Line #184 Main/SantaClaus


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11	->''When what to my wondering eyes did appear,\
12	But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,\
13	With a little old driver so lively and quick,\
14	I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.''
15	-->-- ''Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas''
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20
21	Yes, Saint Nick. Father Christmas. Papa Noel. Kris Kringle. The man with the bag. The jolly old elf himself.
22
23	'''The''' HolidayPersonification.
24
25	Santa Claus is the embodiment of Christmas, and since the late 19th and early 20th centuries has become one of the most famous legends in the world. He was originally developed in the United States, as an amalgam of the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra]] and a number of other seasonal folk heroes – most prominently the German legend of the ''Christkindl'' (the source of the name "Kris Kringle"), the Scandinavian legend of the ''Nisse'' or ''Tomten'', and the English legend of "Father Christmas". Santa and most of his best-known traits were largely [[TropeCodifier codified]] by the classic 1823 poem ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'' ([[RefrainFromAssuming which is more commonly known by its opening line]], ''Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas'').
26
27	The Santa Claus legend is based largely on that of the Dutch figure ''UsefulNotes/{{Sinterklaas}}'' (literally "Saint Klaas" – "Klaas" being a nickname for "Nicolaas", the Dutch form of "Nicholas"[[note]] The German form of "Nicholas" is "Nicolaus", or "Claus" for short – hence "Santa Claus"[[/note]]), who comes down the chimney on the fifth of December (the eve of Saint Nicholas Day) to leave gifts for the little ones, thus fulfilling his role as the patron saint of children. Most of the imagery of the Saint in question has been carried over to his North Pole incarnation. In the original mythology, Sinterklaas was accompanied by black slaves; these were eventually changed to a demonic figure known as TheKrampus in German-speaking culture, and [[ChristmasElves friendly elves]] in the United States. In the Netherlands, meanwhile, the black companions are nowadays portrayed as Sinterklaas' friends and (voluntary) employees. Note that in several European countries, Sinterklaas and Santa Claus are nowadays considered to be two entirely different legends, each with their own elaborate holiday. The habit of distributing gifts attributed to all these legends is ultimately derived from a legend about St. Nicholas, according to which he secretly threw gold into the house of a poor man by night so that the man wouldn't have to sell his daughters into prostitution.
28
29	Santa is universally known as a [[BigFun festively]] [[GentleGiant overweight]] [[CoolOldGuy old man]] with a long white or silver beard, who wears a red suit [[PrettyInMink with white trim]], a matching cap, (originally a red bishop's robe and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camauro camauro]]), black boots, and a vast black belt worn across his belly. [[ChristmasTown He resides at the North Pole (or in Lapland, or in Spain, or somewhere else depending on your culture – the original St. Nick was Greek, from a city in what is now Turkey) and oversees a large workshop]] staffed by elves (diminutive commercial-friendly elves; not tall, proud, [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Tolkien]]-type elves – [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D players]] will see more of a resemblance to gnomes) who are often [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld far]] {{older than they look}}. These elves in their workshop produce toys year-round and every Christmas Eve they load them into an [[BagOfHolding improbably roomy sack]] which Santa carries as he sets out to deliver them to all the good boys and girls of the world. His vehicle is a flying sleigh pulled by eight reindeer named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen (with an option on a ninth, in the form of [[Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer Rudolph]], on nights with poor visibility). You might hear the sound of some SnowySleighBells as well.
30
31	Traditionally, he enters each house [[ChimneyEntry via chimney]], fills the residents' stockings (left hanging on the mantle for his attention) with the gifts and toys he brought and/or places them beneath the Christmas tree, and then leaves the same way he came in. It is considered customary for the family to [[LeavingFoodForSanta leave out a snack for him]], and perhaps a tidbit for the reindeer as well. It is traditional in certain versions of the legend that Santa can tell when children are sleeping and when they are awake and will only deliver presents to children who go to bed when they are told to on Christmas Eve and will not come if they try to stay awake to see him. This was almost certainly something started by parents in more recent times, as it does not seem to appear in earlier versions of the story. It was likely popularized by the line "He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake" in the song "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." (German and Scandinavian traditions employ this same idea as ScareEmStraight NightmareFuel for toddlers). Note that this trait generally does ''not'' apply in fiction, where even kids that are shown being told this will somehow still end up getting to meet Santa.
32
33	Officially, Santa delivers presents only to the children who have been good. Naughty children get the BoringButPractical gift of coal, which they can burn in the furnace for warmth over the winter; not as raw a deal as it might seem to those of us who no longer burn coal ourselves.[[note]]This lives on in the form of still giving kids who don't deserve toys practical items like tube socks.[[/note]] Santa can even visit the children-at-heart or to anyone who believes in him. In even older traditions, he carried a bag of wooden switches for whipping the naughty children. In the Netherlands and Belgium, ''UsefulNotes/{{Sinterklaas}}'' is famously accompanied in his work by a {{blackface}}d servant named [[ScaryBlackMan Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)]], which tends to cause headaches among foreigners unfamiliar with the tradition but all too keenly aware of the UnfortunateImplications that he represents. (Note that in the Dutch tradition, there is no racist connotation ''whatsoever'' to dressing up as a jolly blackface servant and threatening to beat people up. Seriously.)[[note]]Perhaps not anymore. According to the Associated Press, the 2013 Sinterklass festival in Amsterdam [[http://globalnews.ca/news/971642/protest-against-dutch-holiday-tradition-that-has-santas-helpers-resemble-slaves/ drew protestors]] saying Black Pete was a blatant racist caricature that should be banned.[[/note]] Zwarte Piet himself is a softening of an even earlier tradition in which Saint Nicholas used the services of an enslaved devil. Austria and southern Germany have TheKrampus instead. Many other cultures that still look to Santa as an actual saint still include this devil or imagine Santa as doing battle with the devil on Christmas Eve, typically leading to even ''more'' puzzled reactions from foreigners who wonder what Satan himself is doing in, say, a children's Christmas film.
34
35	[[HowCanSantaDeliverAllThoseToys The traditional explanation for Santa's ability to achieve his annual deliveries]] is that [[AWizardDidIt he is a magical being]]. In works that think about or play with the implications, this may involve depicting him as TheOmniscient: he personally knows where everyone lives, what they want, what they have been doing, etc. However, more modern stories dealing with Santa give him access to a [[{{Magitek}} combination of magic and supertechnology]]; some versions even do away with the magic altogether (for example, the [[ChristmasSpecial Christmas ep]] of ''WesternAnimation/{{Buzz Lightyear of Star Command}}'' has his supertech being used by the villains to commit tons of felonies). In addition, modern depictions of Santa's home have his workshop being a fully mechanized factory run by the elves. A common variation is to have Santa portrayed as not a single magical being, but as [[GodJob a god-like office held by a mortal]], such as in ''Film/ErnestSavesChristmas'', where Santa is a normal person who spends a large chunk of his (possibly magically lengthened) lifespan as Santa Claus and then passes the title off to someone else. Surprisingly, and in spite of all this focus on Santa's delivery process, the one aspect of the legend that has rarely, if ever, been called into question is how Santa could accomplish such feats and still have huge numbers of people (often a numerical majority, even in fiction) who [[FlatEarthAtheist refuse to believe he exists]].
36
37	Also, for humorous effect, Santa is often portrayed as a [[BadSanta cold-hearted tyrant]], running his workshop with an iron fist while the elves are [[SantasSweatshop an exploited and resentful workforce]]. One example of such skewering came at the hands of ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', which introduced a futuristic robot-Santa who, due to a programming error that caused even something as simple as ''picking one's nose'' to be [[KnightTemplar deemed "naughty" behavior]], condemned all of humanity as naughty ([[ThrowTheDogABone except]] [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Zoidberg]]) and hunted down the worst offenders every Christmas. Running a close second is the revelation by Anya in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' that not only did Santa exist, he was in fact a bloodthirsty demon -- perhaps inspired by the devil present in older stories of him.
38
39	Because most straight portrayals of Santa in fiction have become familiar, annually-repeated classics, more recent works featuring him often tend to involve parodies, deconstructions, or other variations on the legend. Even in strict children's fare, there is always some kind of wry twist on the material: in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', for example, Father Christmas muses that he has not been to Narnia for many, many years, and proceeds to hand out lethal weaponry such as bows, arrows, and swords to three of the story's prepubescent protagonists for use against the evil witch responsible for his absence. A major exception is the film ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' (although in all fairness even its version of Santa – while still portrayed as a respected, kindly old man – is considerably less energetically jolly than usual).
40
41	Since the beginning of the twentieth century, there has also been a small movement to explain how Santa came to be, and continues to be. The most prominent backstory for the modern-day Santa (meaning, not derived from various folklore), comes from Creator/LFrankBaum's (of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' fame) novel, ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndAdventuresOfSantaClaus''. This story gives Santa a bit of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' treatment as there is plenty of strife and battles between the good fairies that raised Santa, and their enemies, a group of rock-monsters. This story has been made into at least two animated films, and continues to be one of the most popular backstories for Santa over 100 years after its first publication. Speaking of Tolkien, he too made his own spin on Santa Claus in ''Literature/TheFatherChristmasLetters''. ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Harry saying that Santa is a fairy.[[note]]Butcher has hinted that he is basically the Fairy King of Winter and a counterpoart of sorts to Mab. One may assume he represents the goodwill and generosity that the harshness of Winter (Mab) brings out in people. Either way, he is a badass, and Harry knows it.[[/note]] Harry's not willing to summon him either. He'll mess with TheFairFolk, but Santa, no way.
42
43	The name "Santa Claus" comes from a Dutch variation of the name "St. Nicholas", "Sinterklaas". It is ''not'', despite what fundamentalist MoralGuardians like to claim, an anagram of {{Satan}}. Well, it is, but that's decidedly unintentional. And his last name is spelled C-L-A-U-S, ''not'' C-L-A-U-S-E; the latter is part of a sentence or part of a legal contract. This was the basis for a famous joke in the Marx Brothers' ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'' ("There ain't no sanity clause!"), and for the PunBasedTitle of the movie ''Film/TheSantaClause''.
44
45	An additional note: in the United Kingdom and Australia, Santa is often called "Father Christmas" (such as in the C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien examples above). Though Santa and Father Christmas have picked up many attributes from each other and are now basically considered the same person, they were originally distinct figures. Father Christmas was an AnthropomorphicPersonification of the Christmas holiday itself (particularly its feasting and drinking aspects), and wore a green robe rather than the red suit that Santa Claus wears. He was considered to be as old as the first Christmas (unlike St. Nicholas who lived in the fourth century).[[note]]As Wiccans will be happy to tell you, he may even be older than that, as the Yule Father, the dating is ambiguous though[[/note]] Examples of Father Christmas from before his merger with Santa Claus can be found in the Ghost of Christmas Present in ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' by Dickens, and in the traditional plays of English {{Mummers}}.
46
47	In Germany and German-speaking parts of other central European countries such as Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, the traditional Christmas gift-bringer is the "Christkind" or "Christkindl" (i.e., [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Christ child]]) himself. German-speaking immigrants to the United States brought this custom with them, and over time Christkindl morphed into "Kris Kringle", yet another common name for what eventually became Santa Claus.
48
49	Santa as a character is [[PopculturalOsmosis widespread even in countries that aren't Christian]], like Japan and China. In Japan, he is called not surprisingly "Santa Kurasu" and in China, he is called "Old Man of Christmas".
50
51	Children are expected to grow out of their belief in Santa, and someone who StillBelievesInSanta past the age of childhood may be mocked for it. But if someone needs to be reminded that Santa [[RealAfterAll actually does exist]], [[SantasExistenceClause the traditional answer begins "Yes, Virginia"...]] On the other hand, Santa himself had better watch out should he find himself [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball at a Philadelphia Eagles game]], [[NeverLiveItDown lest he get booed and have to dodge snowballs.]][[note]]A young man dressed as Santa really did get booed and pelted with snowballs by Eagles fans during the halftime show in a game against the Minnesota Vikings on December 15, 1968, but it was more from frustration by the fanbase at a terrible 2-11 season put forth by the team that year; overall hatred of the team's owner, coach, and quarterback; and the miserable weather (the man himself was a replacement - the original Santa could not go due to the weather – and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking his beard was unconvincing]]).[[/note]]
52
53	Common plots in which Santa appears include:
54	* ChristmasEpisode
55	* ChristmasSpecial
56	* SantaAmbiguity
57	* SantasExistenceClause
58	* SavingChristmas
59	* SubbingForSanta
60	* SurpriseSantaEncounter
61
62	See also BadSanta, BadAssSanta, ChristmasElves, HowCanSantaDeliverAllThoseToys, LeavingFoodForSanta, MallSanta, MistakenForSanta, MrsClaus, PseudoSanta, {{Santabomination}}, SantaClausmas, SantasSweatshop, UsefulNotes/{{Sinterklaas}}, StillBelievesInSanta, EasterBunny, and TheKrampus.
63
64	----
65	!!Appearances:
66
67	[[foldercontrol]]
68
69	[[folder:Advertising]]
70	* Santa's modern-day appearance (at least in the US) as a plump, white-bearded old man in a red suit was largely [[TropeCodifier codified]] in a series of print advertisements for Coca-Cola, illustrated by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haddon_Sundblom Haddon Sundblom]] from the 1930s through the '60s.
71	* A long-running commercial for Norelco electric shavers featured a StopMotion-animated Santa riding atop a flying razor head. The ad was updated through the years; the various permutations can be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y888mx7hMZ0 seen here.]]
72	* A commercial for Advertising/MAndMs, broadcast yearly since 1996, has Red and Santa Claus [[FaeriesDontBelieveInHumansEither startling each other]].
73	-->'''Red:''' AAH! He ''does'' exist!\
74	'''Santa:''' They ''do'' exist!\
75	''[both faint]''
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
79	* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', Finland is Santa, following some European Christmas traditions that say that Santa Claus is Finnish.
80	* Most of ''Manga/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasZerosJourney'' takes place in Christmas Town. Naturally, Santa's a core part of the plot, as Zero needs to find him to get back to Halloween Town.
81	* Episode 46 of the first season of ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' has Doremi, Hazuki and Aiko meeting a sick old man that later turns out to be Santa. Then they find out there are many Santas in a village above the clouds. The three (along Onpu later on) help him and the others to give the children their presents.
82	* In ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'', an episode revolves around the protagonists helping out Santa, since he fell ill.
83	** A different incarnation of Santa appers in ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure''. Once again the protagonists step up to help him.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
87	* There is an episode of ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', specifically in the first season, where the characters celebrate Christmas by dressing up as Santa Claus.
88	* He appears in ''Animation/PleasantGoatFunClass: Travel Around the World'' episode 1, where the gang meets him in Finland and gets to ride in his sleigh.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Comic Books]]
92	* ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} tries to stop him from invading [[PollutedWasteland Apokolips]] every year giving him coal. [[BadassSanta Darkseid always fails.]]
93	* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} [[ItMakesSenseInContext once choked him out with a string of barbed wire while he (Santa) was driving an eighteen-wheeler.]]
94	* He has made several appearances in ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', most notably as a "[[HopeBringer paladin of hope]]", serving the AnthropomorphicPersonification of hope as the representative of [[JusticeWillPrevail the hope for justice]], the hope for reward and [[HappilyEverAfter the hope that everything will turn out all right in the end]].
95	* ''ComicBook/SimoneTheBestMonsterEver'': The monster world has its own Santa Claus. This version is a giant [[SpiderPeople Spider Person]] with [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]] and a lot of legs. He has an avian of indeterminate species working for him in place of elves.
96	* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'':
97	** He has made a few appearances in some Christmas-related stories, including one where Gargamel drugs him and tries to take his place so he could capture the Smurfs. In the AnimatedAdaptation, an analog version of Santa named Mr. Nicholas takes on his role.
98	** In promotional material, Papa Smurf is shown wearing a Santa Claus suit, and in various forms of media he is often confused with being Santa.
99	* ''ComicBook/SouthPoleSantaClaus'': He started giving away presents to all boys and girls, not just the nice ones. [[ProtagonistTitle South Pole Santa Claus]] means to rectify this.
100	* Creator/RaymondBriggs' graphic novels ''ComicBook/FatherChristmas'' and its sequel ''Father Christmas Goes on Holiday'' depict Father Christmas as an ordinary British working-class man who treats his delivery of presents like a normal job. (Briggs's father was a milkman, so ''obviously'' that's what someone who had to make deliveries while everyone else was asleep would be like.)
101	* ''ComicBook/JingleBelle'', by Creator/PaulDini, tells the story of Santa Claus's rebellious teen-age daughter.
102	* Appears once in a while in the ComicBook/DisneyMouseAndDuckComics, his exact role depending on the story. In one memorable occasion, [[HilarityEnsues police inspectors Casey and Rock Sassi mistook him for a burglar and arrested him]].
103	* A ''MAD Magazine'' satire of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" features a Santa that is so fed up with how crappy Christmas has become for him -- with no reindeer for his sleigh, no elves to make the toys, no workshop to make the toys due to a lack of insurance and a tax audit, people shooting at him with their guns, irradiation from nuclear plants, among other things -- that at the end of the satire he decides that he is going to retire and is seen riding off on his rocket-powered sleigh, kicking the sack of toys off it in disgust.
104	* The Shaman of the North Pole in ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', who wears bloody reindeer skins, is accompanied by spirits he calls his "little helpers", and does not appreciate being visited by representatives of the Coca-Cola company hoping to licence his image.
105	* ''ComicBook/SantaVsZombies'' stars a jaded Santa Claus who no longer likes his job, and is now dealing with a zombie outbreak caused by the latest Christmas craze.
106	* ''ComicBook/{{Ungrounded}}'': This version of Santa Claus was formerly Odin before giving that up. He had it changed to Santa Claus when he converted.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
110	* Gets thoroughly discussed one December in ''ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}''. Frazz even explains how he can afford all the gifts: he licenses his image.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
114	* In Russian fairy tale "Literature/{{Morozko}}", the titular Father Frost presents some traits associated to Santa Claus: he is an old man who lives in a snowy land, gives presents to well-mannered kids and rides a sledge.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Fan Works]]
118	* In the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story "Empath And The Red-Nosed Reindeer", the Santa analog Mr. Nicholas gets the idea of wearing a red suit from Papa Smurf's appearance when he first met him years ago as a child.
119	* In the ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' Christmas special, "Christmas Tree of Might", the Turles Crusher Corps are reimagined as a band of Misfit Minions, and Turles himself wants to destroy Christmas because Santa never visited Planet Vegeta (all they ever got was Freeza Day -- the day Freeza blew up their planet and brought the Saiyans to near-extinction). Santa himself comes to Goku in a vision during the climax, giving our hero the motivation to win the day, and he then reveals that he ''did'' try to visit Planet Vegeta, but the Saiyans always tried to shoot down his sleigh.
120	** In the 'Plan to Eradicate Christmas' special, Dr. Raichi and Hachiyack are re-appropriated into various forms of Santa...namely a Santa that's decided to eliminate evil the hard way. Which means most of the heroes have gotten on his naughty list: [[BloodKnight Goku]] because his lust for battle has endangered everyone, [[KidFromTheFuture Trunks]] because of his meddling with the time stream, [[TheStoic Piccolo]] for his father's actions in trying to conquer the world[[note]]While this may look like SinsOfTheFather (and Piccolo called it out as such), it should be noted that Piccolo is technically a reincarnation of Piccolo Sr. and had planned to continue his father's legacy before Raditz's appearance caused a domino effect that caused him to have a HeelFaceTurn[[/note]] and [[TokenEvilTeammate Vegeta]] for too many crimes to mention, but prominent among them is hitting his sleigh with a ki blast. ([[NiceGuy Gohan]] makes the nice list, however, and gets a copy of ''Literature/MobyDick'' in French.)
121	-->'''Vegeta:''' HA! I ''did'' hit him!
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
125	* The [[StealthPun polarizing]] film ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' (based on a book) was all about a boy who traveled on a magical train to the North Pole to meet "the big guy," Santa Claus. It was said that he was at that critical age, where he had pretty much stopped believing in Santa and if something wasn't done, there would be no going back. He went on a journey of discovery where he also met several other characters that were struggling with their own issues, including the lonely boy Billy who had never received gifts on Christmas and the hero girl who would be a leader to others, but needed to have confidence in her own decisions. In the end, the hero boy finally overcame his issues and met Santa, who told him that "Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."
126	* As you might well imagine, Santa Claus is a popular character in {{Christmas Special}}s; the most well-known are the [[{{Claymation}} stop-motion]] films by [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]]. Often times SubbingForSanta is invoked with the main characters of the holiday special.
127	* An automobile version of Santa Claus named Santa Car (a vehicle resembling a Dusenburg) actually appears in storybook based on Pixar’s ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'' called "Mater Saves Christmas."
128	* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}} Caillou's Holiday Movie]]'', the "Where Santa Has a Different Name" song provides details on Christmas traditions around the world, including Denmark, Slovakia and Greece. Lap-sitting is also seen in this special, and in the story "Holiday Magic."
129	** In a song available only on the film's soundtrack album, "Riding in Santa's Sleigh," Caillou performs a duet with Santa in which he and Santa sing about Caillou joining him on his sleigh ride to deliver presents.
130	-->Oh, Santa, can't you take me along? That's all I'm wishing in this Christmas song. Oh, Santa, can't you take me, oh, please? What a wonderful way to spend this Christmas Eve!
131	* In the animated special ''WesternAnimation/TootAndPuddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas'', Toot is rescued by a sleigh-driving man who is strongly implied to be Santa.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus'', title notwithstanding and its sequel film, ''A Miser Brothers' Christmas'', feature Santa Claus as a key character. In the first one, Santa Claus has a cold and plans to skip Christmas, until Mrs. Claus and a couple of his elves go on a journey to help him see that there is still Christmas spirit in the world. In the second film, Santa is injured, so the Miser Brothers are made to take over for him.
133	* In ''[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie]]'', Rabbit's biggest Christmas wish is to meet the big guy, but he figures it's impossible, so he puts on his Christmas list what he feels is a more realistic Christmas wish-- a subscription to ''Rutabaga Monthly'', which he reads "[[IReadItForTheArticles for the articles of course]]." In the end, he gets his real wish when the team travels to the North Pole to [[SavingChristmas return a lost baby reindeer and Santa's sack of toys.]]
134	* ''WesternAnimation/HollyHobbieAndFriends: Christmas Wishes'' includes a subplot in which Holly's brother Robby Hobbie and his friend Kyle Morris try to convince everyone that Robby is Santa Claus when he takes a job as mall Santa. He has trouble getting it to work, due to his small stature and his use of the family pig, Cheddar, as his reindeer, despite his best attempt at a booming "ho ho ho" voice. One girl tells him that he can't be Santa because he is not fat and does not have any reindeer, and he tries to convince her that the pig is really is reindeer and that he is skinny because he has gone on a low-carb diet. "Fine! I won't leave you any cookies! I'll eat them all myself!" Despite this, he manages to get the Deegan twins (the sons of the widow in the film) to tell him their true Christmas wish, which, in a twist, isn't something like wanting their father back or seeing their mother happy (though they would like this), but rather to have an earwig farm.
135	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', in which Jack, the leader of {{Halloweentown}}, decides to give Santa a vacation by kidnapping him and takes on the job himself.
136	* In ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', Santa Claus is the leader of the title guardians, but is referred to as "North" in the film. He is depicted as a HuskyRusskie (a Cossack in the book itself) with a StoryboardBody, whose main weapons are [[DualWielding a pair of]] massive sabres.
137	* In ''Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure'', the two title characters spend most of the film at the North Pole and therefore naturally spend a lot of time with both Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
138	* ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' reveals that Santa Claus is a LegacyCharacter whose position has been passed down from father to son over hundreds of years (naturally, it all started with Saint Nicolas). The current Santa, Malcolm, is getting old and is very out of touch with the new advanced technology that the ChristmasElves use to help him deliver presents on Christmas Eve. His older son Steve, who currently serves as his MissionControl, hopes to succeed him as the next Santa, but his younger son Arthur is the one who really understands the importance of making children happy on Christmas despite being clumsy and terrified of practically everything.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
142	* ''Film/SantaClausConquersTheMartians'' combines the Santa story with campy no-budget SciFi, and is widely regarded as [[SoBadItsGood one of the worst movies ever]].
143	* In the Mexican film ''Film/SantaClaus1959'', Santa (and his extraterrestrial army of child laborers) does battle with a demon who is sent by TheDevil to persuade the children of earth to do evil.... it MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext. Famously riffed by ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E21SantaClaus Mystery Science Theater 3000.]]''
144	* Killers dressing as Santa Claus is a popular use of SubvertedInnocence, as seen in movies like ''Film/ChristmasEvil'', ''To All a Goodnight'' and ''Film/SilentNightDeadlyNight''.
145	* Santa provides the DeusExMachina in ''Film/OneMagicChristmas'' -- good thing, too, or the events of the film would have been [[CrapsackWorld rather appallingly depressing]].
146	* In ''Film/TheSantaClause'', the protagonist is bewildered to discover himself forced into the job and the appearance of Santa due to a legal technicality.
147	* In ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet'', it's a major plot point that grown-ups are skeptical whether "Kris Kringle" [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be the real Santa]].
148	* ''Film/{{Elf}}'' has Santa needing to be rescued by the main characters at the climax, due to his sleigh failing from lack of holiday spirit in New York.
149	* Russian film ''Film/TheIronyOfFate2'' features Grandfather Frost, the Russian equivalent of Santa, who gives presents on New Year's. Kostya borrows a drunken Grandfather Frost's suit to sneak back into Nadya's apartment on New Year's night.
150	* ''Film/SantaAndTheIceCreamBunny'' has jolly old Saint Nick grounded on a Florida beach.
151	* ''Film/ViolentNight'' is [[DieHardOnAnX Die Hard with Santa as John McClane]], where a jaded and drunk Santa gets trapped in a house being kept hostage and [[BadassSanta uses his past experience as a viking warrior to fight off the bad guys]].
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Literature]]
155	* The famous poem "Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas" (or to give it its proper title, "A Visit From Saint Nicholas") by Clement C. Moore was an important TropeCodifier for Santa, including the names of his reindeer.
156	* Another TropeCodifier is ''Literature/TheLifeAndAdventuresOfSantaClaus'' by Creator/LFrankBaum, featuring Santa making friends with TheFairFolk and fighting against evil goblins.
157	* ''Literature/TheAutobiographyOfSantaClaus'': The book is written as if Santa himself wrote it, telling his own personal life story.
158	* As mentioned, above, Santa Claus (as Father Christmas) appears in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' to signal that the White Witch's always-winter-never-christmas power is beginning to fade.
159	* ''Literature/LandOfOz'': Santa Claus is a friend of Ozma of Oz, and attends her birthday party in ''The Road to Oz'' (as a cross-over with Creator/LFrankBaum's book mentioned above).
160	* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', when Miranda is seeking refuge from demons, she is guided into a mall and finds that the MallSanta really is Father Christmas. Later, she and Mab visit him to use his pool to look for some children. While there, she takes a gift from [[TheFairFolk an elf]] -- usually a foolish thing, but she knows under his roof, it must be safe.
161	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''
162	** Santa makes an appearance in book ''Literature/ColdDays'' under the name Kringle. He is one of the strongest members in the court of Mab, the Queen of Winter. He is pretty cool. He is described as bear-like, standing over seven feet tall, with jelly-like belly. [[spoiler:He joins Literature/TheErlKing to lead TheWildHunt each Halloween. And is possibly an aspect of Odin]].
163	** He pops up again in ''Literature/SkinGame''. He notes that as he is a vassal of Queen Mab when she asks him to appear for aide, he is obliged to answer. When Harry is hesitant to receive information Santa has about the case Harry is working on as that could put him in a debt to Kringle, Kringle explains Harry can consider it as a belated Christmas gift as Harry's residence the past winter was hard to get to for Santa.
164	** In "Christmas Eve" set on the Christmas Eve after the events of the book ''Literature/PeaceTalks''. He appears to Harry with a gift of hot "coffee"[[note]]It is what Harry's father permitted him to drink and it is milk with sugar and a little bit of coffee[[/note]] that brings back memories of Harry's late father and the last Christmas they shared together when Harry was a boy. The gift is wrapped in paper with the pattern of the face of Harry's dog, Mouse, grinning. [[spoiler:Kringle also gives his compliments on the bike Harry has built for his daughter, and when that daughter walks in on the two, Kringle vanishes up the chimney. The daughter then thinks Santa got her the bike]].
165	* ''Literature/TheFatherChristmasLetters'' were delivered to the children of Creator/JRRTolkien, describing Santa's adventures and misadventures with the elves at the North Pole. Readers of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' may notice a few CrossOver similarities, especially in Santa's elf secretary Ilbereth.
166	* Despite her sometimes cynical nature, Literature/JunieBJones still believes in him and asks him for a Squeez-a-Burp at the end of ''Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, P.S.: So Does May''.
167	* "San D'Klass" is mentioned in ''Literature/{{Artemis Fowl}}''. Apparently a deluded king of the Elves who thought he could assuage the greed of mankind with occasional gifts, he utilized time stop technology to pull it all off in one night [[spoiler: and the fact that everyone remains sleeping during a time stop gives Artemis the idea for how to beat it]].
168	* ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': In book #15 (''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet''), Qwill agrees to take on the role of town Santa Claus in the Pickax Christmas parade, but very nearly bolts when informed only after the parade itself is over that he's expected at the courthouse for lap-sitting, having already endured a bumpy dogsled ride through bitter cold weather, followed by a perilous ladder-climb.
169	-->'''Qwill''': Lap-sitting? What the devil is that?
170	-->'''Wilfred''': They built a gingerbread house for you in front of the courthouse, and the kids sit on your lap and have their pictures taken.
171	-->'''Qwill''': Oh, no, they don't! I refuse flatly! Enough is enough!
172	-->'''Wilfred''': Mr. Qwilleran, sir, you gotta!
173	* Nicholas St. North in ''Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood'' books that ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' was based on.
174	* Hilda van Stockum's ''Kersti and St. Nicholas'' is a forgotten classic in which a "bad" girl believes that bad children are entitled to gifts like anyone else, and sets out on a journey to convince St. Nicholas himself of this. [[spoiler:AND SHE DOES!]] The author reveals, "I claim no responsibility for [Kersti's] actions. I had a lovely, sweet, good little story for nice little children and Kersti just came and played havoc with it. She ruined the moral, shocked Pieterbaas [Black Peter], had a very bad influence on St. Nicholas and did not deserve a present at the end. I wash my hands of her." Her fans know Kersti is actually one of her favorite characters.
175	* ''Literature/TheDaySantaStoppedBelievingInHarold'': Santa is the main character, and the conflict of the story is him and Harold not believing in each other.
176	* ''Literature/SamuraiScarecrow'': Yukio decides to try and run Santa out of ninja village for the other kids not wanting to take part in a snowball fight with him for fear of ending up on his naughty list.
177	* ''Literature/AndyGriffithsJustSeries'': In "A Terrible Christmas and a Crappy New Year", Andy worries that he will be put on Santa's "naughty" list after vandalising some Christmas cards.
178	* ''Literature/DrSeusssSleepBook'': Briefly mentioned when it says that Jo and Mo Red-Zoff talk about Santa Claus in their sleep.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
182	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
183	** The Ninth Doctor claims to be Santa in one episode.
184	--->'''Rose:''' Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas!\
185	'''Doctor:''' Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve?\
186	'''Rose:''' [[FlatWhat What]].
187	** In the 2010 Christmas Special, the Doctor says he is a friend of Santa's, providing a photo of him and Santa at Frank Sinatra's hunting lodge in 1952.
188	** We finally ''meet'' Santa at the ''very'' end of the Series 8 finale "Death in Heaven". [[EstablishingCharacterMoment "Now, Doctor... What do you want for Christmas?"]] This leads into the 2014 Christmas episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas Last Christmas]]"; turns out he is simply part of an elaborate multi-layered dream scenario. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane Although that does not explain how a tangerine ended up on Clara's windowsill...]]
189	* It is revealed that there are ''thousands'' of Santas in ''Series/RoundTheTwist''. As Santa #115,302 notes, "It'd take more than ''one'' Santa to get down all those chimneys in one night, get real!" Also, Santas have [[{{Pun}} handily evolved claws]] after hundreds of years of scrambling up chimneys.
190	* In the sketch show ''Series/ManStrokeWoman,'' Santa apparently lives like a completely normal person with a girlfriend who is completely unaware. That is, until she finds all the children's letters when they are packing for a move. He is adamant he is not, though he does not hide it very well.
191	* On ''Series/LazyTown'', one of the resident DastardlyWhiplash Robbie Rotten's schemes involved dressing up as Santa.
192	-->''I'm so glad that I'm so tricky, even so Saint Nicky.''
193	* In "A Very Spritely Holiday" on ''Series/JohnnyAndTheSprites'', Gwen tells Johnny that she is ([[NewJobAsThePlotDemands currently]]) one of Santa's helpers.
194	* ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' features Santa in many of the series' Christmas specials. Notably in ''Barney's Night Before Christmas'', where Barney and his friends visit Santa's workshop and meet the jolly old man himself and Main/MrsClaus. In his various appearances in the Christmas specials, it's noted he and Barney are old friends, both being magical beings who help children in need.
195	** In ''Waiting for Santa'', while Santa himself does not show up until the end, Barney and the Backyard Gang still visit the Workshop and visit Mrs. Claus in a quest to give them Derek's new address.
196	* Santa is one of the main characters in the Norwegian series ''Series/VazelinaHjulkalender'', starring Music/VazelinaBilophoggers. In this series, he accidentally crash-lands in the wrecking yard in the beginning of December, and the band have to help him get his sled fixed in time for Christmas. This series depicts Santa as [[YouDontLookLikeYou skinny and unable to grow a proper beard]], with his famous look being a disguise he adopts so he'll better fit the public image of him.
197	* Santa appears in season 4 of ''Series/TheMagicians2016''. He began as a human magician who learned forbidden magic that allowed him to become Santa, complete with sleigh and ChimneyEntry. The Library eventually caught and imprisoned him, because he had to steal from their forbidden archives to gain that knowledge.
198	* On ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', Daniel Striped Tiger gets worried when he hears that he is coming to Make Believe because he has heard that he knows if you've been good or bad, and also that he can see you when you're sleeping. When he meets Santa, he tells him that "Good people aren't always good. They just try to be," and that somebody made up the whole thing about him seeing children when they are sleeping and being able to tell if they are good or bad. "I'm not a spy."
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Music]]
202	* Santa Claus naturally figures prominently in many popular ChristmasSongs, including such tunes as "Up on the Housetop," "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Santa Baby," and "Must Be Santa."
203	* In the song "The Wonderful Kingdom of Claus" by Music/BobRivers and Twisted Radio on their album "I Am Santa Claus," [[OffToSeeTheWizard Dorothy and Toto]] visit the mall to meet Santa Claus, only to be at first turned away by his elves. Dorothy says that she has a gold card and the elf comments, "That's a card of a different color!" and lets her in. She and Toto are met by a booming voice declaring himself to be Santa Claus, but it is eventually revealed to be a skinny guy. He explains that Mrs. Claus put him on the [=SlimFast=] diet. "I used to have a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Now I just have shakes. One for breakfast, one for lunch, and a sensible skim milk and cookie for dinner. I can't stand it." He reveals that he and the elves no longer make toys at his workshop at the North Pole because they got undercut by the malls, and so he is just a middle-man who delivers toys now. He and his elves then launch into a parody of "If I only had a brain." "We thought we made it all, from Barbie dolls to rubber balls / But Betsy-Wetsy took a fall. / They marked her down! / She's at the mall!" After the song ends, Dorothy laments his fate, but just then a savior shows up, hooking Santa up with a fax machine and pager (yeah, it's pretty dated, though the package does also include a cellular phone with voice messaging) Santa and his operation are saved, and Dorothy and Toto are left to lament how now he'll easily be able to check up on who's naughty and who's nice.
204	** The headline song from the same album as the above song, "I Am Santa Claus," is a parody of Music/BlackSabbath's "Iron Man."
205	* Darkly spoofed by Music/WeirdAlYankovic in "The Night Santa Went Crazy," which features Santa having a psychotic break and [[AxCrazy going on a killing spree]].
206	* Santa gets a [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Jewish treatment]] in the Klezmonaut's song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVctwp1ecc Santa Gey Gesunderheit]]." The singer praises Santa's work ethic and wonders how he manages to put up with it all without complaining.
207	* Santa also has to lose weight in Bob Rivers' "The Real Slim Santa", a parody of "The Real Slim Shady" by Music/{{Eminem}}. Santa's doctor tells him he's risking heart failure. He doesn't give up milk and cookies but chooses low-fat versions and goes to a gym, advising everyone to do so for their health and to be more attractive.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Pinballs]]
211	* Santa is one of the five passengers in Creator/WilliamsElectronics' ''Pinball/{{Taxi}}'' pinball game. Apparently his reindeer had the day off...
212	[[/folder]]
213
214	[[folder:Theater]]
215	* In ''Theatre/BellsAreRinging'', Santa Claus is one of the voices that Ella does over the phone. She uses it to tell a little boy named Jimmy Mallett to eat his spinach.
216	* ''Theatre/YesVirginiaTheMusical'' has not only Scraggly Santa, a homeless man playing the part, but has eight versions of Santa Claus from around the world appear for "Santa by the Book", a song about how Santa is real, and exists in different forms around the world, and the Jolly Gentleman is implied to be Santa Claus in disguise.
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Toys]]
220	* Toys/{{Squishmallows}}: Several distinct characters are supposed to represent not only Santa, but Mrs. Claus as well.
221	* ''Franchise/{{Tamagotchi}}'': Initially, the Tamagotchi Planet did not celebrate Christmas. But Tamagotchis returning from Earth had picked up on Earth traditions, including Christmas, and wanted to celebrate it. A mayor of a snowy northern village, realizing there was no Santa Tamagotchi, decides to take on the role and evolves into Santaclautchi permanently. Santaclautchi has his own dedicated Tamagotchi toy, with the goal being to help him deliver presents to all of the Tamagotchis in time for Christmas instead of the usual [[VirtualPet virtual pet]] setup of raising a baby into an adult. He also makes cameos on newer releases as part of a special holiday animation.
222	[[/folder]]
223
224	[[folder:Video Games]]
225	* In ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', when the children of the world stop believing in him, Santa tries to use the Mana Seed of Fire to grow a wonderous Christmas Tree that will make them believe, and help him to spread the true meaning of Christmas™ across the world. This... does not quite work. The seed's power warps him into the hateful Frost Gigas, and the heroes have to fight him to break the curse. Yes, you read that paragraph right. That all happens.
226	* The model for the infamous old man on the lying cover of ''VideoGame/{{Phalanx}}'' had just come from a Santa shoot.
227	* There is a downloadable skit for ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' in which Sophie mentions that she recently learned all about Christmas from Malik, and then proceeds to tell that gang about Santa Claus... who she has been led to believe is a man who carries an axe and wanders through the night on Christmas Eve, chopping down the chimney's of houses. Cue a cut-in of Malik dressed as Santa, beard, sack, and all, holding an axe and having the expression of some [[AxeCrazy sadistic murderer]]. Note that Malik regularly tells outlandish tales to the naïve Sophie and this seems like his regular behavior, so the skit is made even funnier when Malik claims that he heard the story from ''Richard''.
228	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', your characters get [[AndYourRewardIsClothes outfits]], or "titles," for completing the Repede snowboarding mini-game with attachments based on each character. Yuri, Estelle and Repede himself each get Santa Claus outfits, "Winter's Night Delivery Man," "Holy Night Delivery Girl" and "Snow Delivery Dog" respectively. Karol is Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, "Delivery Reindeer." The other characters get outfits with a winter theme, though not specifically a Christmas one.
229	* Santa appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' as part of the Halloween Town / Christmas Town section from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] schemes to turn him into "Santa Heartless."
230	* ''VideoGame/JamesPond 2: [=RoboCod=]'' is set in Santa's main toy factory at the North Pole, which has been taken over by [[BigBad Dr. Maybe]]. The ending has Santa fly by in his sleigh and drop a bag of swag on Dr. Maybe's head.
231	* In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', Santa is a wandering merchant who sells stuff at insanely high prices in the Wandering Dungeon and can be encountered randomly. When the main protagonist, Edge, first sees him, he suggests that he might be some cosplayer, but he is actually Santa. Despite the high prices, a lot of his stuff is really good, or at the very least unique. That does not stop Edge, once you exit the shop menu, from complaining that he'd have to take out a mortgage to afford the stuff.
232	* ''Special Delivery'' for Platform/Atari8BitComputers has you play as a Santa who has overslept on Christmas Eve and hence has only five hours to make his rounds. His helpers drop presents from clouds, but he still has to descend chimneys to deliver them himself.
233	* He appear in ''{{VideoGame/Grow}} Ornament'' if you get every item at level MAX.
234	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has its own version of Santa Claus for its in-universe version of Christmas, the Starlight Celebration. Known as the Saint of Nymeia, his legend is based on an Ishgardian knight-captain who would provide shelter for orphans during the outbreak of the Dragonsong War. Over the countless centuries since, the legend has changed to describe him as an immortal saint who would deliver presents from the goddess Nymeia to good little boys and girls. Much like Santa, he is depicted as wearing red and sporting a large white beard. A kindly businessman, Godbert Manderville, dresses up as the Saint every year to deliver cheer to the realm.
235	* ''VideoGame/ZombieClaus'' gives you the regular Jolly Ol' Elf in the title screen, while in the main game you're running from a green-coated zombie Santa Claus.
236	* Santa is a playable fighter in ''Fight of Gods''.
237	* Santa is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure in the ''VideoGame/NewYankeeInKingArthursCourt'' series of PC {{time management game}}s. In the third installment, ''New Yankee in Santa's Service,'' the heroes John and Mary accidentally crash at the North Pole and frighten off his reindeer; Santa orders them to do whatever it takes to get the animals back, essentially saving Christmas in the process, and provides them with warm clothes and elf assistants for the duration.
238	[[/folder]]
239
240	[[folder:Web Comics]]
241	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Elf? Check. Jolly? Check. White hair, dressing the part? Check. Introduces himself with a hearty "HO HO HO?" Oh yeah. Santa? [[AvertedTrope Not quite.]] [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2010-06-23 Meet Jerry.]]
242	* In the webcomic ''Webcomic/HolidayWars'', the EasterBunny kills Santa Claus and declares war on all the other holidays.
243	%%* In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000409c the origin story has Protoman thinking that Dr. Light is Santa Claus (though he may have been intended to resemble Edison)]].
244	* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' he first gets infected by alien DNA and later eliminated by Bun-Bun. Luckily, Bun-Bun later is forced to hit the ResetButton.
245	* ''Webcomic/{{Whomp}}'' reveals that he is the DisappearedDad of Ronnie that has only recently tried to reconnect with him. Ronnie is also noted to have inherited some of Santa's magical abilities.
246	* Only in ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'' can Santa be re-imagined as a MagicalGirl: in their world presents are delivered by Holly Jolly, an immortal magical girl that uses her powers of passing through barriers, slowing down time, and carrying infinite presents in her BagOfHolding to deliver presents to children at [[YouMeanXMas Crimmus]]. [[spoiler:''Someone'' left Anemone a present under her Crimmus bush, greatly hinting Holly Jolly is RealAfterAll.]]
247	* Santa Claus is a recurring character in Georgia Dunn's ''Webcomic/BreakingCatNews''. [[https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2019/12/15 He first appears in the Dec. 15, 2019 strip]] and figures prominently in the [[https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2020/12/01 Christmas 2020 story]] which deals with the "sees you when you're sleeping", "only good children/cats get presents" stuff.
248	--> '''The Girl.''' ''I don't want toys. I just want to be bad.''
249	[[/folder]]
250
251	[[folder:Web Original]]
252	* Website/{{Claus}} is a Christmas-themed website dedicated to Santa and his elves.
253	* ''Forbes'' had in its website a [[Fiction500 Fictional 15 richest characters]]. Santa topped the first two lists because if he can build toys for every child in the world and owns a city of elves plus the means to deliver everything in just one night, his wealth could be simply described as infinite.
254	* ''WebVideo/KidTimeStorytime'' has a playlist of Santa-related books.
255	* ''WebOriginal/IUsedToBelieve'': The [[https://www.iusedtobelieve.com/make_believe/father_christmas/ Father Christmas]] section has a host of beliefs, ranging from "I thought Santa was real" to "I thought Santa was my grandfather".
256	* ''[[http://www.kongregate.com/games/BerzerkStudio/rocket-santa Rocket Santa]]'', a silly WebGame where Santa wants to give presents to SpaceMarines on the moon, so he straps on a JetPack and [[HumanCannonball climbs into a circus cannon]].
257	* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has at least five of them;
258	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2412-j SCP-2412-J]] is a fairly straight example. They even let him out of his cell for a few hours on Christmas Eve to deliver toys.
259	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1933 SCP-1933]] is a homeless man in a Santa suit that used to break into houses on Christmas Eve and deliver presents alongside bottles of his urine (he pees Irish cream). He lives off a diet of whiskey and cream and drinking more than 25ml oh his piss in one day will turn all your bodily fluids into whiskey.
260	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-4666 SCP-4666]] is an uncontained {{Santabomination}} that stalks and murders families around Christmas. It takes the youngest child to make toys from other children in its ElaborateUndergroundBase. Children who can no longer make toys, will become toys.
261	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-4255 SCP-4255]] is another straight example that uses time travel to be in multiple places at once. He can't be contained so the Foundation mainly covers his tracks and modifies parents' memories to make them think they bought the presents. When the Foundation managed to interview him, he confessed to being a criminal from the future who was sentenced to do it by the TimePolice.
262	** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3355 SCP-3355]] is a BenevolentAI from a cancelled army project that hacks the internet to have free toys delivered to poor children at Christmas that are labelled as being from St. Nick. It's notably one of the few anomalies that the Foundation doesn't try to contain.
263
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:Western Animation]]
267	* Santa appears in the opening of the Creator/VanBeurenStudios Cubby Bear cartoon "Opening Night" and also appears in the Little King short "Pals / Christmas Night".
268	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'s Perfect Christmas'', Arthur's little sister D.W. is still a firm believer in Santa Claus. When she finds out that she might not be getting the gift she wanted, Tina the Talking Tabby, she concludes that Arthur wrote her letter "all wrong" and decides that if she wants something done right, she has to do it herself. When the Tibble Twins see her mailing the letter, they tease her, but she tells them that it's to the President of the United States, leading one of them to conclude, "Oh, so he's the one who delivers all the presents."
269	* On ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty'', Santa is a HumanAlien with PointyEars whose toy shop is located on a planet orbiting the North Star. Betty has encountered him a few times due to various villains going after him for Christmas-related schemes.
270	* Santa appears on ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' in the ChristmasEpisode "Holiday Time". His toy shop is located in a gigantic space station shaped like a snow globe, his elves are actually the LittleGreenMen (the same species as the one from Star Command), and he delivers presents using a device that stops time for everyone but its user.
271	* Eddie books an appearance for him on ''WesternAnimation/ClassOf3000'' in an attempt to impress Tamika. He is portrayed as a black man, but is otherwise pretty standard Santa. Oh, and Sunny holds a deep grudge against him; Santa misinterpreted Sunny's Christmas list when he was a child, leading to him getting injured and losing his prized part in a school play.
272	* ''WesternAnimation/DadX'': The titular Dad'X, despite the name, is the standard jolly fat man in red and white who gives gifts to children all over Earth. However, he lives on the North Pole of [[ChristmasTown Christmas Planet]], a separate planet from Earth.
273	* ''WesternAnimation/DenisAndMe'': Santa Claus visits Denis' house in "Santa Who" on Christmas Eve. While he's there, he ends up launched head-first into a vat of cookies by Denis' malfunctioning recliner and [[EasyAmnesia loses his memory]]. Denis and Sir Meows-A-Lot then have to accompany him on his rounds so Christmas can happen.
274	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'' ChristmasEpisode "A Very [=McStuffins=] Christmas," the elf spends most of the episode avoiding Santa because he is worried about what he'll think of him. Santa, however, likes his work and gives him a promotion. He also reveals that he has been following Doc [=McStuffins=]' career with considerable interest and offers her a job, but she declines.
275	* ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' has ''[[YetAnotherChristmasCarol Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure]]'' in which, after one too many times of swiping on Christmas, Santa Claus puts Swiper (SwiperNoSwiping) on the Naughty List. He and Dora have to travel forward and backward in time through three time periods to help Swiper reform. In a BadFuture, they discover that after being put on the Naughty List, Swiper became a mean old curmudgeon who swipes no matter what ("Swiper, no swiping!" no longer worked) and who lived in a castle and always littered. Prior to this transformation, Swiper was a somewhat sympathetic character with a fondness for puppies and who had a conscience that could be appealed to. So, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero nice job breaking it, Santa.]] Thankfully, Dora was able to guide the way and get Swiper off the naughty list, preventing the Bad Future.
276	* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', based on an animatronic Louie put up, Santa is a polar bear. He also did ''[[NoodleIncident something]]'' that made Scrooge have beef with him.
277	-->"That man is not allowed in my home! ''He knows what he did.''"
278	-->"That churlish chimney-chaser is ''not'' to be trusted!"
279	** Santa shows up for real in the Season 3 ChristmasEpisode "How Santa Stole Christmas!", where he enlists Scrooge for help in delivering his gifts. As for what he did to Scrooge... [[spoiler:he did not do anything. It was ''Scrooge'' who started their feud. Santa and Scrooge were once partners, delivering coal to warm people's homes on Christmas, but had a falling-out because Scrooge did not want to deliver gifts for free as Santa intended.]]
280	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': Daolong Wong once tried to steal Santa's chi.
281	* On ''Literature/MaxAndRuby'', Max's continuous questions of "Why?", "When?", "How?", etc. regarding Santa Claus are the subject of the story "Max's Christmas," eventually leading Ruby to resort to simply "[[BecauseISaidSo Because!]]" Especially since he keeps sneaking out of bed to try to see Santa Claus, even though she tells him Santa will not show if they are not sleeping. When Santa eventually does show...
282	-->'''Santa:''' ''[pulling Max's Santa hat over his eyes]'' Don't look, Max.\
283	'''Max:''' Why?\
284	'''Santa:''' Nobody is supposed to see me.\
285	'''Max:''' Why?
286	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MikeTheKnight'', Mike tries to deliver the presents for Santa to get off the naughty list, not realizing he was never on the naughty list, it's just that his present was very big and so hadn't been delivered yet. A followup episode had Mike as Santa's good friend and [[SavingChristmas trying to help him out]] when one of his reindeer got sick.
287	* In "The Ice Moose" YouMeanXmas episode on ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'', the Ice Moose, Old Tim, is this and delivers presents.
288	* In "Peppa's Christmas" on ''WesternAnimation/PeppaPig'', both Peppa and her little brother George get to meet Santa. The episode seems to imply that the only reason Santa goes up and down the chimney is because he never thought of simply using the door. The vocal credits for the episode list "Father Christmas as himself."
289	* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' Christmas special, Santa (voiced by Creator/ClancyBrown) is revealed as TheChessmaster behind the misadventures in the episode, which he arranged so that everyone could get what they really wanted for Christmas, including giving Phineas a chance to take on the role of Santa, his hero. The boys build him an awesome winter clubhouse as a gift that he takes back to the North Pole.
290	** Santa has once shared a chimney-vator with Perry the Platypus, who could not help but beam in his presence. [[ChekhovsGun He later shows up]], doing a summer run, his sleigh providing aid at a crucial moment for Perry, who starts beaming again.
291	* On ''Animation/{{Pucca}}'', since Santa only does his his actual job one day a year, he spends the remainder of his time living in the hometown of the other characters on the show and does a variety of odd jobs.
292	* ''WesternAnimation/SantasChristmasCrash'': The movie is about Santa Claus doing his rounds for Christmas, when he crash-lands in a desert. He seeks the help of the local kids, who have never heard of Christmas before, to help him get back on track.
293	* Strawberry Shortcake and Honey Pie Pony meet him and talk with him up at the North Pole in ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake: Berry, Merry Christmas''.
294	* In "The Living Holiday Lights", from ''WesternAnimation/SpecialAgentOso'', when Whirlybird appears to ferry Oso across the sea to the United States, he asks if Oso was expecting Santa Claus.
295	* A version of Santa Claus routinely showed up in the various examples of ChristmasEpisode and ChristmasSpecial produced by ''Creator/HannaBarbera''.
296	** He shows up in ''WesternAnimation/CaspersFirstChristmas.''
297	** Santa is sick in bed and needs Fred Flintstone's help in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''
298	** He comes to help Scooby and Shaggy in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooHauntedHolidays''.
299	** ''WesternAnimation/PotsworthAndCompany'': The episode "Santanapped" is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
300	** He also appears in several Christmas specials of ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981''; in one of them he is turned evil by Chlorydris.
301	* Santa Claus exists in ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'' and is not an alien, but everything around him is explained with sci-fi elements rather than magic. Among other examples, his Elves are actually aliens; his flying reindeers are robots made by the Arquillians; the North Pole is a façade (he lives in New York); and in the event that he can't fulfill his work, the higher ranking MIB should cover for him (Zed), which implies that the title of "Santa Claus" is given to a particular human and not a magical being. However, Santa does shows some unexplained abilities, like helping Jay finding a suitable present for Kay.
302	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' Christmas episode "X-Mas Marks the Spot," the eponymous ghostbusters overhear Santa and his reindeer traveling in the sky. Santa is implied to be not human but a spirit, like the [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future]], which are shown to be authentic in that episode.
303	* Santa appears in a typical ''WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons'' short "Who Killed Who?" The detective approaches a door that has a sign reading "Do not open till Xmas," and he frantically tries to get the door open. When he does, Santa is on the other side and says "Listen, doc. Can't ya read?!" and bops the detective on the head.
304	* Santa appears in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Wishfart}}'' episode "Christmas Times the Max", with his voice provided by Paul Soles (aka the voice of [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer Hermey the Elf]]). Dez is a huge fan of his wish-granting work and is super-excited when Santa allows him to do SubbingForSanta when it's ChristmasInJuly.
305	* He appears at the end of the animated ''[[Literature/IfYouGiveAMouseAcookie If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie]]'', just after Mouse sneaks a bite of the cookie left out for him. He leaves Mouse and Oliver's presents, and then Mouse hands him the cookie.
306	-->'''Oliver:''' ''[narrating]'' And if you give Santa a cookie, then...\
307	'''Santa:''' Thirsty.\
308	'''Oliver:''' He's going to want a glass of milk to go with.\
309	'''Santa:''' Merry Christmas, Mouse.
310	* In a LooseCanon ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' Christmas special, Santa is a legendary figure across all nine realms. His [[HybridPower mixed heritage]] of Frost Giant and Light Elf grants him RealityWarper magic powers to bend spacetime and deliver his presents to every good child across all realms.
311	* Santa's appeared a number of times in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken''. It'd take all day to list all his appearances, so here's a few highlights:
312	** The time he executed the Coca-Cola board of directors for illegally using his image.
313	** The time he had an existential crisis over discovering the world runs on GreyAndGreyMorality.
314	** ''Both'' of the times he had a rivalry with Superman. One time ended with him stranded on the moon while Superman seduced Mrs. Claus; the other time ended with them making up and kidnapping Lex Luthor.
315	** There is also Composite Santa Claus, who's half Santa, half snowman. (And by half it's ''literally'' down the middle.)[[note]]A parody of the Composite Superman, who's split between Superman and Batman[[/note]] He is usually felled by 'his only weakness' (which changes each sketch).
316	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretWorldOfSantaClaus'': As the name suggests, Santa is the main protagonist of the show. He is just like children imagine him: a just and kind old man with a big belly and a big white beard. He thinks that every child deserves to get a present for Christmas, and he loves milk and cookies.
317	* ''WesternAnimation/ToonBops'': Santa makes an appearance in "It's Christmas!" to deliver presents.
318	* He shows up several times in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', where it's revealed that the fairies lend him power every Christmas to make deliveries. He first shows up in the ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' shorts, where he drags a wayward elf back to the North Pole.
319	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'' episode "Money," the boys are visiting Coney Island where Ringo mistakes a mechanical clown as Santa. (In Europe, Santa is widely known as "Father Christmas," but since this was for American television, he was called Santa Claus.)
320	* ''WesternAnimation/LolitaLolita'': In "Fireplace", Santa Claus comes to Lolita's house on Christmas Eve. He's peeking his head out of the fireplace when Lolita comes into the room in a white coat. He ducks back inside, and ends up watching Lolita remove her coat, revealing she's only in her skivvies. He [[DistractedByTheSexy get so wrapped up in watching her]] that he stays in the chimney even after she lights the fireplace to warm up. Santa shoots out of the chimney with his buttocks on fire.
321	* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': In "Holidays in Boxwood Terrace", Jet portrays Santa in the Christmas pageant.
322	[[/folder]]
323
324	[[folder:Real Life]]
325	* The mythology of Santa Claus originated from the very real Saint Nicholas, a Byzantine Bishop from the fourth century who performed miracles and gave gifts in secret (most accounts of his life agree that he was the only child of a wealthy family, and when his parents died he used his new wealth to finance his clandestine generosity). [[ShroudedInMyth After centuries of his legacy being mythologized]], the modern day Santa is so far removed from Saint Nicholas that the two are treated as separate icons.
326	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / SantaClaus