While Santa Claus may seem like a simple icon that has always been a part of the holiday tradition, it has taken the hard work of countless illustrators, writers and advertisers throughout history to create the jolly, red-nosed, cookie-eating Santa Claus known today.

The origin of Santa Claus can be traced back to Saint Nicholas, who served as the bishop of the city of Myra, on the southern coast of Turkey in the fourth century AD. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children and sailors. As his kindness and piety became known, many legends formed about Saint Nicholas.

“One legend that associates Saint Nicholas with modern images of Santa Claus is about a poor man could not afford dowries for his daughters,” said Ralph Mathisen, professor of history, classics and medieval studies.

Because the man did not have enough money, his daughters would have to be sold into prostitution.

“To save them from this fate, Saint Nicholas secretly dropped a purse of gold down the chimney since he wanted to modestly keep his identity secret. In one version, the purse fell into one of the girls’ stockings that was hanging up to dry.”

Nicholas is considered to be a saint by both the Orthodox and Catholic churches. It is believed that he died in the year 343 AD. His festival is celebrated on December 6, the anniversary of his death.

“The association of Saint Nicholas with gifts goes well back into the Middle Ages,” Mathisen said. “Fairs were held on St. Nicholas’ feast day at which special items could be purchased. Children would be given gifts on St. Nicholas Day; other gifts would be saved for Christmas.”

The name “Santa Claus” evolved from the mispronunciation of Saint Nicholas’ Dutch nickname, “Sinter Klaas,” a shortened version of “Sint Nikolaas,” which is Dutch for Saint Nicholas. Therefore, Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas are the same, Mathisen said.

In the 19th century, images of “Sinter Klaas” became more widespread throughout the United States. In 1809, American writer Washington Irving published his satirical fiction, “A History of New York,” under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker.

“Irving’s influence is that he is one of the first to provide details about the basic elements of the myth of Santa Claus: a benevolent spirit that brings presents to children, entering houses via their chimneys and that he traveled via a ‘wagon’ that flew over the trees,” said Harriett Green, English and digital humanities librarian.

In 1821, the first American lithographed poem, “The Children’s Friend,” was published by an anonymous author, which described “Old Santeclaus” who arrived from the North in a sleigh with flying reindeer.

“This poem was one of the first descriptions, along with Washington Irving’s writings, about the tale of Santa Claus,” Green said.

In 1823, American poet Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” also known as “The Night Before Christmas.”

According to a New York Times article, the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” transformed Saint Nicholas from a previously conceived character that was a “skinny, stern bishop” to a more joyful elf associated with gift-giving after 1820.

Today some claim that the poem was actually written by American poet Henry Livingston.

“A Vassar College professor Don Foster wrote a book ten years ago, ‘Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous,’ that strongly made a case that Henry Livingston was the author,” Green said.

While there is controversy over the true author, Green said that it is certain that this popular poem was instrumental in shaping the modern American version of Santa Claus celebrated today.

Elizabeth Pleck, professor emerita of history, said that famous historian Stephen Nissenbaum emphasizes the period between the 1820s and the 1840s as the moment when Saint Nicholas became the beloved Santa, known for bringing gifts to children.

“Nissenbaum sees the relation of Santa to fears of urban danger — beggars coming to the door for a Christmas gift, kids going out at Christmastime, wanting the same — and the rise of the home as haven domesticity,” Pleck said. “Merchants picked up on Moore’s poem and publicized Santa. Santa was a way to conceal the commercial nature of gift giving and commodities as magical and expressions of domestic affection.”

In 1862, Civil War political cartoonist Thomas Nast created a modern day image of Santa Claus who supported the Union. His drawings were featured in Harper’s Weekly, and were based off of Moore’s poem. Nast drew Santa with a white beard, wearing a red suit and holding a sack full of toys. He also had Santa working at his North Pole workshop with elves and his wife, Mrs. Claus.

Starting in the 1890s, the Salvation Army began sending workers dressed as Santa Claus into the streets to collect donations.

Many other American books influenced the evolution of Santa Claus, such as “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus,” published in 1902 and written by L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Santa Claus made its way into commercial culture in the 1920s when the Coca-Cola Company started its holiday shopping advertisements in magazines. Wanting the campaign to have a more wholesome and realistic Santa, the Coca-Cola Company had illustrator Haddon Sundblom develop a new version of Santa Claus in 1931.

There is a misconception that Santa’s red and white colors came from Coca-Cola, but Santa appeared in a red coat before Coca-Cola’s advertisements. Sundblom drew inspiration from Moore’s poem, creating a human Santa Claus that was friendly, jolly and pleasantly plump.

For more than three decades, Coca-Cola continued to draw images of Santa Claus delivering toys, reading a letter and doing other holiday activities while enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola.

“Haddon Sundblom’s Coca-Cola Santa was important, but there was a lot of other developments, such as Mrs. Claus in the 1890s, the department store Santa and the Macy’s parade Santa, the Rock ‘n Roll song Santa and more,” Pleck said.

Santa Claus has traveled a long way, literally and figuratively, since his days as Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. Santa Claus may continue to evolve in the 21st century. Who knows — maybe in a few years, he’ll be depicted as a tech-savvy Santa, conveniently updating his Naughty or Nice List on his shiny new iPad.