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This series by American studies professor Ben Railton explores the connections between America’s past and present.

The story of Saint Nicholas, a pious and bearded man known for his charitable giving to the poor, goes back nearly 2,000 years, to 4^th century Lycia (modern-day Turkey) where he was the bishop of Myra.

Children began receiving gifts in his honor on Nicholas’s Name Day, December 6^th, in the Middle Ages.

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And a folklore character loosely based on Nicholas and known as Father Christmas has been delivering presents and other festive cheer in multiple European countries since at least the 1500s. Like Christmas trees and many other holiday traditions, Santa Claus has a history that long predates the United States.

While Santa Claus did not originate in the U.S., his story and image significantly evolved across 19^th century America.

And they did so through a series of iconic texts tha