miniature sleigh, and his little round belly shakes like a bowl full of jelly when he laughs. This is also the poem that gave Santa his eight reindeer and their names.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas coloring pages
Saint Nicholas
Long before Santa Claus, there was a real bishop named Nicholas who lived about 1,700 years ago in the town of Myra, in what's now Turkey. Stories say he loved giving gifts in secret. In the most famous one he tossed bags of gold through a poor family's window at night, and in some versions the gold landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry.
His feast day is December 6. In many countries children still put out their shoes the night before and wake up to find treats inside. Dutch families called him Sinterklaas, and that's where the name Santa Claus comes from.
The Jultomte (Swedish Santa)
In Sweden, Santa is called the Jultomte, and he started out as a small farm spirit who kept watch over the barn at night. On Christmas Eve he knocks on the door and asks if there are any good children in the house.