What do you think?
Rate this book
There Really Is a Santa Claus - The History of Saint Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions
Saint Nicholas - Sinter Klaas - Santa Claus Read the story of Nicholas, 3rd Century Bishop of Myra, Asia Minor (present day Turkey) and how over time stories of his holy, generous life were embelished into legend. Discover additions of writer Washington Irving, minister Clement Moore, Civil War illustrator Thomas Nast, Coca-Cola artist Haddom Sundblom. Explore fascinating origins of the 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas Tree, Carols, Kris Kringle, Creche' scene, Poinsettia, Hanukkah... Relive events on Christmas throughout history, from Columbus to Valley Forge, the Great Depression to the Korean War. Travel back in time by reading Christmas Messages of U.S. Presidents, such as: Harry S Truman, just after WWII, at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, 1946: "If we as a nation, and the other nations of the world, will accept it, the star of faith will guide us into the place of peace as it did the shepherds on that day of Christ's birth long ago."
300 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
9 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
William J. Federer
26 books55 followersWilliam J. Federer is a nationally recognized speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company focused on America's heritage. His "American Minute" radio feature airs daily nationwide, and his television program "Faith in History" broadcasts on the TCT Network and DirecTV.
A former U.S. Congressional candidate, Bill has appeared on major media outlets such as CSPAN, FOX, NPR, TBN, MSNBC, NewsMax, OAN, and Real America's Voice. He has been featured on shows like Hannity, The O’Reilly Factor, The Eric Metaxas Show, Prager U, and others. On radio, he has been interviewed by Focus on the Family, Salem Radio Network, USA Radio Network, and numerous other programs.
Bill’s writing has been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, Washington Times, Washington Post, and WorldNetDaily, among others. His book America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations has sold over half a million copies and remains widely cited. Other titles by Bill include Change to Chains, Socialism: The Real History from Plato to the Present, The Ten Commandments and Their Influence on American Law, George Washington Carver: His Life & Faith In His Own Words, and What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an.
Bill has spoken extensively across the U.S. at political conventions, military bases, universities, high schools, churches, and national landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Lincoln Memorial. His audiences have included Congress members, military officers, students, and civic organizations.
Honored for his contributions to history and public service, Bill has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from American Christian College and an Honorary Doctorate of Global Leadership from Midwest University. Other awards include the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the National Association of Christian Lawmakers' Lifetime Achievement Award.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Bill graduated from St. Louis University High School and earned his business degree from St. Louis University. He is the fifth of eleven children and married his wife Susie in 1981. Bill has worked in real estate, oil & gas, and religious organizations and is an original signer of the Manhattan Declaration.
In politics, Bill’s Congressional campaigns in 2000 and 2004 were notable. Running against Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Bill mounted one of the most expensive and closely watched races in the nation, setting voting records for a Republican in Missouri’s 3rd District.
A former U.S. Congressional candidate, Bill has appeared on major media outlets such as CSPAN, FOX, NPR, TBN, MSNBC, NewsMax, OAN, and Real America's Voice. He has been featured on shows like Hannity, The O’Reilly Factor, The Eric Metaxas Show, Prager U, and others. On radio, he has been interviewed by Focus on the Family, Salem Radio Network, USA Radio Network, and numerous other programs.
Bill’s writing has been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, Washington Times, Washington Post, and WorldNetDaily, among others. His book America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations has sold over half a million copies and remains widely cited. Other titles by Bill include Change to Chains, Socialism: The Real History from Plato to the Present, The Ten Commandments and Their Influence on American Law, George Washington Carver: His Life & Faith In His Own Words, and What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an.
Bill has spoken extensively across the U.S. at political conventions, military bases, universities, high schools, churches, and national landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Lincoln Memorial. His audiences have included Congress members, military officers, students, and civic organizations.
Honored for his contributions to history and public service, Bill has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from American Christian College and an Honorary Doctorate of Global Leadership from Midwest University. Other awards include the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the National Association of Christian Lawmakers' Lifetime Achievement Award.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Bill graduated from St. Louis University High School and earned his business degree from St. Louis University. He is the fifth of eleven children and married his wife Susie in 1981. Bill has worked in real estate, oil & gas, and religious organizations and is an original signer of the Manhattan Declaration.
In politics, Bill’s Congressional campaigns in 2000 and 2004 were notable. Running against Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Bill mounted one of the most expensive and closely watched races in the nation, setting voting records for a Republican in Missouri’s 3rd District.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 23, 2021
Less than a quarter of this book is about Santa Claus and Christmas traditions most of it is speeches given by American presidents at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, ten pages are for speeches at the lighting of National Menorah Hannukkah also by American presidents. Learned about this book from a video at Prager University.
January 6, 2018
I'm afraid I was rather disappointed in this book. It should probably have been titled "A Collection of Miscellaneous Facts About the History of Santa Claus and Christmas." There was a lot of information, some of it quite interesting, but it was very poorly organized, especially in the second half, with a great deal of material that was irrelevant or redundant. In addition, the editing was about the poorest I have seen in a book by such a well-known author. As an example of both these problems, the entire text of the Christmas carol Good Christian Men, Rejoice was included in its entirety - twice in a row!
Other Christmas carols were also included in full, often with the chorus reprinted after each verse. Also included were long, rambling stories by Washington Irving about the Dutch settlement at New Amsterdam, and its eccentric governor, Peter Stuyvesant, which were only tangentially relevant at best. In the second half, particularly, it felt as though the author's entire research notebook was simply reprinted, sans editing, to make the book longer. I really would have preferred a much shorter book with some organization and decent editing. I am interested enough in history that I bothered to finish the book, but I'm really hoping the others I've bought by this author prove to be of better quality than this one.
Other Christmas carols were also included in full, often with the chorus reprinted after each verse. Also included were long, rambling stories by Washington Irving about the Dutch settlement at New Amsterdam, and its eccentric governor, Peter Stuyvesant, which were only tangentially relevant at best. In the second half, particularly, it felt as though the author's entire research notebook was simply reprinted, sans editing, to make the book longer. I really would have preferred a much shorter book with some organization and decent editing. I am interested enough in history that I bothered to finish the book, but I'm really hoping the others I've bought by this author prove to be of better quality than this one.
December 13, 2019
Perfect December read.
December 22, 2023
A CHRONOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM OF FACTS, STORIES AND LEGENDS
Author William J. Federer begins this 2003 book, “The year was 280 AD… It was twenty-one years prior to the violent persecution of Christians by Roman Emperor Diocletian. It was also thirty-three years prior to Roman Emperor Constantine’s grant of official toleration to the Christian religion. This same year… in the town of Patara, located in … present-day Turkey, a child was born to a wealthy, elderly couple who had been unable to have children. The child was named Nicholas… the facts which history records is that in the 3rd-4th Century, there lived a person of reputation named Nicholas on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea in an area known as Asia Minor; that he was significant enough to be made a Bishop and spiritual enough to be called by the title Saint…. Some would contend that this history is mixed with legend, but being unqualified to distinguish between the two, this author has decided to relate the essence of the story as received.” (Pg. 13)
He notes, “When the Reformation began in Germany, 1517, Martin Luther ended all praying to or honoring of saints, including Saint Nicholas, believing that Christ alone should be the focus of attention. He realized, though, the importance of traditions in people’s lives, especially at Christmas time, so he sought to refocus the people’s thoughts on the Christ Child, which in old German was pronounced ‘Kris Kindl’… later pronounced ‘Kris Kringle.’ He taught Christ was the giver of all gifts and our gift-giving should be in remembrance of the great gifts Christ gave us.” (Pg. 39)
He observes, “Some [Christmas] traditions have clearly pagan backgrounds, such as: ‘Mistletoe,’ which was hung up by the Druids to ward off evil spirits, which custom of kissing under it originated with the Celts and Teutons of northern Europe; the ‘Yule Log’ was blessed by the Druids with a great ceremony at their winter feast, promising it would bring good luck if it could be kept burning during the entire winter solstice, and unburnt portion of the log was kept to begin the fire the following year and the ashes of which were thought to bring fertility to the soil; ‘Wassailing’ was the practice of pouring wassail punch (a mixture of ale, spices and toasted apples) on their trees, fields, beehives, in an attempt to bring luck for the next year’s harvests.” (Pg. 47)
He notes, “The Greek symbol ‘X’ is abbreviation of Christos, and is the origin for X-mas as ‘Christmas.’ In 1390, the mark ‘X’ … was called the Cros-Kryst, meaning the Cross of Christ. In 1475 this evolved into the ‘Criss-Cross' from the Middle English pronunciation of Christ’s Cross.” (Pg. 55)
He recounts, “On December 17, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a nationally broadcast address at the Pageant of Peace Ceremonies, just before lighting the National Community Christmas Tree on the Ellipse: ‘I was struck by the fact that in the far off continents Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, as well as Christians, pause from their labors on the 25th day of December to celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace.’” (Pg. 157)
He suggests, “The Christmas Tree’s earliest origins most probably drew its beginnings from the Jewish Festival’s of Lights or Hanukkah, which is Hebrew for ‘Dedication,’ where candles were lit to celebrate the driving out of the heathen army of the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, from Jerusalem in 163 BC by Judas Maccabeus.” (Pg. 331)
This book will be of interest to those studying the various stories and legends about Santa/St. Nicholas
Author William J. Federer begins this 2003 book, “The year was 280 AD… It was twenty-one years prior to the violent persecution of Christians by Roman Emperor Diocletian. It was also thirty-three years prior to Roman Emperor Constantine’s grant of official toleration to the Christian religion. This same year… in the town of Patara, located in … present-day Turkey, a child was born to a wealthy, elderly couple who had been unable to have children. The child was named Nicholas… the facts which history records is that in the 3rd-4th Century, there lived a person of reputation named Nicholas on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea in an area known as Asia Minor; that he was significant enough to be made a Bishop and spiritual enough to be called by the title Saint…. Some would contend that this history is mixed with legend, but being unqualified to distinguish between the two, this author has decided to relate the essence of the story as received.” (Pg. 13)
He notes, “When the Reformation began in Germany, 1517, Martin Luther ended all praying to or honoring of saints, including Saint Nicholas, believing that Christ alone should be the focus of attention. He realized, though, the importance of traditions in people’s lives, especially at Christmas time, so he sought to refocus the people’s thoughts on the Christ Child, which in old German was pronounced ‘Kris Kindl’… later pronounced ‘Kris Kringle.’ He taught Christ was the giver of all gifts and our gift-giving should be in remembrance of the great gifts Christ gave us.” (Pg. 39)
He observes, “Some [Christmas] traditions have clearly pagan backgrounds, such as: ‘Mistletoe,’ which was hung up by the Druids to ward off evil spirits, which custom of kissing under it originated with the Celts and Teutons of northern Europe; the ‘Yule Log’ was blessed by the Druids with a great ceremony at their winter feast, promising it would bring good luck if it could be kept burning during the entire winter solstice, and unburnt portion of the log was kept to begin the fire the following year and the ashes of which were thought to bring fertility to the soil; ‘Wassailing’ was the practice of pouring wassail punch (a mixture of ale, spices and toasted apples) on their trees, fields, beehives, in an attempt to bring luck for the next year’s harvests.” (Pg. 47)
He notes, “The Greek symbol ‘X’ is abbreviation of Christos, and is the origin for X-mas as ‘Christmas.’ In 1390, the mark ‘X’ … was called the Cros-Kryst, meaning the Cross of Christ. In 1475 this evolved into the ‘Criss-Cross' from the Middle English pronunciation of Christ’s Cross.” (Pg. 55)
He recounts, “On December 17, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a nationally broadcast address at the Pageant of Peace Ceremonies, just before lighting the National Community Christmas Tree on the Ellipse: ‘I was struck by the fact that in the far off continents Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, as well as Christians, pause from their labors on the 25th day of December to celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace.’” (Pg. 157)
He suggests, “The Christmas Tree’s earliest origins most probably drew its beginnings from the Jewish Festival’s of Lights or Hanukkah, which is Hebrew for ‘Dedication,’ where candles were lit to celebrate the driving out of the heathen army of the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, from Jerusalem in 163 BC by Judas Maccabeus.” (Pg. 331)
This book will be of interest to those studying the various stories and legends about Santa/St. Nicholas
January 31, 2021
The book is a compilation of historic vignettes. The first are about Nicholas, bishop of Myra, then how St Nicholas was culturally transformed into Santa Claus. Some of those were interesting and helped round out why certain things are as they are.
The second portion of the book focused on the references to Nicholas and Christmas, especially in the United States, but not in a particularly cohesive way. The vignettes were usually chronological, but why certain carols for example were chosen and others not didn't seem to have specific rhyme or reason. There were unfortunately editorial errors in the text, too, making it seem a bit cobbled together rather than being a focused work.
Federer included most stories and events without commentary, focusing only on the mention of Nicholas or Christmas as the reason for the inclusion. Some references seemed frankly unnecessary and more biased toward telling a part of American history, which I consider to be Federer's "first love."
As a cyclopedic reference for things related to Christmas, I'm glad to have the book on my shelf.
The second portion of the book focused on the references to Nicholas and Christmas, especially in the United States, but not in a particularly cohesive way. The vignettes were usually chronological, but why certain carols for example were chosen and others not didn't seem to have specific rhyme or reason. There were unfortunately editorial errors in the text, too, making it seem a bit cobbled together rather than being a focused work.
Federer included most stories and events without commentary, focusing only on the mention of Nicholas or Christmas as the reason for the inclusion. Some references seemed frankly unnecessary and more biased toward telling a part of American history, which I consider to be Federer's "first love."
As a cyclopedic reference for things related to Christmas, I'm glad to have the book on my shelf.
December 17, 2024
I can’t remember who recommended this book, or why I should read this book. Yet I’m glad I did. It is sad to see how we took a real person who did all for the glory of God & turned his history into a such a fictional character that has nothing to do with God. It was interesting reading how all the changes happened & how different countries affect this too. I also loved the history about many famous Hymns & carols. Especially how the 12 days of Christmas came about. Yet I felt some information was not detailed enough. Felt I was skimming the surface & would like more details. Also information about all the pictures in the book would have been beneficial too.
December 23, 2019
I picked up this book because I was interested in the history of St. Nicholas. Unfortunately most of what is recorded in this book is unverifiable church tradition rather than historical fact.
There is some interesting information on the history of Christmas traditions and hymns. It's sprinkled in between accounts of every historical event that has ever happened to occur on December 25th throughout the last two thousand years. Half of what's in this book isn't actually relevant.
There is some interesting information on the history of Christmas traditions and hymns. It's sprinkled in between accounts of every historical event that has ever happened to occur on December 25th throughout the last two thousand years. Half of what's in this book isn't actually relevant.
June 5, 2022
There was a lot of really interesting facts in this book, but it could be a much shorter book than it is. I found I was often distracted by the stories having nothing to do with Santa, nor Christmas Traditions.
June 27, 2023
The writing was a bit scattered in its approach but I enjoyed learning about the genuinely good person that St Nicholas was and his integrity in doing what he knew was right. He was a courageous light for others in an otherwise very dark time!
December 12, 2024
I have heard Mr. Federer speak on the radio and was very impressed. His book was not so clear on the subject matter. Some interesting sidenotes and facts but you lose track of the original intent at some point.
December 24, 2019
Fascinating facts all through the book, though thoughts could have been more organized to make the book feel less chaotic to read
December 6, 2020
Half of the book is historical moments that took place at Christmas and when different songs joined the holiday. That's not bad, it's just not what I was expecting in the history of Saint Nicholas.
February 21, 2023
Wish there was more detailed information, but it was informative overall.
November 29, 2023
Very informative stories explaining where the legends of Santa Claus are founded.
History interwoven with the legends, and also includes the origins of classic holiday songs
History interwoven with the legends, and also includes the origins of classic holiday songs
December 13, 2014
I came to read this book because I see the same thing every year: Santa Claus is fake; Santa Claus is bad; Santa Claus teaches materialism.
Santa Claus was a part of my childhood growing up. But my mom also taught me that Santa Claus is really Saint Nicholas. And while our modern image of Santa Claus differs from Saint Nicholas, like Santa is from the North Pole, has Reindeer, Elves, etc. I still see Santa as Saint Nicholas.
I see Santa Claus as something positive and Santa to me teaches positive things like Saint Nicholas did.
So, I did decided to look for books to learn more about Saint Nicholas and how he became what we know today as Santa Claus.
I loved learning the history of Saint Nicholas in this book. He was really a good person. Caring and he really did give gifts. After the history of Saint Nicholas, the book began about how his popularity grew and about the different legends and traditions that became associated with his feast day (December 6th) and you can definitely see the similarities with our modern Christmas traditions and our modern Santa Claus. It was really interesting reading all of that.
But after that, the rest of the book is just Christmas addresses that were given by different Presidents. I think the book could have done without those and maybe dug more into the history of Christmas and its traditions.
Although I am giving it three stars, the first part of the book with history of Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Christmas traditions, definitely deserves five stars. It is well-written and very interesting. But with the most of the book being just Christmas addresses that were given by Presidents makes the book itself, in my opinion, only three stars. A few would have been fine, but most of the book is just Christmas addresses and I think that many were too much.
However, the book is worth a read alone just for the history of Saint Nicholas and Christmas.
Santa Claus was a part of my childhood growing up. But my mom also taught me that Santa Claus is really Saint Nicholas. And while our modern image of Santa Claus differs from Saint Nicholas, like Santa is from the North Pole, has Reindeer, Elves, etc. I still see Santa as Saint Nicholas.
I see Santa Claus as something positive and Santa to me teaches positive things like Saint Nicholas did.
So, I did decided to look for books to learn more about Saint Nicholas and how he became what we know today as Santa Claus.
I loved learning the history of Saint Nicholas in this book. He was really a good person. Caring and he really did give gifts. After the history of Saint Nicholas, the book began about how his popularity grew and about the different legends and traditions that became associated with his feast day (December 6th) and you can definitely see the similarities with our modern Christmas traditions and our modern Santa Claus. It was really interesting reading all of that.
But after that, the rest of the book is just Christmas addresses that were given by different Presidents. I think the book could have done without those and maybe dug more into the history of Christmas and its traditions.
Although I am giving it three stars, the first part of the book with history of Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Christmas traditions, definitely deserves five stars. It is well-written and very interesting. But with the most of the book being just Christmas addresses that were given by Presidents makes the book itself, in my opinion, only three stars. A few would have been fine, but most of the book is just Christmas addresses and I think that many were too much.
However, the book is worth a read alone just for the history of Saint Nicholas and Christmas.
February 8, 2017
This book doesn't have great reviews possibly because it isn't the typical book you would read to celebrate Christmas. It's a history book. I have celebrated 46 Christmases without knowing where every tradition originated like why Santa flies through the sky with reindeer, or how his iconic image evolved from a robed saint who ate only once a day to a rosy-cheeked chubby gnome-like man dressed in fur-lined red suit and the origin of every Christmas song we sing. I loved it. I tabbed many pages to read again to my family in the future so we won't blindly celebrate traditions. This book puts good 'ol St. Nick in his proper place as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
February 7, 2015
It includes some useful information that can be read just by skimming through the book. The picture quality is poor with many pictures pixelated or grainy. None of the pictures are captioned which makes it hard to know what/who it is. References were included as a Bibliography which is poor because you can't understand where the facts are coming from in each section. It would have been better to reference each section so that readers feel they can believe the knowledge presented. The book could easily be replaced by a number of google searches.
January 14, 2015
Lotta fun with much historical wheat and some chaff about Nicholas and the traditions that followed after him.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews