Life & TraditionThe Real St. Nicholas and the Origin of ‘Santa Claus’He was bishop of Myra, noted for his generosity to the poor. SaveMark Us Preferred on GooglePrintSt. Nicholas slaps Arius at the Council of Nicea. Wikimedia Commons.Stacy Robinson12/24/2024|Updated: 12/24/20240:00X 1Santa Claus believers can rejoice to know that, technically, he is a real person.Technically.We had a problem loading this article. Please enable javascript or use a different browser. If the issue persists, please visit our help center.