A: The image of Santa has been traced to St. Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, who lived in southwestern Turkey in the fourth century. He was credited with making a number of miracles involving children and other groups. After his death, he became a patron saint and was given his own "feast day," Dec. 6. This day eventually became associated with Dec. 25, the day that Pope Julius I marked to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

St. Nicholas was particularly popular in Holland, where he was known as "Sinter Klaas," and eventually became a tradition in America during a wave of interest in Dutch customs after the Revolutionary War, according to Stnicholascenter.org.

It wasn't until Clement Moore wrote the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known as "The Night Before Christmas") that our modern view of Santa Claus took shape. Adding some German and Norse legends, he described St. Nick as a chubby and jolly elf-like man with a white beard who drove a sleigh of eight miniature reindeer and carried a bundle of toys.

Thomas Nast, the 19th-century political cartoonist, further shaped our view in his drawings published in Harper's Weekly, adding Santa's residence at the North Pole and a book listing children's names in naughty and nice categories. Santa's suit was portrayed in different colors -- purple, green, blue and red.

By the beginning of the 20th century, red was the most popular color used by such illustrators as N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. Santa's image was firmly established when Coca-Cola featured Santa in a red-and-white suit in advertisements beginning in the 1930s. Red and white happened to be the company's colors.