Christmas issue of Weather Bureau Topics with Santa Claus streaking across a weather radar. Cover of "Weather Bureau Topics". North Pole, December, 1958. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and simply Santa, is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric origins who, in many Western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children on December 24th, the night before Christmas Day. He is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man, sometimes with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children.