The original St. Nicholas was a Greek Christian bishop residing in what is today Turkey in the 4th century. St. Nicholas was known for his generosity to the poor. But as various cultures adopted the concept of Santa Claus they drew upon their own local folklore in crafting his image. Many parallels have been drawn between the Norse god Odin and Santa Claus in Germanic tradition. The Dutch imagined their Saint Nicholas with helpers known as "Zwarte Piet," rather than elves. The British conceived Father Christmas as early as the 17th century, portraying him as a green suited, bearded benefactor in Charle's Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

With the advent of television and the glut of TV and movie adaptations featuring Santa Claus (usually geared towards children) have vastly expanded the folklore surrounding the bringer of Christmas joy. Modern conceptions give Santa Claus a wife - Mrs. Claus - an equally heavy-set female counterpart to St. Nick who enjoys baking Christmas cookies and also assists in Santa's workshop on the North Pole.

Like Mrs. Claus, the invention of other familiar Christmas characters lies not in religious tradition, but in commercial creativity. For example, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Dr. Suess' The Grinch all arose from fictional stories from the 20th century that were adapted into songs, movies, television shows and eventually, international icons. In this way, the holiday season and traditions of Christmas have taken a departure from its commemoration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ and is now more secular and inclusive, becoming more a celebration of general holiday cheer and the spirit of giving.