Santa Flying Over a Snowy Town

About this drawing

Every December, the Santa sleigh over village rooftops feels ancient, yet this image dates back only about two centuries. Before then, the gift bringers of European folklore usually walked or rode a horse or a donkey. New York writers of the early 1800s were the ones who sent the old man into the sky.

A small illustrated children's book from 1821 showed him steering a sleigh behind one reindeer. Two years later, a poem called "A Visit from St. Nicholas" appeared in a newspaper in Troy, New York. It was later credited to Clement Clarke Moore, and it gave Santa eight tiny reindeer, a landing on the roof, and a quick trip down the chimney. Readers loved it, and families began reciting it aloud every Christmas Eve.

Illustrators picked up from there. Through the rest of the century, magazines showed the sleigh crossing moonlit skies, loaded with toys, and the picture spread through greeting cards and storybooks. Before long, the flight became the very heart of the Santa story. Children in many countries still look up on December 24, and some families even check online trackers to follow the journey. It is a surprisingly modern legend, built from one little book, one much-loved poem, and a lot of imagination.

• santa
• sleigh
• reindeer
• snowy village
• stars