NewsBreak Original

The church of Saint Nicholas in New York is reborn 21 years after the tragedy of the Twin Towers, also thanks to the generosity and contribution of the people of Bari. The place of worship overwhelmed by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on that unfortunately unforgettable September 11, 2001, finally returns to new life. And Operation Saint Nicholas proves to be a success. (according to La Gazzetta del Mezzoggiorno)

We all know exactly who Santa Claus is...or do we? Was Santa Claus invented by the Coca-Cola company? What is the connection with Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Sinterklaas? All this...and more will be revealed in "Who is Santa Claus?" Images used in the video are all in the public domain. Some of the photographic content is 'licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.' Sources: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Santa-Claus">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Santa-Claus</a> | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus</a> | <a href="https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/origin-of-santa">https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/origin-of-santa</a>

Is he the same character as Santa Claus? Or is he someone completely different? We investigate the origins of Father Christmas and how he became the character we know and love today. Images used in the video are all in the public domain. Some of the photographic content is 'licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.’ Sources: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Christmas">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Christmas</a> | <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-father-christmas">https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-father-christmas</a>/ | <a href="https://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/santa.shtml">https://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/santa.shtml</a>

The late Louis Armstrong had a holiday hit with "Is that You Santa Claus" in 1953 and the title is actually "Zat you Santa Claus." Armstrong is asking if the notice he hears is Chris Kringle bringing presents. I have wondered over the decades as I have watched television and movies if one of the actors might be the man in the red suit in the popular holiday favoriteM&M Christmas commercial and jokingly asked "Zat you Santa Claus" but to date, there has been no answer.

St. Nicholas Church in DemreCredit: Dosseman; CC-BY-SA-4.0 The real-life or original Santa Claus is St. Nicholas (270 -343) who lived in Turkey during the time of the Roman Empire.

Thomas Walter Weir, St. Nicholas, 1837, New-York Historical Society, 1951.76. It may surprise you, but the jolly gift-giver we know so well today was heavily influenced by an illustrator from Morristown, NJ.