It's not about jesus.
It's about how Bishop Nikolaos of Myra in the fourth century became so filled with love by the teachings of a madman called Jesus of Nazareth 300 years earlier, that he got magical powers, moved to the North Pole and started making Gameboys for little girls and boys who had been good.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:47, 1 reply, 14 years ago)

BUT WHY DOES HE WEAR RED?

( Windy Pig I'm naturally quite suspicious about the moon., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:49, Reply)

That's down to Coca Cola allegedly

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:51, Reply)

Nope.
c-belo
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:52, Reply)

c Brian
(Kid Presentable, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:57, Reply)

belo Eno
( Windy Pig I'm naturally quite suspicious about the moon., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:06, Reply)

FACT TIME...
Nothing to do with Coca Cola. (although they did repopularise this colour scheme after it had gone out of fashion)

The typical santa redness and suit design is largely derived from traditional bishop garb of that region at that time.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:51, Reply)

I thought it was related to the fly agaric mushroom's colours.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:52, Reply)

h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A6084218
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:53, Reply)

Ooooh
It's like QI this, without the gratuitous Alan Davies
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:58, Reply)

That's a really interesting read
and I believe the arguments to be pretty persuasive, too. A similar case is made for the idea of witches flying and having toads as pets - if you lick the backs of certain species of toad you trip the fuck on out, I understand.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:04, Reply)

Linked to the idea of the viking Berzerkers as well.

( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:27, Reply)

That website looks like shit written by wankers.

(PsychoChomp, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:02, Reply)

Whilst that may be true
I've seent the arguments being made by anthropolists on a BBC2 documentary so I wouldn't write them off on that basis.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:06, Reply)

I would
Anyone that makes their argument on the internet using a website is almost certainly more wrong than Monty Boyce at a music convention.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:10, Reply)

I don't buy it.
Seems more likely that Santa looks like St Nicholas on account of them being the same persons.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:12, Reply)

Now that is good facting.

( Kroney, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 10:55, Reply)

In the 1700s St Nick began being represented a bit like the Green Man from English folklore;
fat, beardy, green coated, spirit of plenty.
Then the two different images began to merge.
Coca cola used this merged version because it was their corporate colours. This cemented it as the typical version.
But you only have to look back a hundred years or so and there's a mix of green santa, red santa, and st nick in typical bishop garb.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:07, Reply)

coolio.

( Windy Pig I'm naturally quite suspicious about the moon., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:04, Reply)

Also, amongst bazillions of other things, St Nick is the patron saint of my hometown; Portsmouth.

(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:08, Reply)

for some reason i thought st nick was connected to tsar nicholas 3,
But that must be bollocks someone told me.
Pompey needs a good patron saint, it lost all its charm with the destruction of the tricorn. But we've discussed that before. 4EvR in r shopping.
( Windy Pig I'm naturally quite suspicious about the moon., Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:18, Reply)

I'll just say this:
It was shortsightedness to knock the Tricorn down. I loved it. It was special, unique and another word synonymous with special and unique.
Now we have a typical glass roofed boring mall. Whoop-di-fucking-doo.
(The Personality Horse www.tinyurl.com/perhor, Fri 23 Dec 2011, 11:22, Reply)