Amazing Christmas Facts That Will Change The Way You See The Holiday

Establishing What Santa Claus Looked Like

The look of the modern-day Santa Claus was created in an 1804 meeting of the New York Historical Society. Here, a philanthropist named John Pintard handed out wooden cutouts of the jolly St. Nick that we know of today, next to a large bag filled with toys.

Fine Art Photographic Library/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Fine Art Photographic Library/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

In 1819, the image of Santa Claus flying in his sleigh was created by Washington Irving. Strangely enough, Irving was also the author who created the concept of the Headless Horseman for his short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”