क्रिसमस दिवस पर, सांता क्लॉस शहर में आता है। बच्चे बिस्तर पर जाने से पहले उसके लिए टेबल पर कुकीज़ और दूध छोड़ देते हैं। यह एक लंबी परंपरा का हिस्सा है जो सुनिश्चित करता है कि अच्छे बच्चों को बहुत सारे उपहार मिलते हैं और शरारती बच्चों को अपने स्टॉकिंग्स में ठंडा कोयले की एक गांठ के अलावा कुछ भी नहीं मिलता है।

माना जाता है कि यह परंपरा चौथी शताब्दी के दौरान एक ईसाई Bishop सेंट निकोलस के साथ शुरू हुई है, जो जरूरतमंद लोगों को अज्ञात उपहार देने के लिए जाने जाते थे।

एक और सिद्धांत से पता चलता है कि क्रिसमस की पूर्व संध्या पर दूध और कुकीज़ छोड़ने का रिवाज स्कैंडिनेवियाई किंवदंती से उत्पन्न होता है। इस कहानी के मुताबिक, Elves रात में घरों में घुसपैठ करेंगे ताकि वे अपने जादुई भूमि पर लौटने से पहले जीवित वातावरण में छोटे-छोटे उपयोगी परिवर्तन कर सकें। Elves के पास बड़ी वस्तुओं को ले जाने की ताकत नहीं थी, इसलिए उन्होंने मनुष्यों के लिए सिक्कों को छोड़ दिया – जिस प्रकार सांता द्वारा क्रिसमस स्टॉकिंग्स में छोटे उपहारों को छोड़ना।

St. Nicholas is portrayed today in modern media as a jolly old man who wears red and white robes, talks with an American accent, and flies around the world on Christmas Eve in his sleigh pulled by reindeer. However, this version of Santa Claus has evolved over time to appease American culture — for instance, Santa was originally depicted as a tall, thin man wearing green robes.

In the US and Europe, Santa Claus typically buys or makes gifts for children using money he collected by going down chimneys. In Australia and New Zealand, Santa typically leaves presents outside of the house in large plastic sacks filled with candy canes or milk and cookies. However, in some countries, such as Japan and South Korea, Santa Claus leaves gifts in shoes left outside of the house. His elves sometimes leave presents on window sills.

In Mexico, Sante Claus is known as “Papá Noel,” dressed in red and carrying a sack full of toys on his back. In France, he is known as Pére Noel and carries a sack over his shoulder. In the Philippines, Santa Claus is known as “Kris Kringle” and rides a magical golden carabao drawn by eight reindeer. His traditional German garb is covered with bells that jingle when he walks.

There are regional differences in how he arrives at homes. In the Italian Alps, Santa Claus arrives on a horse. In Catalonia, he enters homes through chimneys or windows. In Mongolia, children leave hay and water for his magical white steed as it gallops alongside his sleigh.

In Germany, Santa Claus is called “Christkindl” who sometimes comes from the sky riding a goose and leaves presents in shoes. In Eastern European countries such as Poland, Romania, and Hungary, children do not leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus because they believe he will be full after eating all the food in their plates. Instead, they place hay underneath their beds to feed his magical white horse so it can fly back to the North Pole.